Why Not Buy the Cheapest Vitamins?

This section is compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:    Frankp@chiro.org

Quality Determines Results

Thanks to Michael T Grubic for sharing this article!

Quality is an issue when buying supplements, just like it is an issue when buying carpet or clothes. There are 100's of brands of food supplements on the market, but let's look at some quality issues.

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Example 1: Bioavailability

Do the nutrients in the product get absorbed into the bloodstream and is there published, clinical evidence to prove it? A test by Dr. Nassar with Vitamin E showed the following:

Five sources of 200 I.U. Vitamin E were tested for delivery to the blood stream. The results were:

Source 1 = 0.12 units absorbed

Source 2 = 15.0 units absorbed

Source 3 = 1.0 units absorbed

Source 4 = 67.0 units absorbed

Source 5 = 200.0 units absorbed*

(*this was Shaklee brand)

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Example 2: Stability

Acidophilus and Bifidus products are being highly promoted today. But the following is a university study showing the amounts of active bacteria found when microflora products were randomly selected and tested off the store shelf. The label claimed the following numbers "At the time of manufacture."

Brand Claim Microanalysis Results

#1 = 2 billion - None

#2 = 100 million - 1,500 only

#3 = 250 million - 30 million

#4 = 1 million - None

#5 = 500 million - 500 million*

(*This was Shaklee brand)

The body will only benefit from what gets delivered to the intestines.

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Example 3: Integrity

In 1998, the U.S. Dept of Agriculture randomly selected 43 Ginseng labeled products and tested them for active ingredients. The results: 39 of 43 had NONE! That's a 91% failure raste.

A 1999 CTV report on St. John Wort revealed that 70% of products tested contained fewer active ingredients than the industry standard. 10% contained no active ingredients at all.

The same CTV report on Ginkgo Biloba products showed that 25% contained no active ingredients.

The supplement and herbal industry is sparsely regulated, and therefore, it is up to the buyer to BEWARE!

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Since 1-01-2000