Exploring Luteolin

Author Rita Mae Brown once wrote that “The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.” When it comes to nutrition, self care, and choosing ingredients for your detox, conformity can also bring nausea, vomiting, and endocrine abnormalities.

That's the case with some who have followed the crowd to the ingredient luteolin. Luteolin, the side effects of which include those listed above, had its fifteen minutes of fame as research into similar flavonoids showed promise due to their antioxidant activity.

Sounds good, right? Not so fast. Dr. Steven Nordeen, a pathologist and cancer researcher at the University of Colorado, warns that “flavonoids are active and not always in good or even predictable ways. We shouldn't be taking this stuff blindly,” Dr. Nordeen says, “because, just like prescription medicines, there can be unanticipated consequences.”

The comparison to prescription medicines is an apt one. Though most doctors are now aware of dangerous supplement interactions like that of Vitamin K with the anticoagulant Warfarin or St. John's Wort with some antidepressants, luteolin's sudden popularity leaves health care providers with little information.

Hospital databases intended to prevent medication interactions generally don't include herbal or other supplements, and not enough is yet known about luteolin's mode of action for reasonable guesses to be made. The true extent of the risk likely won't be known for years—only after enough luteolin users present with similar symptoms for a pattern to be detected.

By then, for some, it may be too late. The use of trendy but untested detox formulas isn't worth the risk of long term health problems. Do yourself a favor and commit to only using proven products that have been tested by time and by satisfied customers. No matter what the crowd is doing,it's up to you to take a stand for your well being.