| Airborne (dietary Supplement) |
Article Index for Airborne |
Shopping Airborne |
Website Links For Airborne |
Information AboutAirborne (dietary Supplement) |
|
INVENTION AND RETAIL SUCCESS The formula for Airborne was developed by Victoria Knight-McDowell , an Elementary School Teacher from Carmel, CA . In the early 1990s , she began brewing herbal and vitamin cocktails (to ward off the germs spread by her 2nd grade students), "experimenting with Vitamins C , E and A , as well as Zinc , Selenium and herbs including Forsythia , Ginger , Isatis Root and Echinacea ." When she felt she had developed an effective preventative formula against colds, Knight-McDowell began selling it in tablet form to local drug stores. Over the next few years, largely by word-of-mouth, the formula's popularity grew. In 1997 specialty grocery chain Trader Joe's ordered 300 cases of Airborne tablets to sell, and by 1999 other larger chains, such as Wal-Mart and Rite Aid , began stocking Airborne. It has been ranked the #1 cold and flu remedy at Drugstore.com , and is considered one of the fastest selling health products in retail history. TESTING AND RESEARCH Although it is recommended that Airborne be taken "at the first sign of a cold symptom, or before entering crowded environments, like airplanes and offices," the package explicitly states that Airborne is "not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." Airborne has not undergone any testing by the US Food And Drug Administration (FDA), and Knight-McDowell Labs would be violating FDA regulations on Structure/Function claims were they to state on the packaging that it cured or prevented any disease. In fact, the supplement's effectiveness has been in question. The study often referenced in favor of Airborne was sponsored by the manufacturer, Knight-McDowell Labs. The "GNG Pharmaceutical Services Inc." controversially claims to have conducted the study with 120 adults and to have showed that 47% of the Airborne recipients showed little or no cold or flu symptoms, whereas only 23% of the recipients of a placebo pill showed equal results. Subsequently, a medical letter on Drugs and Therapeutics on Airborne emphasizes that the evidence of cold prevention or treatment is inconclusive, and even gives reason to believe that the supplement is unsafe as directed, specifically regarding its excess of Vitamin C: There are some concerns. First, there is no conclusive evidence that this product or any of its ingredients prevents colds or shortens their duration. Second, the adult tablet contains 1 g of vitamin C, and the directions for use advise taking 1 tablet at the first sign of a cold and repeating the dose every 3 hours as necessary. Vitamin C in doses higher than 1 g increases oxalate and urate excretion and may cause kidney stones (EN Taylor et al, J Am Soc Nephrol 2004; 15:3225). Third, the safety of this herbal extraction combination has not been established. And with herbs and dietary supplements in general, we only have the manufacturers’ word on the label for what’s in them. GNG Pharmaceutical Services, the company responsible for performing Airborne's "clinical studies", was discovered by ABC News as being comprised of only two men and only being started to perform Airborne's study. GNG had no clinic, scientists, or even doctors. The man in charge claimed he had "lots of clinical trial experience", and a degree from Indiana University. Indiana University claims he never actually graduated. In response to the publicity given to their study's credibility, Airborne removed all references to the study from their packaging and web site. NUTRITION FACTS AND INGREDIENTS Following are the supplement facts of the original Airborne tablet. Though the ingredients of other versions of Airborne vary slightly to produce different flavors and functions, all of what would be considered the Active Ingredient s of the formula are included below.
REFERENCES |
|
|