Nutritional Supplement Safety Again Confirmed by America's Largest Database

by Andrew W. Saul, Editor

(OMNS Jan 8 2019) The 35th annual report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (1) shows zero deaths from vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin, pyridoxine (B-6), or from any other B-vitamin. There were no deaths from multiple vitamins, adult or pediatric.

One single allegation of death from chronic vitamin D overdose is listed in Table 21, p 170 and then repeated in Table 22-B, page 203. It is described as "AR-D," an Adverse Reaction, Drug. The Relative Contribution to Fatality (RCF) is 3 (on a 6-point scale where 1 is highest), which means "contributory." Although details are not provided, it appears that the individual took vitamin D long-term and died but causality could not be established.

There were zero deaths from any dietary mineral supplement. This means there were no fatalities from calcium, magnesium, chromium, zinc, colloidal silver, selenium, iron, or multimineral supplements.

The AAPCC report shows no deaths from amino acids, creatine, blue-green algae, glucosamine, or chondroitin. There were no deaths from herbs. This means no deaths at all from blue cohosh, echinacea, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, kava kava, St. John's wort, valerian, yohimbe, ma huang/ephedra, guarana, kola nut, or yerba mate. While the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service does not consider a number of these to rightly be dietary supplements, they are included by AAPCC as causing zero fatalities.

There were no deaths from any homeopathic remedy, Asian medicine, or ayurvedic medicine. None.

A fatality from some "Unknown Single Ingredient Botanical" and a single death from an "Unknown Energy Drink" are both reported on page 197. The obvious uncertainly of such listings diminishes any claim of validity.

One unsubstantiated death attributed to melatonin is also reported. Melatonin toxicity is low. For mice, the oral dose that would kill half the animals receiving it (LD 50) is 1,250 milligrams per kilogram body weight. (2) For a human, this would amount to consuming around 10 or more entire bottles of melatonin, all at one time.

If nutritional supplements are allegedly so "dangerous," as the FDA, the news media, and even some physicians still claim, then where are all those bodies?