Viewpoint: Media focus on ‘scare fears’ like trace chemicals ignores real dangers like dietary supplements

There can hardly be a better example of […] logical disconnect than the silly July 12th hit piece in the [New York] Times about the “horrors” caused by tiny amounts of phthalates in mac and cheese packaging, and [the July 28] CNN report about the increase in the number of poison control center calls due to kids ingesting dietary supplements…

Thanks to scare tactics, people are terrified of trace amounts of chemicals that are harmless even at very high doses.

Thanks to a very bad law and very good marketing, the enormous supplements industry has managed to convince much of the US that their products will promote good health, correct an imaginary deficiency in your diet, and are safe.

They are not safe, as evidenced by 275,000 poison control calls over a 12-year period.

These calls have often been a result of dangerous and/or illegal additives, which turn the supplement into a drug, and an untested drug at that. Without the additives, the supplement will probably do nothing—no weight loss, no extra energy, no erections.

Yet, phthalates are considered to be “bad” and supplements are “good.”

This is dead wrong.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Mac And Cheese Won’t Hurt Your Kids But Dietary Supplements Sure Will

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

ChatGPT-Image-Mar-10-2026-01_39_01-PM
Viewpoint—“Miracle molecule” debunked: Why acemannan supplements don’t work
ChatGPT-Image-Jul-8-2026-12_32_48-PM
Viewpoint: SCOTUS strikes a blow against junk science in Bayer glyphosate case. Will it deter mass tort litigators?
ChatGPT-Image-Jul-7-2026-01_57_55-PM
Viewpoint: Europe’s rejection of air conditioning is the poster child for misunderstanding how to mitigate the impact of climate change
ChatGPT-Image-Jul-1-2026-12_37_08-PM
Viewpoint: Trump poised to politicize all U.S.-supported science research
Screen-Shot-at-PM-pe-vra-kipgaprbdo-vd-ms-jpule-n-jqqaxf-l-e
Viewpoint: Will new breeding techniques help make European agriculture more competitive?
Screenshot-2026-07-08-at-11.25.14-AM
AI being mobilized to target misinformation about vaccines–on AI
Screenshot-2026-07-08-at-2.14.27-PM
Belief in unproven dietary regimes, vitamins, and crank therapies is putting patients’ health in danger and increasing the risk of getting cancer
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-25-2026-12_23_17-PM
No, Bill Gates did not secretly engineer ticks to promote veganism
ChatGPT-Image-Jul-10-2026-09_12_58-AM
X rolls out direct messages to users who interact with misinformation
ChatGPT-Image-Jul-1-2026-03_33_49-PM
‘Alternative’ cancer treatments that could kill you
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-30-2026-10_27_31-AM
Viewpoint: Europe clears the way for gene-edited crops — but fear-driven restrictions still slow their full potential
ChatGPT-Image-Jul-7-2026-12_01_35-PM
Viewpoint: 21 worthless wellness trends inspired by RFK, Jr.’s ill-informed MAHA followers that can harm or even kill you.
DtAieAIkCZy-uchn-oqg
Viewpoint: In the science misinformed grifter game plan, the organic-food-is-healthier myth might be the worst.
ChatGPT-Image-Jul-7-2026-03_07_17-PM
Kennedy blocks preventive health care panel that reviews treatments for HIV, diabetes, and cancer from meeting — for fourth time
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.