Green tea and selenium found contaminated

Supplements analyst ConsumerLab.com has found anomalies in a random batch of green tea and selenium supplements available in the US. Of four green tea products tested, two Californian supplements were contaminated with lead in excess of the state limit of 0.5mcg. Another product contained only 71 per cent of its claimed level of EGCG, a key compound in green tea.

Green tea sales grew by 45 per cent in 2004, when Nutrition Business Journalvalued the market at $160 million.

One of the five analysed selenium products failed as it contained only 38 per cent of its active ingredient. Five lycopene supplements were also tested and they all passed.

" This is an area where consumers really need to be sure of the products they choose," said Tod Cooperman, MD, president of ConsumerLab.com. "You won't know if your supplement lacks active ingredients since you can't 'feel' a preventive therapy; and contamination is compounded when a supplement is used daily for years."

In addition to the 14 products selected by ConsumerLab.com, the report includes results for eight products tested through the ConsumerLab.com Voluntary Certification Program.