How do you know your supplements are safe and effective?

Questions about dietary supplements are in the news a lot these days. Just this month ConsumerLab.com [1]released a study on 38 multivitamin supplements. Of those, 13 well-known products did not pass approval. Improper labeling and discrepancies in the amount of nutrients claimed on their labels were the most common complaint. The media blitz that followed focused on two talking points:

1.That there exists an inconsistency of quality in multivitamin supplements
2.That price does not reflect quality-according to consumerlabs, i.e. some very inexpensive multivitamins met consumerlab’s qualifications.

Following ConsumerLab.com’s report is only the first step in determining a safe and effective multivitamin. They tested only a fraction of the products that are available in North America. They admitted that they couldn’t test for all the nutrients in all the products, so they tested only a select few nutrients: folic acid, calcium, and vitamin A (retinol and beta-carotene), with a few substitutions. And in their report, ConsumerLab also states that: “There’s no standard formula for multis, so the ingredients will vary dramatically from one brand to another.”

I prefer to look further for product verification. And I don’t depend on the FDA, either.

The FDA does not test any supplements for potency and purity

Dietary supplements are regulated under the FDA, however they are not required to prove their effectiveness and safety before going to market as prescription drugs are. Also, the FDA does not routinely test supplements. According to their website, “The manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that the “Supplement Facts” label and ingredient list are accurate, that the dietary ingredients are safe, and that the content matches the amount declared on the label. FDA does not have resources to analyze dietary supplements sent to the agency by consumers who want to know their content. Instead, consumers may contact the manufacturer or a commercial laboratory for an analysis of the content.”

So how do you find out what multivitamin is safe and effective?

Most any supplement company will declare that their product is the best. As a consumer, it is prudent to ask the manufacturer specific questions in order to evaluate their products before you purchase.

•Does the company follow Pharmaceutical model GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) ? Only a few select companies have (voluntarily) established all or most of their manufacturing protocols in line with the strict ‘Pharmaceutical’ model GMP’s (Code of Federal Regulations – 21 CFR 210 and 211).
These stringent regulations represent the highest standards possible and focus on safety, efficacy, purity and potency of raw ingredients and finished product, assuring that it actually contains what is stated on the label and is free of contaminants.

•Do they have the results of tests of purity, contamination and safety of the product by more than one third-party laboratories?
Three main testing laboratories in the USA include:

ConsumerLab.com is an independent test laboratory that tests dietary supplement products to determine:

•the amount of ingredient claimed on the container label
•the existence of contaminants such as lead in the product
•the ability of the product to disintegrate properly in order to dissolve and be absorbed in the body.

NSF International develops standards for testing dietary supplements. NSF tests supplements to verify the identity and quantity of dietary ingredients declared on product label and to ensure that the product does not contain undeclared ingredients or unacceptable levels of contaminants. In addition, NSF inspects manufacturing facilities for conformance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Supplements that have received the NSF mark may be found at http://www.nsf.org/Certified/Dietary/ [2]

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is the official public standards-setting authority for all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and other healthcare products manufactured and sold in the United States. USP tests the purity, potency, and quality of dietary supplement finished products that are voluntarily entered by their manufacturer in the program. Dietary supplements are not required to be tested or to conform to USP standards in order to be marketed in the US. Only those that meet USP’s criteria are allowed use of the USP Verified Dietary Supplement Mark to display on their product labels and can be found at http://www.usp.org/USPVerified/dietarySupplements/supplements.html [3]

•Have they been rated highly by Nutrisearch’s Comparative Guide™ of over 1500 multivitamin supplements?
Nutrisearch Using the scientific insights of 12 independent nutritional authorities, an ideal blended standard founded on 18 critical Health Support Criteria was used to analyze multivitamin supplements. These criteria include:

1.Completeness
2.Potency
3.Mineral Forms
4.Bio-activity of Vitamin E
5.Gamma Tocopherol
6.Antioxidant Support
7.Bone Health
8.Heart Health
9.Liver Health
10.Metabolic Health
11.Ocular Health
12.Methylation Support
13.Lipotropic Factors
14.Inflammation Control
15.Glycation Control
16.Bioflavonoid Profile
17.Phenolic Compounds Profile
18.Potential Toxicities

A more complete discussion of each criterion, including scientific references, is available on the Nutrisearch website at http://www.NutriSearch.ca [4] Click on the “rating criteria” link. The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements™ is also found in print for a complete review including charts and graphs comparing the efficacy of 1500 tested multivitamin supplements.

I can guarantee that by investigating the manufacturing practices of your nutritional supplement company, the results of third party quality assurance, and the efficacy of the formula used as seen in NutriSearch’s Comparative Guide™ , you will be able to choose a multivitamin that is suitable for you and your family’s use.

Comments

Fri, 07/01/2011 - 2:57pm

#1 [10]

Mardy Ross

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Feb 16 2009

Posts: 2032

Very Helpful !

This is really interesting to me, Robin! I'm always interested in how to discern the good from the bad, the snake oil from the fish oil, . I find the public has a really diverse spectrum of knowledge about supplements and it's really helpful to them AND me to have this as a resource. And I encourage anyone to pick up the phone and contact you to talk about any questions as you're just so wonderful to speak with on the phone. AND naturally you're very good with the computer and email for those who 'partake'.

