We have recently learned that many of the vitamins in our medicine cabinets and on store shelves may not be what they say they are--both on their bottle labels and in advertisements.
As consumers, many of us take for granted that our daily vitamin actually contains the ingredients it claims to--and in the correct amounts. But as recent actions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and news reports have illustrated, this is not necessarily the case. This is problematic for a number of reasons. Consider the following:
* Vitamins/Supplements May Not Contain What the Manufacturers Claim: Just a few months ago, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=6960312) showing that, across many different brands, many prenatal vitamins did not contain the amount of iodine claimed on their labels. Pregnant women frequently take a vitamin with a certain amount of iodine to help prevent neurocognitive delays in their babies, making this a serious issue. And this is not just an issue for pregnant women. It is important that a vitamin or supplement include the correct dose of an ingredient--let alone contain the ingredient at all--whether you are, for example, a senior citizen taking a calcium supplement for bone health (http://tips.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/10/strong-bones-as-you-age/), if you're one of the three quarters of Americans who are vitamin D deficient (http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE52M6M120090323?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews) and have decided to take a supplement, or if you are simply using a supplement to generally enhance your health.
* Vitamins/Supplements May Contain Ingredients that are Not Claimed on Their Labels: While it is important for vitamins and supplements to contain the ingredients they claim, it is also critical that they don't contain certain undeclared ingredients. This is key to avoiding a possible adverse interaction with a prescription medication or allergic reaction, among other reasons.
* Vitamins/Supplements May Contain Harmful Levels of Certain Contaminants: Studies have shown that some vitamins and supplements contain potentially harmful level of certain contaminants such as lead, mercury, pesticides, etc. This, too, can have health consequences, particularly for more vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, or pregnant women.
For all of these reasons, it is important to consider the quality of a vitamin or supplement when purchasing a product for yourself and for your family. One of the best ways to do this is to check if a product has been certified by an independent, third party. This is a voluntary measure that supplement manufacturers can take to demonstrate the quality of their products to their customers. Look for a mark indicating this type of certification right on the bottle of your vitamin or supplement.
And while all supplements are not created equal, neither are all organizations behind these certification programs. Equally important is to consider the organization behind a mark of quality. The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) is a nearly 200 year old nonprofit scientific organization that sets standards in the United States for the quality, purity, and strength of medicines, which FDA enforces. USP also operates a "USP Verified" program to help consumers identify quality vitamins and dietary supplements. It is the only such organization that offers dietary supplement verification. USP Verified vitamins are recommended by many leading health experts. Learn more about the program -- and see which vitamins and supplements are "USP Verified" -- at www.uspverified.org.
And remember, when beginning a supplement program, always check with your doctor and research your supplement and its brand from objective and neutral sources such as Consumer Reports, Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, or Pogo Health.
We have found that we can trust the supplements and natural herbal remedies from a reliable online source, Native Remedies. For example, VitaliTonic promotes energy and zest in adults over 50
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