Not so long ago, I came across yet another product from China, in this case dietary supplements which turn out to contain a drug called sildenafil. Sildenafil is a main ingredient of Viagra, a male sexual enhancement drug. (It's covered by the Associated Press via MSNBC: FDA warns against Chinese-made supplements.)
The problem here is that sildenafil is NOT declared on the label. Where one is thinking one is taking a dietary supplement for one's health, those with other physical situations like diabetes or heart disease could have additional problems such as low blood pressure (or even death).
I'm an advocate of our country taking back responsibility for products that we consume by manufacturing them here in the United States, where the products are better supervised. We need to be sure that when we buy dietary supplements, we are, IN FACT, getting dietary supplements.
A vitamin is a certain kind of food or nutrition that is concentrated such as vitamin C or B Complex. Nutrition is food. Food is usually the stuff you eat that keeps your body alive and running reasonably well.
A drug is an ingredient, usually found in nature and later altered by processing so that it can be patented, which usually treats an illness.
There is a BIG difference between food and a drug.
It's a dirty trick to combine concentrated food — dietary supplements — with the drug sildenfafil.
Unfortunately, the legacy of NAFTA is bigger profits for "globalized" companies — NOT necessarily products that benefit us consumers at a cheaper price (for the manufacturers).
It's up to us consumers to demand safely manufactured products.
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4 Comments for "Viagra ingredient sildenafil found in Chinese made supplements"
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Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 02/17/08 @ 9:05 pm
Yes, George, and how about the idea of separating the F from the DA to make it just the Drug Administration. The FDA is so cumbersomely bureaucratic, patently illogical and short-staffed due to limited government, not private, funding that, I think WWOF might get behind a "we want food administration" movement. There certainly is a vacuum to be filled.
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 02/22/08 @ 1:31 pm
LOL. Priceless, Lynn.
George Vigil
Comment posted on 02/22/08 @ 1:43 pm
Yeah! I think the FDA should stand for Federal Drugging Administration. Also FOOD is now being confused with DRUGS. What if we had an administration for healthy food?
And another for drugs? Where one is made fully aware of the ramifications of processed foods vs. unprocessed food and given a choice. Drugs are organic compounds that have been molecularly changed so that each can be patented. IMHO eating healthily obivates a majority of the reasons for taking drugs.
Questioning Chinese Imports
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