~~ Mardy

I want to remind people of the other GRATE pieces you post here about supplements in this forum, so if people follow this link, they'll get the whole list of topics in the supplementation forum (or use the links at the top of this piece to navigate around the website, they're purple and have underlines -- many don't realize those are links. www.lumigrate.com/forums/preventive-medicine-concepts/nutrition/supplementing-what-you-eat-and-drink [11]

__________________

Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [12] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!

Tue, 07/12/2011 - 7:54pm

#2 [16]

Robin Thomas

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Aug 21 2010

Posts: 94

Re: How do you know your supplements are safe and ...

Additional information: this week USANA Health Sciences is now part of FDA's "Drug Establishment Registration" USANA had always manufactured according to pharmaceutical grade GMPs, but now they are officially registered.

The press release in it's entirety:

USANA Meets Compliance To New Drug Standards

SALT LAKE CITY, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –

USANA Health Sciences, Inc [17]. (NYSE: USNA) today announced it has obtained the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “Drug Establishment Registration,” allowing the company to manufacture over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and holding it to a standard well above what is required of a dietary supplement manufacturer. While nutritional companies in the United States are not expected to follow pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practices [18] (GMPs), USANA believed it was an important, logical step to acquire government registration proving their long-standing commitment to producing the highest quality products.

USANA manufactures over 90% of its products in-house [19], including all of its tableted nutritional supplements. As an FDA-registered facility, USANA now has the ability to manufacture OTC drugs as well. All products manufactured under this license will be subject to very rigorous FDA drug manufacturing GMP guidelines going well beyond those required to manufacture nutritional supplements.

“Few companies voluntarily submit themselves to increased scrutiny, but since we operate in 15 countries including Australia, where dietary supplements are highly regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), our base manufacturing standards [20] are extremely high,” says USANA Chief Executive Officer, Dave Wentz. “So while obtaining FDA registration won’t affect our day-to-day operations, it will help further assure our users of the quality of our products.”

For many years USANA has voluntarily modeled our production on pharmaceutical GMPs and consistently obtained third-party certification as a way to ensure the safety and efficacy of its nutritional products. “We encourage consumers to check their supplement company’s FDA registration status online [21] and to make sure their supplements are NSF-certified and meet United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards and specifications,” says USANA Vice President of International Operations, Jim Brown.

Independent testing is an important way for companies to demonstrate the legitimacy of their claims. A recent ConsumerLab.com [22] study showed that 1 in 3 vitamins are improperly labeled — typically because the product did not contain the amount of nutrients claimed in the label.

“We regularly submit our products for independent testing and diligently maintain our third-party certifications,” says USANA Executive Director of Research and Development, Dr. John Cuomo. “It’s why we have so many loyal users, including several hundred Olympic and professional athletes. Nearly 20 years in business and we’ve never had to issue a recall.”

To learn more about the FDA’s “Drug Establishment Registration,” please visit: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drls/default.cfm [21]

For more information about USANA’s products and company, visit www.usana.com [23].

About USANA: USANA Health Sciences develops and manufactures high-quality nutritionals, personal care, energy and weight management products that are sold directly to Preferred Customers and Associates throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Learn more at our website (www.usana.com [23]), read our blog (www.whatsupusana.com [24]), like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/usanahealthsciences [25]), or follow us on Twitter (@usanainc)

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ashley Collins
USANA Director of Marketing, Public Relations & Social Media
(801) 954-7629
Ashley.Collins (at) us.usana.com

SOURCE USANA

__________________

Robin started contributing to Lumigrate in August 2010. "Meet Robin Thomas", a topic in our biographies/vitae forum is at http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/meet-robin-thomas [5] to read all about her journey, which was greatly influenced by the need to help solve her youngest son's significant health challenges. For those who want just the overview here: After working over 22 years in medical research at the University of North Carolina on chronic inflammatory diseases she switched her focus to preventive health in 2004 when she was introduced to USANA Health Sciences. Robin is passionate about helping others improve their health, have more energy, manage their weight, and improve their skin.

I love meeting new friends !

LIKE me on Facebook [6] Connect on LinkedIn [7]

Follow me on Twitter [8] Learn more at my BLOG [9]

"I dream of a world free from pain and suffering. I dream of a world free from disease. The USANA family will be the healthiest family on earth. Share my vision. Love life and live it to its fullest in happiness and health."

-Dr. Myron Wentz, Founder and Chairman, USANA Health Sciences

Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:28am

#3 [26]

Mardy Ross

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Feb 16 2009

Posts: 2032

Re: How do you know your supplements are safe and ...

Very interesting update, Robin, related to this step by USANA related to their setting themselves up for scrutiny. The one thing in the above press release that wasn't identified was the acronym NSF, so I refer people to look at the original post / above this comment you added on yesterday.

Thank you for keeping us in the loop about what is going on with USANA and being a resource about quality of supplements; it's very helpful to our readers/followers/customers at Lumigrate. ~~ Mardy

PS -- as a reminder, I select the providers at Lumigrate with high standards and ethics as a criteria. If you're interested in information about supplements, I truly encourage people to get ahold of Robin and/or ITC Pharmacy (you'll see Gary and Allan contributing information about supplements as well as hormone supplementation and other compounding pharmacy-related topics) -- they do this to help people get quality information and products but can't help YOU personally unless you initate the conversation (or order IF you know what you want). I want only the best for us all and believe these folks ARE.

__________________