CSPI Urges FDA to Prohibit Sale of Ginkgo Following a government report that the herbal ingredient Ginkgo biloba causes cancer in lab animals, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prohibit its use in foods and dietary supplements. CSPI noted that the FDA should give the industry a reasonable time to comply with such a directive and then seize whatever products remain on shelves to protect consumers. “Ginkgo biloba has literally been used for thousands of years, and this attempt by CSPI to discredit this safe and beneficial dietary supplement demonstrates an irresponsible misinterpretation of both the science and the intent of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in reviewing ginkgo,” said Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) in response to CSPI’s request. “This premature evaluation from CSPI reveals an abuse of its position, a lack of understanding about the regulation of food by FDA, and presents a true disservice to consumers.” A March report from the NTP found “clear evidence” that ginkgo caused liver cancer in mice and “some evidence” that ginkgo caused thyroid cancer in rats. Researchers from NTP told The New York Times on April 29 that the number of cancers found in the mice exceeded the numbers ever seen before in their lab. In response to CSPI’s request, FDA responded in part by saying, “…it is not scientifically valid to conclude with certainty that dietary supplement products containing Ginkgo biloba are unsafe based solely on data from the new NTP study. In the study, rats and mice were fed amounts of ginkgo biloba extracts (by body weight) that may be considerably greater from those, which a consumer would normally ingest from a dietary supplement product containing ginkgo. In addition, there may be differences in the extract used in these studies in contrast to what is available on the market for Ginkgo biloba dietary supplements.”
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:40:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015