What's in your Supplements?

Whether or not you've given it any thought, it's important to note what goes into the supplements that we consume. 

Over half the of U.S adult population takes one or more supplements regularly. This figure is truly fascinating when you take into account that the supplement industry is far less regulated than prescription drugs. The result is a market with products that vary widely in their quality and more importantly, their promises. 

Of course, there has been research done on this topic.

A study from 2018 looked at memory enhancing supplements similar to #boostUp and found that 2 of them contained none of the active ingredients listed. What?

It does however, get worse.

Do supplement labels matter?

Yes. What matters more is that the product actually contains what is says it does. 

How widespread is this problem

Another study found that this problem is big. The lack of regulation results in not only missing ingredients but also harmful, banned ingredients added to enhance the effects of a product. 

"Researchers analyzed warnings issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 2007 and 2016. These included 776 dietary supplements that contained contaminants, including

  • a prescription drug, sildenafil (Viagra), in supplements sold for sexual enhancement.
  • sibutramine (Meridia), found in weight loss supplements. This drug was approved in 1997 for weight loss but was taken off the market in 2010 when studies linked it to heart attacks and stroke. 
  • steroids or drugs with steroid effects in supplements marketed as muscle builders."

(Harvard Health, Robert H. Shmerling, MD, 2019)

Honestly, I wish this wasn't real. 

The main issue

We do not wish to attack anyone. However, the main problem is that these cost-cutting techniques are very attractive to manufacturers. They result in winning prices for their product. After that, just throw together a nice little marketing campaign and your product is extremely attractive to consumers too. 

Yet, it's possible that there's no substance there! 

What can you do?

There are so many great manufactures out there. I'm not afraid to say it, that includes Calivita! So just look out for a couple key things. 

Make sure that your product

  • Has a certification of some sort (GMP, cGMP, USP, FDA Approved)
  • Is made in the United States (Why?)
  • Is not suspiciously cheap for what it promises. 

 

I'll leave you here.

Melvin