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Vitamin and mineral supplements are valuable components of a balanced wellness regimen, helping fill nutrition gaps for those with limited diets or who need additional nutritional support for certain conditions or diseases. But with so many options and brands on the market, choosing a high-quality supplement takes careful consideration.
Not all supplements are created equal in terms of bioavailability, ingredient quality, safety, accuracy, and efficacy. And since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides only limited oversight and regulation of the supplement industry, consumer vigilance is essential when evaluating product quality and safety.
Read on to understand what to look for when choosing high-quality vitamins and supplements, the importance of third-party testing for consumer health and safety, and iHerb’s commitment to working directly with reputable brands to source safe, authentic, high-quality products you can trust.
When shopping for high-quality nutritional supplements, you’ll likely come across the common terms “dietary supplement,” “multivitamin,” and “proprietary blend.” But what exactly do they mean, and how do they differ from each other? Here’s a quick explainer:
Registered dietitians usually recommend consuming nutrients through whole foods first before turning to supplements. However, multivitamins containing vitamins and minerals can help fill nutritional gaps for people who may not be meeting their bodies’ needs through food alone. While supplements should not replace the habit of healthy eating, people with limited diets, certain health conditions, or taking certain medications may especially benefit from nutrient supplementation.
When choosing dietary supplements, it’s important to keep in mind that they are not regulated as closely as food and medications. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the supplement industry, responsibility for ensuring supplements’ safety falls largely on the supplement companies themselves.
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) is a federal law regulating dietary supplements in the United States. The law established guidelines for the FDA to oversee the supplement industry. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates the advertising of dietary supplements.
According to the FDA, “The FDA does NOT have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness, or to approve their labeling, before the supplements are sold to the public.” Further, “it is the responsibility of dietary supplement companies to ensure their products meet the safety standards for dietary supplements and are not otherwise in violation of the law.”1
To help ensure consumer safety, supplement companies are required to provide accurate labeling, including a supplement facts panel, ingredient list, serving size, number of servings per container, and clear product identification on the label, such as “herbal supplement,” “homeopathic supplement,” or “dietary supplement.”
Therefore, consumers should be mindful when shopping for dietary supplements. Only choose supplements from reputable companies that follow good manufacturing practices, conduct third-party testing, and label their products properly.
You can learn a lot about a supplement and the company that made it by reading the label and packaging. Always read the supplement facts panel and ingredient list before consuming any supplement to ensure it is safe and effective, follows good manufacturing practices, and is free from artificial additives. Below are specific things to look for when choosing a supplement:
In addition to what to look for when choosing a supplement, it’s important to know what to avoid. If you see any of the following on a supplement’s packaging or ingredient list, choose a different supplement or brand:
For consumer safety, high-quality supplements conduct third-party testing by independent organizations like NSF, USP, Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG), or ConsumerLab. Third-party testing ensures a supplement is free from harmful preservatives, pesticide exposure, heavy metals, and unsafe chemicals. Third-party labs also test to ensure that nutrient levels listed on the label are accurate, active ingredients are pure, and the company complies with industry standards for safety and manufacturing.
Because the supplement industry receives minimal oversight and regulation from the FDA, third-party testing provides peace of mind for consumers, ensuring companies comply with best practices and offer safe products.
GMP-certified and GLP-compliant sound similar, yet they refer to different stages of the supplement production process for safety and accuracy.
Good Manufacturing Practices, or GMP, is a set of guidelines companies must follow to ensure the quality of products, especially for pharmaceutical and food companies. Companies that follow these guidelines can receive a certificate advertising that they are GMP-certified. You may also see the term GMP-compliant, meaning the company follows GMP regulations, guidelines, good manufacturing practices, and quality standards but hasn’t completed additional steps to receive official certification.
Good Laboratory Practices, or GLP, involves adhering to a set of rules and guidelines during laboratory research and study. This includes monitoring the conditions, processes, documentation, data integrity and reliability, and archiving of studies performed in laboratory settings.
While taking the right supplements in the right amount may enhance one's health, taking the wrong supplements in the wrong amount can do more harm than good. Supplements with misleading claims, inaccurate dosing, or errors in the ingredient label can increase the risk of interactions, toxicity, risks, and inefficacy for consumers.
Further, companies that do not follow safe manufacturing processes or conduct third-party testing may increase the risk of exposing consumers to high levels of heavy metals, pesticides, or other chemicals that can have serious health implications.
Beyond buying supplements from a reputable brand, buying them from a reputable shopping source is essential to ensure they haven’t been tampered with, opened, or are counterfeit. In short, where you shop matters to avoid buying fake supplements.
When it comes to shopping for supplements safely, iHerb takes numerous steps to ensure its products are high-quality and safe. iHerb works directly with brands that follow third-party testing for quality assurance to ensure supplements are authentic and safe. iHerb also ensures all product reviews are from verified purchasers to avoid misleading or fraudulent reviews. And since factors like temperature and humidity can affect supplements’ impact, potency, and effectiveness, iHerb provides direct shipping from a climate-controlled warehouse to ensure product freshness.
For years, iHerb has been a trusted source of high-quality products at the best value. They offer over 50,000 trusted, high-quality health and wellness products.
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