Testing Supplements

[ohmama]

The next time you stand, stumped, before the vast shelves of dietary supplements, take comfort in knowing you have a sleuth on your side: ConsumerLab.com, bane of scurrilous pill hawkers nationwide. Since 1999 the company has been independently testing supplements and posting the results online, and it recently published its first book, ConsumerLab.com's Guide to Buying Vitamins & Supplements: What's Really in the Bottle? "The FDA is not required to approve or test these products, and anyone can sell a supplement in the United States," says company president and founder Tod Cooperman, MD (also the book's lead author). One quarter of the hundreds of supplements ConsumerLab.com has tested were somehow different than their labels advertised, so Cooperman offers these tips:

Research the product... using Web sites such as about.com and consumerlab.com to find out as much as you can. Look for scientific studies done in the U.S. at reputable institutions.

In the course of your research, identify the standardized active ingredient you want... for instance, look for allicin, which is garlic's active ingredient. If the label lists just the garlic plant, you're unlikely to get a regulated amount of the correct compound.

I found this information in a magazine at the Dr. office and tore out the page, so I don't remember what the magazine was but thought it was good information.

[catatonic]

OhMama, thank you for the link to a very informative website.

There appears to be far more information available to subscribers -- at $24 per year -- than there is to a visitor to the site. Do you subscribe? Think it's worth it? My only hesitation is that the number of brands they review appears to be limited.

I really think the section on FDA recalls ought to be available to everyone!...however, the FDA site provides this information and the recalls/safety warnings there are not limited to those affecting supplements but include food and prescription recalls as well. ( www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html )

Plenty of good info from Consumer Labs. I'm considering ordering the book -- at $20 including shipping, it's probably a good investment. Have you taken a look at it?

[ohmama]

Cat,
I don't subscribe, just found the article in a magazine and thought it was worth posting.

There's so much info available on the internet that I hesitate to join anything costing $$. It's good to know what's out there though and I often hear people say you never know if you're really getting what you think. Now, there's a way to be sure.

I think the supplements I use are all good so not sure I will check into it further. The book looks interesting and I may spring for that.