Are You Flushing Your Supplements Down the Toilet?

Do you know if the supplements you are taking actually contain what is on the label?  What may seem like a great deal at the health food store or on the internet may actually be a big waste. 

According to a new report from ConsumerLab.com, many probiotic supplements do not contain the number of living bacteria listed on the label.  13 products were purchased over the counter and analyzed for the amount of actual living bacteria in the bottle.  Only 2 out of the 13 actually contained the number of live bacteria that were listed on the label!  The other products contained anywhere from 10% to 58% of the amount listed.  Even a children's probiotic that was analyzed separately contained only 7% of its claimed bacteria. 

Probiotics are such an important part of not only gut function but also over all health and this report shows that you can't trust what you buy over the counter.

Another study recently analyzed 10 over the counter vitamin D supplements based on the increasing use of vitamin D for patients with multiple sclerosis which can be helped by vitamin D.    Vitamin D supplements are increasingly being recommended to MS patients, both for osteoporosis, which is common in the disease, and for presumed immunomodulatory actions as well, according to senior author Peter Calabresi, MD, of the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "As the role of vitamin D in immune regulation in MS gains increasing focus, oral supplementation is growing," he said. 

The researchers found that not a single product contained the dose of vitamin D that was listed on the label!  The labeled doses ranged from 400 IU to 10,000 IU, but the mean actual dose was only 33.5% of the labeled dose, with a range from 0.24% to 81.7%.  .24%!   Are you kidding me?  That means millions of Americans are flushing their money down the toilets and not getting any therapeutic benefit from the supplements.

Other studies have been done on glucosamine & chondroitin supplements, ginkgo biloba, St. John's Wort, and calcium all with similar results.  Product doses ranged anywhere from 0% to 86% of the label's claim.  This is interesting because I've had quite a few patients over the years with depression say, “yeah, I tried St. John's Wort but it didn't work.”  St. John's Wort has actually been shown is peer-reviewed medical journals to be superior to prescription medication.  These patients never took a viable amount of St. John's Wort because the active ingredients simply weren't in the product.  This goes for many other supplements.

When your health is on the line there is no time for taking supplements that don't deliver.  This is one of the main reasons why we carry pharmaceutical-grade supplements that are guaranteed to contain what is on the label.  My reputation is based on the results that I get and if someone really needs a viable dose of vitamin D for example, I can't afford to see no results because of a deficient product.  Make sure the products you are taking are certified GMP or “Good Manufacturing Practices” so you know they are viable. 

There's no point buying cheap products if you're flushing them down the toilet.

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