Are you buying quality supplements?

Unlike prescription drugs, dietary supplements are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety or efficacy before being sold to consumers. After a supplement enters the marketplace, the FDA can remove a product found to be unsafe and can work with supplement producers to bring a product into compliance with manufacturing and labeling requirements. The FDA’s role in dietary supplement regulation is akin to a traffic cop — the cop won’t stop a driver from heading onto the road, but he’ll be looking for the law breakers once they’re driving.

Here’s an example of why a supplement’s brand and quality are important. The supplement company NOW recently purchased 33 berberine products (berberine is a plant-based product that supports stable blood sugar and weight loss) from Amazon.com and Walmart.com and tested the products at a third-party lab to determine if the contents of the purchased supplements met the label’s claims for potency. 

The test results showed serious levels of low potency: every brand tested below 100% potency, except for NOW brand. Eighteen of the 33 brands tested contained less than 40% of labeled potency and 7 of the 33 tested samples had 1% or less of berberine potency in each product.

In a press statement, NOW noted that the 33 brands were picked “because they are less known and sold almost entirely on these platforms. We have avoided testing health food store brands or practitioner brands as being less of a concern” (emphasis added). Read the full press release here.

Buying supplements on Amazon is also risky because of the possibility of receiving a counterfeit or expired product. Other times, there are concerns about the temperature at which products are stored. Even if the supplement is sold by a reputable seller, there is no guarantee that you’re receiving your product from that seller if Amazon combines similar products from different sellers in the warehouse and ships randomly from that supply.

Given this limited oversight, how do you know if the supplement you’re purchasing is a high-quality product that’s delivering the nutrient you think it is? Truth be told, it’s tough. 

For professional-grade supplements from trusted brands that functional health practitioners use, I recommend Fullscript. 

Fullscript provides access to discounted, high-quality, professional-grade vitamins and supplements. My one-on-one clients receive customized supplement recommendations as part of our work together, but anyone can benefit from access to these brands through my Fullscript account. 

Not everyone needs or wants to use supplements, but for some, they are necessary to get enough essential vitamins and minerals or to support a healing body. If you’re going to use supplements, make sure you’re buying what you think you are.

Links in this blog may be affiliate links that help support my work. If you purchase a linked product, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I believe in.