Over the last five years, there has been a significant increase in the number of dietary supplements. Unfortunately, the quality of many remains in question due to the lack of regulatory provisions requiring the evaluation of the actual content of active ingredients. The use of validated analytical methods for the raw materials and finished products is the only mechanism to verify purity; hence, consumers have limited ways to judge the quality of the products they are purchasing. Obviously, quality of the supplement is highly correlated with the potential for therapeutic benefits. But, independent analysis of many supplements, including calcium, glucosamine, St. John's wort, carnitine, Ginkgo biloba, and super oxide dismutase, has shown that many marketed brands contain subpotent content, including some with zero active ingredients. The lowest priced supplements tend to be poorer in content and formulation, although it is not always true that the highest priced products are the best. One report showed that many patients are not benefiting from glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplements due to variation in the content of active ingredients as well as the formulation used by some manufacturers. This has prompted the Arthritis Foundation to recently recommend "when a supplement has been studied with good results, find out which brand was used in the study, and buy that".

How can consumers be sure they are using quality supplements? Buy from a source (like our pharmacy) that carries supplements from reputable companies and evaluates specific products for content, purity, batch consistency, and quality -which includes bioavailability or body's ability to absorb and utilize the active ingredients. Consumers should not purchase through the mail or internet unless they know the vendor, and should shy away from products that are backed only by testimonials and not scientific research.  You can count on Pharmacy Innovations, a PCAB accredited compounding pharmacy for quality vitamins and supplements.

Copyright 2007, Storey Marketing - Monthly Website Updates. All rights reserved. Questions regarding this article should be directed to the compounding professionals at Pharmacy Innovations.