ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, has issued its review of SAMe supplements for both osteoarthritis and depression. According to the company, the quality of supplements made with SAMe (S-adenosyl-methionine) seems to have improved in recent years. In 2000, ConsumerLab.com found that nearly half of the SAMe products it tested contained less ingredient than claimed. In the recent testing, however, only one of eight products failed to meet its label claim. The product, which had only 30% of the claimed amount, was, however, among the most expensive.

In other news, the company also re­leased its review of the scientific evidence behind human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) supplements. According to ConsumerLab.com, these products, which abound on the Internet, often promise to help people “Look and Feel 20 Years Younger,” “Lose Unwanted Wrinkles,” “Increase Muscle Mass” and “Enhance Sexual Performance.” The review covered the three types of HGH supplements being sold, including HGH releasing agents (also called HGH “enhancers” or “stimulators”) comprised of amino acids that may cause a temporary increase in HGH levels; homeopathic HGH proposed to work through an “energy” im­parted by extreme dilutions of HGH and nanogram-strength HGH providing only one-thousandth the dose of prescription HGH. ConsumerLab.com’s review also discussed IGF-1 enhancers, a related type of supplement.