:: Health News ::

San Dimas, CA (PRWEB) May 19, 2005 — Vitamin Supplement Analyzer (VSA) is a new online tool that helps consumers sort out the proper types, dosage and balance of dietary supplements they use on a daily basis.

Health journalist Bill Sardi, developer of the new online tool, says VSA was designed to deliver current timely information to the 242 million American consumers who use dietary supplements. According to a recent survey, dietary supplement users first refer to books and printed materials, most which provide outdated or inaccurate information, or rely upon physicians, who are poorly trained in the use of supplements.

Others rely upon health food store personnel, friends or pharmacists, to learn how to benefit from food supplements. VSA provides current information about supplements as obtained monthly from the National Library of Medicine. The latest information about ginkgo biloba, vitamin E, selenium, red yeast rice, glucosamine, and more, can be obtained quickly. No more searching all over the internet.

“Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential oils and herbs, have great promise,” says Sardi, “since the biological action of nearly every drug can be duplicated with dietary supplements without high cost or side effects. However, consumers may not be obtaining optimal results from their supplements because they are often confused by conflicting information or myths that keep circulating,” says Sardi.

VSA doesn’t refer to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) which is outdated, often based upon flawed studies, and only applies to perfectly healthy, unstressed, non-medicated consumers who have no undesirable health habits, who are in a minority in the population.

VSA subscribers are able to access current reports on over 100 dietary supplement ingredients. With their supplement ingredient list in hand, VSA users can enter dosages and forms of each nutrient or herb used and receive a return report that “red flags” under or over-dosage, or identifies improper balance between nutrients. For example, calcium should be balanced with magnesium and zinc with copper. Iron supplements are not advised for full-grown males.

Users of St. John’s wort or high-dose vitamin B2 (riboflavin) receive a warning these supplements may cause photosensitivity when out in the sun and may induce sunshine cataracts over time. There is a warning attached to red yeast rice, an herbal product commonly taken to lower cholesterol, which contains molecules that are toxic to the liver. VSA asks for medication usage and denotes drugs that cause nutrient deficiencies. Other tools on the site help consumers become aware of drug/supplement incompatibilities.

VSA subscribers can also enter the ingredients of their multivitamin and have it rated for overall potency, balance and completeness. Vitamin Supplement Analyzer™ is not affiliated with, nor does it recommend, any brands or manufacturers of dietary supplements.

As a bonus, Vitamin Supplement Analyzer™ users receive free access to download Bill Sardi’s e-book, The New Truth About Vitamins & Minerals (192 pages, illustrated, indexed, a $21.95 value).

You are invited to learn more at www.vitaminsupplementanalyzer.com.