is your supplement safe?
I want to ask you a question? Would you go downtown in your city and step into a back alley with a stranger and hand them over cold hard cash for a supplement (vitamins, protein powders, etc)?
You don’t ask them any questions, you just pay and go.
That seems a bit sketchy doesn’t it? Well guess what, you may be doing that today.
What? I don’t do that you say. Well okay, maybe you aren’t going into a back alley and handing over cash for a brown bag full of products, but in many ways you are doing the same thing when you walk into many stores and purchase supplements off the shelf.
The supplement market is basically an un-regulated industry. Yes, the companies are “supposed” to send in their products to the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) for verification of the ingredients, but there are two problems with this.
First - many of them are not doing this. There was a recent article on Statnews.com talking about this very problem. There were over 4,600 new products being introduced and only about 1,200 had been sent to the FDA for approval. Hmm, not a great ratio if you ask me.
Second - The FDA may approve the ingredient, but there is no oversight as to whether that product actually makes it in the final bottle or if it is actually in the proper ratio / strength that is listed.
So in many ways you are just handing over money to a guy in a back alley. You really have no idea if you are getting the product you are paying for. You don’t know if it has a banned or illegal substance that could make you sick or worse, kill you.
Now for the good news. Unless you are buying it from a guy in a back alley, most likely you are going to a reputable store that is carry high quality products … but even then, do you know it’s safe?
In order to be sure that you are getting what you are paying for and that it is a safe product, look for one of two logo’s on your product - NSF or USP.
The NSF Mark
Provides assurance that a product was impartially reviewed to established standards or guidelines
Confirms that product labeling and claims have been objectively verified by a trusted third party
Demonstrates an organization’s commitment to quality, compliance and safety
Is backed by a team of professionals dedicated to public health and safety operating in more than 180 countries
The USP Mark
Seeing the USP Verified Mark on a dietary supplement label indicates that the product:
Contains the ingredients listed on the label, in the declared potency and amounts. Tests have shown that contents of some supplements don't match the label and some contain significantly less or more than the claimed amount of key ingredients. USP Dietary Supplement Verification helps assure customers that they are getting the value they expect from a product they are purchasing.
Does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants. Some supplements have been shown to contain harmful levels of certain heavy metals (e.g., lead and mercury), microbes, pesticides, or other contaminants. At specific levels these contaminants can pose serious risks to one's health.
Will break down and release into the body within a specified amount of time. If a supplement does not break down properly to allow its ingredients to be available for absorption in the body, the consumer will not get the full benefit of its contents. USP Dietary Supplement Verification tests products against performance standards.
Has been made according to FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices using sanitary and well-controlled procedures. Assurance of safe, sanitary, well-controlled, and well-documented manufacturing and monitoring processes indicates that a supplement manufacturer is quality-conscious, and that the supplement will be manufactured with consistent quality from batch to batch.
There are a lot of products that have gone through the NSF or USP processes to be verified. They are carried at a lot of your favorite stores and easily found. Do a little research and ask questions and check if the product carries one or both of the verification seals of approval.
What if the product I like doesn't that have that verification? Do some more research into the company and see if you can find more information. It doesn’t mean that the company isn’t reputable, it just means they may not have gone through the verification process.
Remember, we take supplements to help improve our health, our fitness, our strength and our recovery so make sure what you put in your body is the highest and safest quality.