{"id":1157,"date":"2015-02-24T14:28:50","date_gmt":"2015-02-24T22:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/?p=1157"},"modified":"2016-10-19T06:36:16","modified_gmt":"2016-10-19T13:36:16","slug":"whats-supplement-bottle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2015\/02\/24\/whats-supplement-bottle\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s in that Supplement Bottle?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"What's<\/a><\/p>\n

Need a supplement?<\/p>\n

Any trip to a grocery or health food store can tell you\u00a0that there are lot\u00a0of different supplements out there. Finding\u00a0one that suits your needs\u00a0is not always an easy task.\u00a0Brands, formulations, doses, and health claims on the label\u00a0can leave people\u00a0baffled.<\/p>\n

What makes matters worse is the possibility that what is listed on a supplement label might be completely different than what is actually inside the bottle.<\/em><\/p>\n

The lack of strict regulations have made this\u00a0a real concern. For example, issues about the content of herbal supplements<\/a> have been raised and are under investigation. A study on\u00a0fish oil supplements<\/a>\u00a0raised concerns about the quality and freshness of those products and, possibly, other products containing omega-3 fatty acids. There have been other reports and investigations over the years, often with alarming findings.<\/p>\n

However, despite what it might sound like, quality supplements DO exist on the market. Here are some places you can go for help:<\/p>\n

\n \"uspverified\"<\/a>\n
Look for these marks to ensure quality supplements<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a nonprofit agency dedicated to verifying the quality, purity, and potency of dietary supplements. As part of their verification program, the USP audits the manufacturer\u2019s facility and does an extensive review of quality control and manufacturing documentation to ensure that supplements are produced according to specifications. The USP also tests the supplements produced in this process, verifying that the product matches claims of quantity on labels.<\/p>\n

If a dietary supplement passes their\u00a0review, it is awarded the USP Verified<\/em> Mark. Although other companies may post the letters USP on their bottles, without the official seal they are not considered to be approved by the convention. A list of products that have the USP Verified seal can be found on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a similar fashion, another not-for-profit agency called NSF International has a verification program for dietary supplements. NSF has an online database of supplements<\/a> verified by their program; these supplements bear the NSF verification seal.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

However, both the NSF and USP programs are voluntary\u2013manufacturers can choose to participate in the program or not\u2013and a detailed analysis of the products tested may not be made available. If you\u2019re looking for information about the quality and composition of specific dietary supplements, there are additional online resources.<\/p>\n

Sites like ConsumerLab.com<\/a>\u00a0and LabDoor.com<\/a> provide an analysis of commercially-available supplements to determine if the product meets the claims on the label. ConsumerLab selects products to review, then publishes results of laboratory tests in comprehensive reports online and\u00a0enables companies of all sizes to have their products quality tested for potential inclusion in its list of approved products. Labdoor buys supplements off retail shelves and, after a detailed chemical analysis, translates this data into simple grades and rankings, but does not endorse any products.<\/p>\n

\"LPIOther supplement rating sites exist, but be aware of their practices (and potential biases) with paid reviews and advertising.<\/p>\n

Although\u00a0the quality and content of over-the-counter supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), except when it comes to safety in the manufacturing process, they do\u00a0maintain a list of known contaminated and tainted products.<\/a>\u00a0Unfortunately,\u00a0this does not extend to the purity or potency of active ingredients in your supplement.<\/p>\n

