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Addressing the OP's question about news reports on supplements - in particular the issue raised by the NY Attorney General covered by the NY Times. This happened a couple of years ago and was focused on herbal products not vitamins. Unfortunately for the AG their case was based entirely on test methods that were not appropriate (in science terms they used a DNA test to try to identify herbal extracts - except the DNA components are removed during the extraction process so there was none to be found).
GNC was one of the companies 'hit' by the AG. Their quality control and record keeping was so good that their products were back on the shelf in 6 weeks and the AG publicly agreed they had done nothing wrong. Unfortunately the NYT didn't put that story on page 1. Where does a company go to get back their reputation after a politician drags it through the mud? (no - I don't work for GNC)
I agree with other posters that the best nutrition comes from food sources. I eat fairly well but still take supplements to cover any shortfall (and just in case).
Vitamins and minerals have established qualities / specifications that are agreed to by regulators and industry (published monographs like USP or Food Chemical Codex). Most vitamins are synthetic - where ever they are made - and I would expect that they all meet the monograph specs. So the decision comes to choosing a reliable brand / manufacturer. There are many good ones.
Interestingly enough in recent years one company has created a line of vitamins and mineral ingredients from plants. The only company I know that uses these ingredients is Garden of Life (I don't work for them either).
I am suspicious of one company that lends it's name to brands / manufacturers to imply quality of supplements (USP). This is a separate business from their involvement in maintaining monographs / specifications for ingredients. The reason for my concern is that USP gets a 'commission' on every bottle sold with their logo on the supplement. As a result I think companies like NSF, who don't require the same 'commission' arrangement, are a better third party arbiter of quality.
Eating nutritional food can maintain vitamin d levels but if you are deficient then you'd need to overeat by a whole lot just to get enough D to make up for the deficiency. Salmon is supposedly a good source of D but it really varies, it's not consistent even within the same type of salmon, no matter how it's cooked. One 3-ounce piece might have 400 IU and the other might only have 180 IU. Yet a third of the same cut, just from a different week's catch might have 650 IU. If you average it out you'd need almost 3 servings of salmon every single day just to give you the amount of vitamin D you'd get from a single supplement tablet.
I like salmon and all, but it's very expensive, it's over 50% fat. That much (3 servings per day) is so much food I wouldn't have room in my stomach for anything else. And remember that's just to make up for a deficiency. I'd still need to eat the usual amount that people who aren't deficient eat, to maintain it, and maintain all the other vitamins and minerals the body needs.
If I'm deficient in a vitamin or mineral I'll take a supplement to bring my level back up to normal. If it's possible to maintain that normal level (like if I don't have some illness that's causing the deficiency), then I'll expect a healthy well balanced diet to maintain it. Like in the winter when I need a boost of D. It's not because I'm not eating enough good foods. My diet doesn't change in the winter. Only my exposure to the sun changes. I'm not going to gain another 40 pounds every winter just because I'm low in vitamin D. That's just silly!
In general, I don't buy my supplements at the supermarket, Target, Walmart, or no-name "brands" found on Amazon. I stick with major health food store brands that have been around for many years. Examples: Country Life, Natural Factors, Solaray, Enzymatic Therapy, Source Naturals, Solgar, Twinlab, Nature's Way, Nature's Answer.
I try to eat a good nutritional diet with lots of vegetables. However, I believe that the quality of our food has deteriorated since the start of industrial farming, which removes nutrients from the soil but does not replenish them. Minerals, especially trace minerals, are most affected by this. The body needs small amounts of these minerals, but they can make a big impact on one's health.
I find my body feels better and functions better with higher-than-RDA amounts of certain nutrients, so I supplement with those. Just remember that the RDA is the minimum amount estimated to be "sufficient". It is not necessarily the best level for optimum health.
Don't need them; eat the right foods- mainly fresh produce. There is a case to be made for a B12 vitamin if you cut out meat from your diet, but beyond that, a big rip-off no matter who makes them and where.
This statement is misleading. A lot of people do need to supplement even though their diets may be nearly perfect. Vitamin D deficiency has become very common. Same with magnesium. Also some people don't absorb nutrients very well and need to supplement. Some people are on a prescription medication that depletes certain nutrients, and older or sick people probably should be supplementing certain nutrients. It's best to get tested by your doctor.
Anyway, what people have already said about sticking with the established brands is what I do. The brands that a good nutritionist would recommend, not cheap brands that you can buy in a drug store or department store.
My doctor has me on fish oil to lower my triglycerides--Carlson fish oil is one of the best quality. For calcium I do take a good drug store brand of calcium citrate with magnesium, also Solaray vitamin K-2, Solaray magnesium glycinate.
Mostly you find the good brands in a health food store or for a much better price, at Vitacost online. For me, the proof is in the pudding--fish oil fixed the triglyceride problem. Being an older woman and having a dairy allergy, the supplements that I take for calcium are proven to be working and I can even see the difference if I stop because my fingernails will start breaking off. A person who tests low on vitamin B12 (and that is a lot of people) needs to take a good brand or maybe even take it sublingually. I think the brands that people have already mentioned are probably pretty accurate choices.
I use a multivitamin that is made in the USA and uses the best bioavailable forms of nutrients so your body actually gets what it needs. I needed Vitamin D and this has so much more vitamins - I feel so much better taking them. I have been on this vitamin for over 3 months now. Moderator cut: too new to make recommendations
Last edited by in_newengland; 11-03-2017 at 12:43 PM..
I go off and on with multi vits. My last "try" was Bio Strath liquid which has been around for ages...didn't find any difference I don't think..I have not re ordered.
There are a lot of multi vit brands and some are crap. There is a line of multi vit that my daughter brought to my attention that is food based. It's a bit pricey and I never got it. I take a lot of supps separately and so often skip a multi.
Vitamins work, no question. When we moved earlier this year, I was caught up with moving, new house, etc and stopped taking them for a few months. I thought there was no difference in the way I felt, until I started taking them again a few weeks ago. After a couple of weeks, I really noticed how much more energy I had. It was an amazing difference.
Jam is right that some brands are crap, but you have to keep trying brands until you find what works. It's a trial and error process, but worth it.
Vitamins work, no question. When we moved earlier this year, I was caught up with moving, new house, etc and stopped taking them for a few months. I thought there was no difference in the way I felt, until I started taking them again a few weeks ago. After a couple of weeks, I really noticed how much more energy I had. It was an amazing difference.
Jam is right that some brands are crap, but you have to keep trying brands until you find what works. It's a trial and error process, but worth it.
Vitamins "work?"
Vitamins are essential parts of your biology. If you're low on them then taking supplements will surely "work" to replenish what you're low on. Doubtful you're low on ALL your nutrition unless your diet is mostly twinkies and ginger ale. There's probably just one or two vitamins that you're low on, and taking a multi gives you what you need to replenish. You could be supplementing yourself into toxic levels of something, eventually. You should find out which vitamins and minerals you're low on, find out how low on them you are so you can supplement appropriately and not make yourself sick from taking things you're NOT low on, just because one or two ingredients in a pill of 50 ingredients is making you more energetic.
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