bladderwrack

[Bethie]

What the heck is bladderwrack? I’ve seen it in two different diet pills I saw this week at a health food store near my house. I also saw bladderwort. Are they the same and what are they supposed to do? I feel like they’re something I should know about because they’re popping up in a lot of diet pills. Is this something I want to take?

[JennyR]

I have to say the reason I clicked on your post Bethie is I thought you were going to explain what a bladderwrack is haha. I have no idea what that is. It sounds like a bizarre torture device from the middle ages! I've never seen it in ingredients lists before but now you've got me wondering what it's all about.

[Speeddemon]

It's a type of seaweed and its often used to make natural medicines. It's likely being used in diet pills to clean you out because it's used for constipation and digestive problems. So I imagine that it's supposed to aid in digestion, help stool pass through bowels etc. So it "cleans you out". That said there is insufficient evidence that it works. Also, it's highly unlikely to be beneficial for weight loss other than potentially causing water weight loss. I'd stay away from it.

[Bethie]

It's a type of seaweed and its often used to make natural medicines. It's likely being used in diet pills to clean you out because it's used for constipation and digestive problems. So I imagine that it's supposed to aid in digestion, help stool pass through bowels etc. So it "cleans you out". That said there is insufficient evidence that it works. Also, it's highly unlikely to be beneficial for weight loss other than potentially causing water weight loss. I'd stay away from it.

Thanks Speeddemon. It’s weird that there are so many ingredients like that, that seem like they should be something because they’re in so much, but then that turn out to be nothing good at all. I have seen that the FCC seems to be working on doing something about the way that claims are being worded and about the way that supplements seem to contain the wrong things. That looks promising to me. I only imagine it will be an expensive venture to sort all that out now that it’s so far into the industry.

[PamelaPoison]

bladderwrack and bladderwort aren't the same thing. Also, I don't think you're supposed to take bladderwrack internally, so that could be a problem with supplements. I could be wrong. I think I read that on webmd or mayo clinic or one of those sites.

[WolfMoon]

That ingredient sounds very disturbing. I don't think I've ever seen that in any of the diet pills I've taken. But I am going to watch for it and avoid it. It's freaky the stuff that companies can put in weight loss formulas without warning people about it.

[Speeddemon]

Thanks Speeddemon. It’s weird that there are so many ingredients like that, that seem like they should be something because they’re in so much, but then that turn out to be nothing good at all. I have seen that the FCC seems to be working on doing something about the way that claims are being worded and about the way that supplements seem to contain the wrong things. That looks promising to me. I only imagine it will be an expensive venture to sort all that out now that it’s so far into the industry.

I agree with you that what the FCC plans to do looks promising. We need to be provided with more information that companies are not giving. It's become the norm for so many manufacturers to make unsubstantiated claims about their products and to not actually reveal everything that goes into their formulas. It's sad when we live in a world where essentially a lot of people have to get sick or worse from products that claim to be "safe" and "effective" before government agencies do anything about investigating, regulating or banning the selling of these products.

[Bethie]

I'm glad you agree, Speeddemon. You're right, it's just standard for manufacturers to just say whatever they want just to make us buy it. It's one thing if something isn't effective so that I'm wasting my money, but it's something else if I'm also placing my health at risk because it's not safe! I'd like to know that something is safe and that what's on the label is what's inside. Then, at least it's up to me to take the risk on if it will work or not because I can do my homework and look into it. Plus, not everything is going to work for every single person so if it doesn't work, well whatever. But I don't want to slowly poison myself

[Speeddemon]

That's just it Bethie. It's about having choice. If a person wants to take poison that's there prerogative, but they should know that is what they're putting in their body. I've been hearing some disturbing stories about the FDA finding dangerous substances in certain OTC diet pills that aren't even listed among the products ingredients. And I mean dangerous substances like Sibutramine, a drug that was removed from the market when it was found to cause life-threatening side effects and other substances like Phenolphthalein, which carries a cancer-causing risk. Weve got to be so careful.