Beware, fake! How to check dietary supplements for authenticity
The modern market of dietary supplements is overflowing with abundance, you read the description of some supplements and think, what is the use of medicine at all, if capsules here treat from the common cold to cancer?
Especially a lot of room for revelry appeared after the sanctions and the ban on iHerb. Like mushrooms after the rain, first one and then another company began to appear, with their super-duper dietary supplements. But let’s be objective, not all dietary supplements are fakes; there are actually working supplements and vitamins. But how do you know which ones you can buy and which ones are fake?
RISE is in touch: community about nootropics and personal productivity. The article will be useful for those who want to buy only natural products and protect themselves as much as possible from counterfeits on the dietary supplement market.
For those who criticize dietary supplements
First of all, this article is for those people who understand that not all vitamins and minerals can be obtained in sufficient quantities from foods. There are a whole bunch of reasons: the price of high-quality products, a problem with the gastrointestinal tract (there is no absorption of these very substances from food), food allergies, climate “ala sun 6 hours a day 8 months a year.”
This can be confirmed to you by a good doctor who treats the cause, not the effect. If you are a supporter of the idea that dietary supplements are evil, then this article is definitely not for you.
dietary supplements – these are dietary supplements, for example, ginseng extract or curcumin – this is bad. Vitamins and minerals: magnesium, vitamin D, iron are also dietary supplements, the last two generally have a national deficiency of 87 and 37%. Many of them are recognized WHOothers are listed and allowed FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the USA).
What am I talking about – you can take dietary supplements, but only if there are indications or after consulting a doctor and taking tests. There are supplements that actually improve the quality of life, help reduce the symptoms of the disease or work as a preventive measure, research the issue and get interested.
There is no need to think in categories. For example, just 5 years ago the term “leaky gut” caused laughter and twisting of a finger at the temple among doctors of medical sciences and doctors. Now this term sounds like “Leaky Gut Syndrome” and is taken into account by many reputable doctors and private clinics. Because there is more evidence, therapeutic practices and research.
In order to choose, so to speak, a natural product on the market, and not chalk with a bunch of impurities, read the guide below on the selection of dietary supplements.
1. Research the manufacturer's company
The first step should be to study information about the dietary supplement manufacturer. Pay attention to the company's reputation, history and experience in this field. Find out what research and clinical trials the company conducts to confirm the effectiveness and safety of its products. Reliable dietary supplement manufacturers usually publish the results of their research on official websites and are available for public viewing. If the company “hatched” suddenly, just yesterday, for example, they were selling cosmetics, and today they are already churning out jars of additives and they have a lot of positive reviews in a short time, then buying such dietary supplements is a risky business)
I am usually meticulous in checking the company, starting from the year of registration of Horns and Hooves LLC, ending with the founder of the company and what it did before. Of course, you don’t need to delve into this so thoroughly; just check the superficial information.
All supplements that are tested by a third party will cost more because certification costs money and meeting certification standards also costs money. If a company violates these standards, then it will face courts, fines, negative reviews and a drop in market rating. It's worth paying extra for quality. But about this in the second paragraph.
On my own behalf, I can also add that there are companies with a good and long-standing reputation that I trust and have been buying supplements from them for a long time. These are companies that were operating even before COVID, sanctions and the boom in the production of Russian dietary supplements.
This is not an advertisement, but a personal recommendation
Order dietary supplements through the prostobox website directly from iherb, delivery 10-15 days. SDEK shop (only the prices there are steep).
If you decide to take from marketplaces, then these are the companies lvl 99, BestFit, Ostrovit. There is also a separate site – Paradigm, which works purely with 1 quality brand from America, or the iTab site, which also sells only high-quality and working supplements.
2. Check for certification
The next step is to check the product certification. Dietary supplements that have received certification from independent organizations have a better chance of being authentic and meeting quality requirements. Some well-known certificates in the field of dietary supplements include the following marks: GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), N.S.F.International and USPharmacopeia, UL.
There is also website with some reviews of supplements and quality ratings of foreign brands. The list there is far from complete, but you can find something for yourself or check it out.
Make sure the product is properly labeled or certified on the packaging. One certificate on the bank is enough. In this case, the composition contains exactly what should be contained, in the specified quantity, without unnecessary impurities.
If you buy supplements from Russian manufacturers, then in addition to the main certificate of the Eurasian Economic Union, it will be cool if there is a certificate HACCP – guarantee of quality and safety according to the system, verbatim Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points – this means the dietary supplements were definitely made under sterile conditions and underwent additional testing. ISO – another federal quality system that meets international standards.
You can also email the manufacturer and request certificates. Here's another one useful sitewhere you can check the authenticity of the barcode.
3. Check the ingredients and examine the jar
Let's look at the example of well-known dietary supplements from Now Foods
Have a certificate from the list above
The original Now can has indentations on the sides of the bottom. The fake ones don't have them.
On the back side of the lid the plastic is smooth and even, without a horizontal line in the middle, like on fakes.
The font on the original one is dotted, while the font on the fake one is solid.
To do an expert test of dietary supplements in the laboratory on all points: from the amount of the substance contained, to the safety and form of the substance, you need about 30-40 thousand.
Otherwise, we study the jar and composition ourselves.
The composition of a product is one of the most important aspects when checking its authenticity. Carefully read the list of ingredients on the package. Check the ingredients on the website and on the jar. Watch and check the dosages. If a product contains prohibited substances or allergens, this may indicate poor quality or violation of regulations by the manufacturer.
If you are still not sure, write to the manufacturer by email, attach a photo and compare serial numbers.
4. Read reviews and recommendations
One of the indicators of the reliability of a dietary supplement is the presence of positive reviews from other users. Look for product reviews from independent sources such as forums, blogs and consumer review websites. Reviews, of course, can be purchased en masse and faked, but attentive buyers cannot be fooled so easily. Read negative and positive reviews, the main thing is that they are objective. Ask questions in thematic chats, for example, in our telegram channel they constantly discuss supplement manufacturers, which ones work and which are dummies.
5. Contact a specialist
If you are in doubt about the choice of dietary supplement, its safety or composition, it is better to consult with a specialist, for example, a doctor who understands the composition, compatibility of components and what certificates should be provided. In addition, the doctor, based on the results of your tests and deficiencies, will tell you which supplements and vitamins are optimal for you. This approach is the most correct.
In recent years, more and more networkers have appeared who tell almost fantastic things about their supplements and their website looks like candy and the packaging is beautiful and the reviews are such that one’s hand reaches out to buy. But always make a purchase only after collecting all the information.
Conclusion
I believe that you shouldn’t drink mountains of dietary supplements unless necessary, but if you have an intense standard of living, stress, weak immunity, or a poor diet, then in this case you can look into the issue more closely and buy a couple of the necessary jars.
Of course, the instructions above will not give a 100% guarantee of protection against counterfeits, but at least you will already be fully armed and the chances of spending money on a dummy will be reduced. Remember that our health is the most important priority! Therefore, all the time and effort spent on verifying the authenticity of dietary supplements is worth it.
Thank you for reading! If the information is relevant to you and you have something to add to it, please give it a plus and leave your opinion in the comments.
Article written by a community member Rise: Nootropics and Biohacking. We post more interesting analyses, cases and studies in our Telegram channel and on other platforms.
