Why Nikken Doesn’t Brag About the Benefits of Nutritional Supplements

One complaint I often hear about Nikken and their nutritional supplements is that they don’t highlight all of the benefits of the products like other companies do. The main reason is because it is illegal for them to do so. One reason that Nikken has been around for more than 35 years is because they work to stay conservatively legal.

Many of the Nikken nutritional supplements haven’t been available in Canada this year until recently because Canada changed some of their label requirements for nutritional supplements. Nikken pulled all of the affected items from the Canadian market to revise the labels and get them re-approved. I think there are only a couple supplements that are still not available yet.

In the US, the rules for what Nikken can and cannot say about nutritional products is set by the DSHEA – Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1994.

Under this provision, any claims to prevent, treat, or cure a specific disease are expressly prohibited (unless approved by the FDA). For example, a claim linking folic acid and the reduced risk of neural tube birth defects may be allowed, but a product label that claims the product “cures cancer” or “treats arthritis” is not allowed. Manufacturers, however, can make statements about nutrient deficiency diseases, as long as these statements disclose the prevalence of the disease in the United States. Also, statements describing the supplement’s effects on the “structure and function” or general “well-being” of the body are allowed, as long as they are truthful and bear the statement “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” The product label must identify the product as a dietary supplement (ie, “Powdered Garlic Dietary Supplement”).

That pretty much covers it.

Click here for more information about Nikken’s nutritional supplements. Regardless of what the FDA and DSHEA allows Nikken to say, they are excellent supplements and most of them are organic, whole food, and Kosher. You really can’t beat that.

Wayne Woodworth