ConsumerLab Says Menopause Supplement Labels Confusing

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.The labeling of natural products that address hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, such as those containing estrogen-like isoflavones (from soy or red clover), the herbal remedy black cohosh, may be confusing to consumers, according to a new report from ConsumerLab.com.

ConsumerLab tested quality ratings for 21 natural products that contain isoflavones, black cohosh or creams containing progesterone in his most recent report.

The potential potency of two products claiming the same amount of isoflavones can differ significantly depending on how the isoflavones are calculated, according to the testing agency. ConsumerLab reported most of the isolfavones products tested in the review listed only total isoflavones on the label, and those that made specific isoflavone claims, none specified the amount of aglycone isoflavones in their products, making it nearly impossible to compare the content or potential efficacy of the products from their labels alone, it said.

ConsumerLab said in nature, about 95 percent of isoflavones are attached to sugar molecules (glycosides). Most manufacturers include the weight of the sugar in the stated amount of isoflavones. In such products, as much as 40 percent to 50 percent of the claimed "total isoflavones" may really be sugar. A more precise label should state just the weight of the active part of the isoflavones, excluding the sugar portion of the molecule, according to the company. These are called "aglycone" (meaning "without sugar") isoflavones. They may also be referred to by their specific names. For soy, the aglycone isoflavones are genistein, daidzein, and glycitein. The glycosidic (with sugar) forms are genistin, daidzin and glycitin. These are also found in red clover and kudzu. Red clover also includes the glycosidic isoflavones biochanin A and formononetin, while kudzu contains the glycosidic isoflavone puerarin.

In the report, ConsumerLab.com identified one isoflavones supplement containing only 32 percent of its listed isoflavones.

ConsumerLab also said black cohosh labels may not explain which products are likely to work better than others because the active components of the herb have not yet been identified. For this reason, it tested black cohosh supplements for amounts of lead and tablet stability rather than amount of the active components. Of the black cohosh supplements it tested, one was found to be contaminated with a small amount of lead.

The quality concern ConusmerLab raised with progesterone creams was because the progesterone in creams is synthetic, improperly manufactured products could potentially contain manufacturing by-products, such as androstenedione, a steroid. However, all the progesterone creams tested by ConsumerLab contained their claimed amounts of progesterone.

Of the 21 products tested18 dietary supplements and three progesterone creams13 were selected by ConsumerLab.com and eight were tested at the request of their manufacturers/distributors through ConsumerLab.com's Voluntary Certification Program.