Some 'Enhanced' Products Might Not Enhance Health
Vitamins, superfoods, and more are touted to sell products. The evidence may be disheartening
Guarana. A stimulant with about three times as much caffeine per seed as a coffee bean, guarana extract is made from a native Brazilian plant. It boasts "the highest amount of naturally occurring caffeine out of all types of plants," says Terry Walker, a guarana researcher at Clemson University in South Carolina. But caffeine is caffeine, whether it comes from a coffee bean or a more exotic plant. And like any other source of caffeine, guarana extract "is not necessarily good for people with high blood pressure or other cardiac problems," says Gerbstadt.
Omega-3 fatty acids. Some foods, including certain peanut butters, breakfast cereals, and eggs, come enhanced with the essential fatty acids called omega-3s, which have been shown to "lower lipids and reduce the risk of death and heart attack," says Wood. But those cardiovascular benefits are linked to certain types of omega-3s, known as DHA and EPA, which are naturally abundant in fish and fish oils. Yet the omega-3s in many fortified products are of a variety called ALA, which comes primarily from plant sources such as flaxseed oil. While cheaper to produce than DHA and EPA—and free of any fishy odor—ALA has not been proved to have the same heart-healthy benefits. When product labels advertise omega-3s, says Schardt, consumers "may interpret this to mean they are getting the heart-healthy oil." As is too often the case with nutraceuticals, the reality may be somewhat less heartening.
advertisement
