FRONTLINE: Supplements & Safety
It's estimated that half of all Americans take a health supplement every day, from fish oil to multivitamins to diet pills. The booming 30-billion-dollar-plus vitamins and supplements industry says these products can make consumers healthier - but a new FRONTLINE investigation with The New York Times and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation raises troubling questions as it explores the hidden dangers of vitamins and supplements.
Director Neil Docherty (Murdoch's Scandal), correspondent Gillian Findlay (Putin's Way) and Anahad O'Connor, reporter for The New York Times, explore the limited government regulation and oversight of supplement companies, examine cases of contamination and serious health problems, and reveal how it's often hard to know what's really in the bottles you buy. Even if what is in the bottles is real, critics contend that many supplements simply don't work, and could even be doing harm, while the supplements industry maintains that its products enhance consumers' lives, and that further regulation is unnecessary. With more than 85,000 supplements on the market each year, this is a must-watch for consumers looking to make informed choices about their health.
Producer: Neil Docherty, Lisa Ellenwood, Anita Elash
Executive Producer: David Fanning, Raney Aronson-Rath
Production Company: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Production Year: 2015
Copyright Year: 2016
Director: Neil Docherty
Host: Gillian Findlay
Discs: 1
Subtitles: Y
Subtitle Language: English
Audio Format: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen