3 things to consider when choosing a dietary supplement
The vitamin and supplement industry is booming and can frankly be a wild west when it comes to quality assurance and regulation. It takes patience and research to get answers to your supplementation questions.
When I am considering a supplement for myself or working with a client on supplementation, I take these three things into consideration.
Is it something I can obtain through whole food?
Food is a powerful catalyst in improving our overall health. We often eat a lot of the same foods (hellooo habits). Most people can benefit from diversifying their nutrition, and a health coach can help you implement new foods into your routine.
When I was treating low ferritin (stored iron), I found through repeated blood work over several months that I wasn’t making enough improvement through diet alone to bump that number up and feel an energy boost. Getting what we need through our diet would be ideal, but isn’t always possible. To complicate the topic further, various supplements come in different forms (for example, ferrous sulfate and ferrous gluconate). I’m not a biochemist so understanding the bioavailability of different formulations isn’t my specialty, but it’s important to consider when choosing a supplement.
2. Research the brands of vitamins/supplements that you are considering.
The FDA does not verify that supplements contain what they claim to and that they are free from contaminants. Always look for a brand that utilizes third-party testing and is transparent about their products. CVS recently completed an initiative that ensures every supplement they sell is third-party tested.
Look for these labels indicating third-party testing:
United States Pharmacopeial Convention
NSF International and NSF Certified for Sport
NSF and USP also list verified brands on their website.
3. Marketing can make vitamins and supplements seem like a safe way to improve your health, but every supplement isn’t safe for everyone.
There are interactions and contraindications with many medications and health conditions. The safest way to approach a new supplement is to do your own research, consult a trusted doctor or pharmacist about your concerns and keep asking questions!
Many organizations provide their own resources on supplements. For example, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has their own database of supplements with purported uses and potential interactions.
For a comprehensive list of supplements in one place, check out the National Institute of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements:
NIH Consumer Fact Sheet for Iron
