Received this and thought it worth sharing…
\nFYI
\nJust in case you know of any children using these I would suggest that you make this viral so that the parents can be notified.
\nAlso check to see what it’s equivalent is being called in your country.
\nThe question is what else could be in Bayer’s. It admins when they warn you of its dangers on their own website!!
\nRead on…………..
\nThe #1 Children\u2019s Vitamin Brand in the US contains ingredients that most parents would never intentionally expose their children to, so why aren\u2019t more opting for healthier alternatives?
\nKids vitamins are supposed to be healthy, right? Well then, what\u2019s going on with Flintstones Vitamins, which proudly claims to be \u201cPediatricians\u2019 #1 Choice\u201d? Produced by the global pharmaceuticalcorporation Bayer, this wildly success brand features a shocking list of unhealthy ingredients, including:
\n Aspartame
\n Cupric Oxide
\n Coal tar artificial coloring agents (FD&C Blue #2, Red #40, Yellow #6)
\n Zinc Oxide
\n Sorbitol
\n Ferrous Fumarate
\n Hydrogenated Oil (Soybean)
\n GMO Corn starch
\nOn Bayer Health Science\u2019s Flintstones product page designed for health care professionals they lead into the product description with the following tidbit of information:
\n82% of kids aren\u2019t eating all of their veggies1. Without enough vegetables, kids may not be getting all of the nutrients they need.
\nReferences: 1. Lorson BA, Melgar-Quinonez HR, Taylor CA. Correlates of fruit and vegetable intakes in US children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(3):474-478.
\nThe implication? That Flintstones vitamins somehow fill this nutritional void. But let\u2019s look a little closer at some of these presumably healthy ingredients\u2026.
\nASPARTAME
\nAspartame is a synthetic combination of the amino acids aspartic acid and l-phenylalanine, and is known to convert into highly toxic methanol and formaldehyde in the body. Aspartame has been linked to over 40 adverse health effects in the biomedical literature, and has been shown to exhibit both neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity [1] What business does a chemical like this have doing in a children\u2019s vitamin, especially when non-toxic, non-synthetic non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia already exist?
\nCUPRIC OXIDE
\nNext, let\u2019s look closer at Cupric Oxide, 2mg of which is included in each serving of Flinstone\u2019s Complete chewable vitamins as a presumably \u2018nutritional\u2019 source of \u2018copper,\u2019 supplying \u201c100% of the Daily Value (Ages 4+), according to Flintstones Vitamins Web site\u2019s Nutritional Info.[2]
\nBut what is Cupric Oxide? A nutrient or a chemical?
\nAccording to the European Union\u2019s Dangerous Substance Directive, one of the main EU laws concerning chemical safety, Cupric Oxide is listed as a Hazardous substance, classified as both \u201cHarmful (XN)\u201d and \u201cDangerous for the environment\u201d (N). Consider that it has industrial applications as a pigment in ceramics, and as a chemical in the production of rayon fabric and dry cell batteries. In may be technically correct to call it a mineral, but should it be listed as a nutrient in a children\u2019s vitamin? We think not.
\nCOAL TAR ARTIFICIAL COLORING AGENTS
\nA well-known side effect of using synthetic dyes is attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. For direct access to study abstracts on this topic view our Food Coloring research page. There is also indication that the neurotoxicity of artificial food coloring agents increase when combined with aspartame,[3] making the combination of ingredients in Flintstones even more concerning.
\nZINC OXIDE
\nEach serving of Flinstones Complete Chewable vitamins contain 12 mg of zinc oxide, which the manufacturer claims delivers 75% of the Daily Value to children 2 & 3 years of age. Widely used as a sun protection factor (SPF) in sunscreens, The EU\u2019s Dangerous Substance Directive classifies it as an environmental Hazard, \u201cDangerous for the environment (N).\u201d How it can be dangerous to theenvironment, but not for humans ingesting it, escapes me. One thing is for sure, if one is to ingest supplemental zinc, or market it for use by children, it makes much more sense using a form that is organically bound (i.e. \u2018chelated\u2019) to an amino acid like glycine, as it will be more bioavailable and less toxic.
\nSORBITOL
\nSorbitol is a synthetic sugar substitute which is classified as a sugar alcohol. It can be argued that it has no place in the human diet, much less in a child\u2019s. The ingestion of higher amounts have been linked to gastrointestinal disturbances from abdominal pain to more serious conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.[4]
\nFERROUS FUMARATE
\nThe one clear warning on the Flinstone\u2019s Web site concerns this chemical. While it is impossible to die from consuming iron from food, e.g. spinach, ferrous fumarate is an industrial mineral and not found in nature as food. In fact, ferrous fumarate is so toxic that accidental overdose of products containing this form is \u201ca leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6.\u201d The manufacturer further warns:
\n Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.
\nHYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL
\nFinding hydrogenated oil in anything marketed to children is absolutely unacceptable. These semi-synthetic fatty acids incorporate into our tissues and have been linked to over a dozen adverse health effects, from coronary artery disease to cancer, violent behavior to fatty liver disease.[5]
\nGMO CORN STARCH
\nWhile it can be argued that the amount of GMO corn starch in this product is negligible, even irrelevant, we disagree. It is important to hold accountable brands that refuse to label their products honestly, especially when they contain ingredients that have been produced through genetic modification. The \u2018vitamin C\u2019 listed as ascorbic acid in Flintstones is likely also produced from GMO corn. Let\u2019s remember that Bayer\u2019s Ag-biotech division, Bayer CropScience, poured $381,600 of cash into defeating the proposition 37 GMO labeling bill in California. Parents have a right to protect their children against the well-known dangers of genetically modified foods and the agrichemicals that contaminate them, don\u2019t they? GMO corn starch is GMO, plain and simple. We\u2019d appreciate it if Bayer would label their \u201cvitamins\u201d accordingly.
\nIn summary, Bayer\u2019s Flintstone\u2019s vitamin brand is far from a natural product, and the consumer should be aware of the unintended, adverse health effects that may occur as a result of using it.
\nResources
\n[1] GreenMedInfo.com, Adverse Health Effects of Aspartame
\n[2] FlinstonesVitamins.com, FLINSTONES Complete Chewable, Nutritional Info Overview
\n[3] Karen Lau, W Graham McLean, Dominic P Williams, C Vyvyan Howard. Synergistic interactions between commonly used food additives in a developmental neurotoxicity test. Toxicol Sci. 2006 Mar;90(1):178-87. Epub 2005 Dec 13. PMID: 16352620
\n[4] GreenMedInfo.com
\n[5] GreenMedInfo.com
\nSource:
\nGreenMedInfo.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Received this and thought it worth sharing… FYI Just in case you know of any children using these I would suggest that you make this viral so that the parents can be notified. Also check to see what it’s equivalent is being called in your country. The question is what else could be in Bayer’s. … <\/p>\n