I didn't need to be logged in to watch it. Thanks for posting. It really ticks me off how much garbage they put in these supplements. Why even take them if the fillers can make things worse?
And they are still not that cheap. I will have to throw out quite a few, because I am one of these people that take many supplements. What a waste of money. OK, rant over. Fortunately, I also bought some German supplements without any fillers.
Over the years I've seen quite a few articles, mentions and allusions to big pharma owning, or having shares or stakes in the supplement industry. Those reports often mention that these brands purposefully make supplements that don't really work well just to create an illusion of pharmaceutical solutions being much better than supplementation, thus discouraging people from using them to solve problems - while also making money in the process because supplements do sell well, even if they aren't perceived as an alternative to pharmaceuticals. And does it really hurt big pharma if people develop health issues as a result of taking supplements with harmful fillers? Or course not - sick people is how they make money, so all it does is create more customers.
Another way is using worse quality or unabsorbable forms of substances in supplements. B12 is one example. Poorly absorbed cyanocobalamin is used in well over 90% of B12 supplements found in health shops and supermarkets, I can only find other forms, such as methylcobalamin, or adenosylcobalamin online.
It may sound far fetched, but I don't think it's entirely unlikely that there is something to it.
I copied a few reports about that below, but given how murky and convoluted the relationships between different corporations and brands are, with ownership being difficult to track - or often being trackable to one giant that operates behind the scenes, I'd say there's likely not only is a grain of truth to those reports, it may even be just the tip of the iceberg.
I used to think that Solgar was a great brand, and I was willing to pay more for their products thinking I was investing in my health. Turns out Nestle has a steak in this brand - and they add all the usual suspects to their products too (silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, titanium dioxide, etc.)
Major shifts are, and have been, occurring in the supplement industry. Here’s how they could affect your access. Correction (11/28/2022): The infographic below detailing supplement companies owned by larger companies originally indicated Planet Paleo was owned by HGGC, which is incorrect. The...
anh-usa.org
Nestle Health Science, a division of Nestle, bought Pure Encapsulations and Douglas Foods, along with a host of other supplement companies, including Garden of Life, Vital Proteins, Nuun, Wobenzym, Persona Nutrition, Genestra, Orthica, Minami, AOV, Klean Athlete and Bountiful. Bountiful itself owns Solgar, Osteo Bi-Flex, Puritan’s Pride, Ester-C and Sundown, which are now all under Nestle’s control.
Here's an article about Pfizer's tentacles spreading to the supplement industry. Given how big pharma manages to control medical research to make sure its conclusions are beneficial to them, is it really too much to think that they may be interfering in this supplement brand's operations in other ways than just research, development, and manufacturing capability support?
https://casadesante.com/en-eu/blogs...not,and Pfizer through Pharmavite's ownership
In 1997, Nature Made became a subsidiary of Pharmavite LLC, a leading manufacturer of dietary supplements. Pharmavite is a privately held company that operates independently and oversees the production and distribution of Nature Made products.
Pharmavite's acquisition of Nature Made was a strategic move to expand its product portfolio and tap into the growing demand for natural health supplements. With Nature Made's reputation for quality and effectiveness, the acquisition proved to be a fruitful endeavor for Pharmavite.
Although Nature Made is not directly owned by Pfizer, it is worth noting that Pfizer acquired Pharmacia Corporation in 2003, which owned Pharmavite at the time. Therefore, there is an indirect connection between Nature Made and Pfizer through Pharmavite's ownership.
Pharmavite's decision to join forces with Pfizer was driven by the desire to leverage Pfizer's global reach and resources. This partnership allowed Nature Made to expand its market presence and reach a wider audience, benefiting from Pfizer's extensive distribution network and marketing capabilities.
The Role of Pfizer in Nature Made's Operations
While Pfizer does not directly control Nature Made's operations, the acquisition of Pharmacia Corporation by Pfizer has had some influence on the brand. Pfizer's extensive resources and expertise in the pharmaceutical industry have provided Pharmavite with additional support in terms of research and development, manufacturing capabilities, and regulatory compliance.
One can imagine that some pharmaceutical drug makers might fume over this situation.
www.elsevier.com
“Increasingly, Big Pharma and Big Herba are indistinguishable,” claims Parramore. “The very same mega-companies with gigantic chemical labs that make drugs are cooking up vitamin and herbal supplements labeled with sunny terms like ‘natural’ and ‘wholesome.’ Pfizer, Unilever, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline and other big pharmaceutical firms make or sell supplements.” While she does acknowledge there are a few small companies still in the mix, Parramore says they represent a small fraction of the total sales in the $39 billion-a-year supplement industry.
Many of these pharma companies have made the foray into supplements because it plays to their strengths while being far, far cheaper than drug development. Meanwhile, though, there are other large companies coming at it from a different direction. Nestlé has established a subsidiary, Nestlé Health Science, which, according to
STATopens in new tab/window, brings in billions in revenue every year, largely with “high-protein nutritional shakes sold under the Boost brand and shakes and soups marketed under the Meritene brand as reducing ‘tiredness and fatigue,’ among other benefits.”
I also found this summary of big pharma's ownership of supplement brands:
drnealsmoller.com
And another one here (popular Swanson and Nature's Way are on the list):
I'm not advocating throwing the baby out with the bathwater and ditching those brands completely, it may be hard to do, but I do think it's crucial to read the labels. And whenever possible, I personally choose to support smaller brands that make clean supplements, even if it costs me a little more. Not only are those supplements better for our health, buying for smaller but cleaner brands also supports small businesses that have it quite difficult out there when competing against the giants.
Maybe the gum tastes ok... Still patches work for a lot of people and it is a good option for some.