Health Options Alan Titchenal  & Joannie Dobbs                    Monday, August 30, 2004

Supplements require buyers choose wisely

When it comes to taking dietary supplements, being a smart consumer means a lot more than getting a bargain. It means you need to:

» Buy appropriate supplements for the desired functions.

» Make sure the type of supplement you choose does not conflict with medications or other supplements you're taking.

» Ensure that what you purchase does not have any problems common with dietary supplements.

Question: What are the common problems?

Answer: A good place to find reliable information on this topic is in a book titled "ConsumerLab.com's Guide to Buying Vitamins & Supplements: What's Really in the Bottle?" This book describes the most frequent problems found in dietary supplements.

These include too little, too much or no active ingredient contained in a supplement. Based on ConsumerLab's analysis, some supplements have even been found to contain the wrong ingredients, dangerous or illegal ingredients, unexpected "spike" ingredients (not listed on the label) and contaminated ingredients.

In addition, ConsumerLab has found that some pills do not dissolve properly. Along with these manufacturing or formulation problems, many products use misleading product information or unfounded health claims.

Q: How did ConsumerLab determine these problems?

A: Dr. Tod Cooperman recognized that although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the manufacturing and labeling of dietary supplements, it doesn't have the budget to routinely test products for purity and determine that what's indicated on the label is, in fact, what's in the bottle.

Therefore in 1999, Cooperman started the company ConsumerLab.com to test dietary supplements. Since then, just about every type of vitamin, mineral and herbal supplement from major brands on the market has been tested, resulting in the list of these common problems.

Q: Why should I read this book or go to the ConsumerLab.com Web site?

A: Both book and Web site provide important consumer-friendly tools that help supplement users make informed decisions. The book provides lists of ConsumerLab-approved supplements from 20 categories of products.

The Web site is even more extensive. Although full access requires a subscription ($24 per year), nonsubscribers can access partial lists of approved products. Subscribers can access the complete list of tested products, which includes those that did not pass. Both the book and the Web site provide the rationale and the data to help consumers make good decisions.

Q: What are some other good resources for dietary supplement users?

A: See the Web sites for the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov, and the Natural Medicines Database at www.naturaldatabase.com. Both sites serve the needs of consumers and health professionals.