The biggest problem with nutritional supplements is lack of disclosure. Now that TV documentaries have announced that lycopene extracted from tomatoes have been found to be more effective than some statins, at the same high doses, bottles of lycopene extract are flying off the shelves of some health food stores and also supermarket shelves selling organic canned tomato paste.

Make sure the supplements you buy are hexane-free and haven’t been processed with solvents, if you’re sensitive to solvents. You’re being sold products made from the peel and other waste products of vegetables, and that’s where most of the nutrition is, but how the waste is processed can effect your central nervous system, if you’re sensitive to the solvents.

Soybeans are bathed in hexane as part of their processing by food. Exposures of 800 ppm for 15 minutes can cause respiratory tract and eye. At higher exposure levels, workers can develop symptoms of nausea, vertigo and headaches. See the May 23, 2009 article, “Soy Protein Used in “Natural” Foods Bathed in Toxic Solvent Hexane,” by Mike Adams. The article reports, “Much of the “natural” soy protein used in foods today is bathed in a toxic, explosive chemical solvent known as hexane.

“To determine the true extent of this hexane contamination, NaturalNews joined forces with the Cornucopia Institute to conduct testing of hexane residues in soy meal and soy grits using FDA-approved and USDA-approved laboratories. The Cornucopia Institute performed the bulk of this effort, and NaturalNews provided funding to help cover laboratory costs.”

According to the article in NaturalNews and Mike Adam’s article, “Soy Protein Used in “Natural” Foods Bathed in Toxic Solvent Hexane,” The results proved to be worrisome: Hexane residues of 21ppm were discovered in soy meal commonly used to produce soy protein for infant formula, protein bars and vegetarian food products.