Are Your Vitamins Good For You? Questions To Ask

Are your vitamins good for you?

Age has nothing to do with it. No matter how old (or young) you are we need to be concerned about our health. No one else is going to do it for you. More than ever before in modern history we need to be improving our immunity against invaders. Don't we all want to live fuller, healthier lives?

I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important the following questions are to ask the manufacturer of the vitamins and food supplements you take. Write a letter or call the company that manufactures your brand and ask them specific crucial questions - it could save your life.  

You may think "It's too much work."  Please, for the sake of your health, your family's health, and possibly even your life - think again.

Are Your Vitamins Good For You? Important Questions To Ask

How can you know if your food supplements are good for you? Here are some questions you need to ask to know for sure whether or not your vitamins are good for you or not.

1. Are their products backed by PUBLISHED clinical research studies?

Don't just ask the question; ask to SEE the published research.  Is it PEER-REVIEWED published research?  Where was it published?  Peer-review published research is a difficult and rigorous process and few companies meet the criteria. 

Why is this important?  Many companies piggyback on other companies' published research claiming it as their own.  A reputable company will do the research and post their results.  A company without integrity can use that research to make it appear that it applies to THEIR product.

2. Do the nutrients in the product get absorbed into the bloodstream?

AND.....is there (here we go again) PUBLISHED, clinical evidence to PROVE it?   Here is a simple test that was done on Vitamin E by five different brands. All claimed to have 200 I.U. of Vitamin E but could the body absorb them?

Five brands of 200 I.U. Vitamin E was tested for delivery to the bloodstream.  The results were:

Brand 1 - 0.15 units absorbed

Brand 2 - 15.0 units absorbed

Brand 3 - 1.0 unit absorbed

Brand 4 - 67.0 units absorbed

Brand 5 - 200 units absorbed

3. What does Consumer Lab say about your product?

Reports of LEAD contamination and frequent mislabeling of supplements continue to emanate from the independent, third-party product analysis websites such as Consumer Lab. Their Head of Research conducted product safety testing for the FDA for nine years, before joining Consumer Lab.

Tod Cooperman, M.D., the President of the company, recently stated: "One of every four supplements we have tested had some problems. Over the years we have tested more than 1,900 dietary supplements for quality and purity."

Sadly, this is a common problem with both health food stores and pharmacy-grade products. Fifty-two percent of multivitamins did NOT make the grade in Consumer Lab testing. And even sadder many of these multis contained excessive amounts of LEAD -- yes, you read that correctly.  

I get sick to my stomach when I see pregnant women taking pre-natal brands and I beg them to throw them away -- they would be better off to take nothing than ingesting the poison and heavy metal into their bodies – especially when carrying another precious life. 

Know Your Vitamin Manufacturer Well

Are you wondering how companies can get away with that? If a product contains the amount it claims, even if that is a synthetic source, it can get a stamp of approval to distribute the product. The importance of the source is insignificant.

As a health coach for four decades, I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

I am available to assess the brands you are taking and guide you to be sure you are getting quality products.