The Linus Pauling Institute promotes eating a healthy diet as the primary source of vitamins and minerals\u00a0to keep you healthy, but recognizes that\u00a0supplements are sometimes necessary to meet your nutrition needs. Other tips for choosing the right supplement can be found in the LPI\u2019s Rx for Health<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Micronutrient Information Center<\/a> (MIC).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Need a supplement? Any trip to a grocery or health food store can tell you\u00a0that there are lot\u00a0of different supplements out there. Finding\u00a0one that suits your needs\u00a0is not always an easy task.\u00a0Brands, formulations, doses, and health claims on the label\u00a0can leave people\u00a0baffled. What makes matters worse is the possibility that what is listed on a… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5337,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"What's in that Supplement Bottle?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[582791],"tags":[582813,44258,165515,123729,165491],"class_list":["post-1157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lpi-take","tag-fda","tag-recommendations","tag-supplement","tag-supplements","tag-vitamins"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1898,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2017\/01\/31\/choosing-supplements-wisely\/","url_meta":{"origin":1157,"position":0},"title":"Q: I’ve been reading a lot lately about claims that vitamins in pill form are worthless and unreliable. Do you have a recommendation for where to buy worthy vitamin pills?","author":"Anne Glausser","date":"January 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Answer:\u00a0We don't make endorsements, but we can offer advice for choosing supplements wisely. It\u2019s important to remember that supplements are not always necessary and they are not regulated as rigorously as drugs, so it is largely up to consumers to determine a product\u2019s appropriateness, safety and potency. Below we offer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Supplement FAQs"","block_context":{"text":"Supplement FAQs","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/supplement-faqs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"supplement bottle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2017\/01\/vitamins-26622_1280-150x150.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":494,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2013\/05\/28\/health-supplement-regimen\/","url_meta":{"origin":1157,"position":1},"title":"Balz Frei, Ph.D., on his Personal Health and Supplement Regimen","author":"Jana Z","date":"May 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Eating a healthful diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy body weight, and avoiding tobacco are of utmost importance to maintain good health. I also think that some dietary supplements are critical for optimum health.\" - Balz Frei, Ph.D. ____ Which nutritional supplements does the former director of the Linus Pauling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask the Expert"","block_context":{"text":"Ask the Expert","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/ask-the-expert\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Balz Frei-running","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2013\/05\/FreiB-runningSmallWeb-300x199.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":970,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2015\/09\/04\/fish-oil-good-health\/","url_meta":{"origin":1157,"position":2},"title":"Fish oil: Good for my health… or not?","author":"Giana Angelo","date":"September 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Stories from various news outlets (and even from different researchers at Oregon State University) have said: Fish oil\/omega-3s are great! Excess omega-3s are really bad! Fish oil\/omega-3s are great\u00a0(again)!! Never mind,\u00a0fish oil doesn\u2019t work... This is confusing and frustrating for all of us. As is the case with most headlines,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LPI Take"","block_context":{"text":"LPI Take","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/lpi-take\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fish oil - a source of omega-3","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2014\/04\/oil-315528_1280-800x529.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1852,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2016\/11\/07\/lipoic-acid-dietary-supplement\/","url_meta":{"origin":1157,"position":3},"title":"Q: I\u2019m in my 50s.\u00a0 Should I consider taking a lipoic acid supplement?","author":"Anne Glausser","date":"November 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Answer: Perhaps, but it is good to know more about it first. Lipoic acid is a naturally-occurring compound that is found in small amounts in food and is also synthesized in small amounts by humans. The amount of lipoic acid available in dietary supplements (200-600 mg) is likely as much\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Feature Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Feature Stories","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/feature-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1431\/files\/2016\/11\/pills-384846_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1431\/files\/2016\/11\/pills-384846_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1431\/files\/2016\/11\/pills-384846_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1431\/files\/2016\/11\/pills-384846_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1431\/files\/2016\/11\/pills-384846_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1731,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2016\/05\/17\/folic-acid-folate-autism-pregnancy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1157,"position":4},"title":"Why Headlines Linking Folic Acid to Autism Are Misleading","author":"Anne Glausser","date":"May 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, many in the nutrition and medical fields let out a collective sigh. That\u2019s because there is good quality nutrition research, from actual humans in randomized control trials, showing the importance of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy. Taking a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid (the form of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask the Expert"","block_context":{"text":"Ask the Expert","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/ask-the-expert\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Recent headlines linking folic acid and autism are misleading and potentially dangerous. Photo credit: Tatiana Vdb \/\/ Flickr","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2016\/05\/8570833723_5dab203555_k-800x409.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2016\/05\/8570833723_5dab203555_k-800x409.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2016\/05\/8570833723_5dab203555_k-800x409.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2016\/05\/8570833723_5dab203555_k-800x409.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1053,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2014\/07\/03\/following-evidence-multivitamins-revisited\/","url_meta":{"origin":1157,"position":5},"title":"Following the Evidence: Multivitamins Revisited","author":"Alexander Michels, PhD","date":"July 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Are\u00a0multivitamin supplements useless? Does\u00a0the science all point to these pills\u00a0being\u00a0a complete waste of money and time? This is simply not true, and you should know why. 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