quackery

Quackery Exposed: Avamcol

Aviva Seigler

Avmacol is a supplement made by Nutramax Laboratories Consumer Care, inc. Nutramax . Avmacol is promoted as a supplement that promotes the production of sulforaphane.

Nutramax partnered with Autism Hope Alliance in a campaign to promote Avmacol Extra Strength. AHA promotes it as a substance that helps with detoxification. AHA believes that toxins cause autism.

They also partnered with former professional running back and board member of Autism Society of America, Curt Warner. They use his family’s story as anecdotal evidence and inspiration porn.

Nutramax is located in Maryland and South Carolina. They are a Christian company that was started in 1992. They support both TACA and AHA. TACA is not actively promoting this supplement.

“Avmacol® Extra Strength unleashes the power of broccoli and beta-glucans to give one’s immune system extra support,” said Dr. Troy Henderson, president and CEO at Nutramax Laboratories Consumer Care, Inc. “We hope consumers will better understand how the body’s immune and detoxification systems work, and ultimately how Avmacol® Extra Strength will help promote health and wellness.”

They claim it is backed by research. Where is the research for review?

Claimed Benefits by Nutrumax

  • protection against inflammation
  • supports cellular detoxification
  • Decreases NF-lb, which regulates the expression of certain proteins involved with the inflammatory response (they won’t say which)

What is in Avamcol?

According to the manufacturer, the consumer should not just eat more broccoli. They claim:

“Since sulforaphane is associated with cruciferous vegetables, namely broccoli and broccoli sprouts, many people think they can get the benefits of sulforaphane just by eating their vegetables. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple, as sulforaphane itself is not found in broccoli. Rather it is the essential ingredients, glucoraphanin and myrosinase, that are present. Unfortunately, there may not be enough of either compound in the plant to allow for adequate sulforaphane production. This can be due to seed quality, soil composition, the age of the plant, and many other factors.

Additionally, any myrosinase enzyme that is present in the plant can be destroyed during the cooking process. So while glucoraphanin and the myrosinase enzyme can be found in the vegetables you eat, the ones you buy from the market are not necessarily reliable sources of either compound.”

This contains broccoli but they discourage consumers from eating more broccoli. Think about that statement.
Avamcol is a proprietary Sulforaphan glucosinoate blend. Proprietary blends are used in supplements when the company does not want the consumer to know how much of each ingredient is in each serving.
The ingredients are :
  • Broccoli seed and sprout extract.
    • According to WebMD, there has not been sufficient studies conducted to evaluate safety.
    • Raw sprouts is possibly unsafe. It might be contaminated with bacteria that can cause food poisoning. The label does not say whether or not it is cooked. Then why experiment on children?
  • Maitake mushroom extract (fruit body)
    • It is possibly safe butthere isn’t much information about the potential side effects.
    • There has been nausea reported after taking maitake mushrooms
    • Mushroom of any type has a potential of causing an allergic reaction. Nutramax does not give a warning about allergens because mushrooms is a common allergen. This allergy affects about 10-30% of the population. This can be potentially dangerous.
  • Wasabi (rhizome)
    • There is not enough reliable information to determine safety
    • For anyone with a bleeding disorder, wasabi slows blood clotting. It increases the risk of bleeding and bruising in people with bleeding disorders. Nutramax does not give this warning either.
Sources:

Published by Aviva Seigler

Aviva Seigler is the executive director at Fierce Autistics and Allies. She is a writer, an activist, and an advocate. She is an LGBTQ+ autistic from South Florida, is married to a very supportive husband, and has six children. She has been fighting the CD protocol and other quack treatments since 2014. She is a veterinary technologist (LPN for pets). She has her associates and bachelors degree in Veterinary Technology from St. Petersburg College. She is very involved with scouting with her six children. Three of the children are autistic but all are Neurodivergent. Her hope is to bridge the gap between allies and autistics while fighting the pseudoscience that threatens all people, not just autistics.

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