Unfortunately, not all vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements are created equal.  This is due in part to the fact that there are not good regulations on supplement manufacturers.  Because health is a lucrative business, some companies take advantage that most consumers cannot differentiate supplement quality, and they will use cheap or contaminated ingredients in their products.  Here are a few factors to keep in mind when purchasing supplements.

Price

Price can be an initial indicator of the quality of the supplement.  In general the cheaper the supplement the worse quality it will be.  Good quality ingredients are more costly, and the price will reflect this.  You do not need to purchase the most expensive one, just avoid the cheapest ones.

Ingredient List

Read the label to see what is listed under “other ingredients.”  There should only be a couple listed.  If there are 5+ other ingredients listed, this is a big clue that this is a low quality supplement.  Also, if the other ingredients are unrecognizable names, you should purchase a different brand.  Ingredients to avoid in supplements include any artificial dyes, aspartame, MSG, corn starch, and preservatives like BHT and sodium benzoate.

Testing

A good company will test their products for contaminants like heavy metals to ensure purity.  If they do testing it will be mentioned somewhere on the label.  If it is not mentioned, then assume that testing was not done.  This is especially important for fish oil/ Omega 3 products.

GMP

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are a set of guidelines outlining that manufacturing and packaging, of dietary ingredients or supplements is done to ensure no adulteration, contamination or misbranding occurs. GMP’s requires pre and post-production batch testing.  However, GMP certification is optional and this may or may not be mentioned on the label. The quality of a supplement coming from a company that is not GMP certified cannot be guaranteed.

Expert recommendations

Please keep in mind that it is always best to have an expert who is trained on using vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements to discuss your personal health and make recommendations that are specific to your body and your needs.  People are individuals and require different supplements at different times. If you are not informed about what you should be taking, you can waste a lot of money taking unnecessary supplements that may cause more harm if not needed.

Supplement Type

Powders, capsules, and liquids are preferable.  Tablets can be very difficult to digest and absorb, especially if you have digestive health concerns.

Other tips:

If you experience any adverse reactions to synthetic vitamins, there are food based vitamins that can be used instead.  Most people react well to whole food supplements; however, the downside is that you get a much lesser amount than you do with the synthetic vitamins.

Make sure when comparing supplements that you are comparing how much of the active ingredient is contained in all products.