Dangerous dietary supplements?

A new report by Consumer Reports Magazine

says dietary supplements sold in the U.S. are often contaminated and may cause serious health problems.

The report says of the more than 54,000 supplements on record, only one-third have been proven safe by scientific evidence. Still others may contain ingredients that cause cancer, heart problems, liver and kidney damage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no power to regulate these supplements, so they remain on store shelves and continue to tempt consumers with their claims to do everything from make you lose weight to regain that spark in the bedroom.

Americans spent $26.7 billion on supplements in 2009, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. More than half of the adult population have taken supplements at one point or another to stay healthy and avoid using prescription drugs, among other uses.

The 12 supplement ingredients identified as the most dangerous:

*Aconite
*Bitter orange
*Chaparral
*Colloidal Silver
*Coltsfoot
*Comfrey
*Country Mallow
*Germanium
*Greater celandine
*Kava
*Lobelia
*Yohimbe