Do you know how to spot quality supplements? I cannot overemphasize the importance of high-quality supplements. A recent study revealed that 4 out of 5 herbal supplements at GNC, Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart didn’t contain any of the herbs on their labels. Most of them actually contained cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus, and houseplants. For people with allergies, these substances can be dangerous.

How do supplement manufacturers get away with this? Believe it or not, dietary supplements are exempt from the strict regulations applied to the prescription drug industry. This is problematic because many people spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on supplements thinking that they will improve their health, and they are actually doing little, if any good. This blog post will help you educate yourself on nutritional supplement guidelines and how to pick the best ones for your health and wellness needs.

What is a Nutritional Supplement?

A dietary/ nutritional supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

What Makes a Nutritional Supplement?

For a product to qualify as a nutritional supplement, it must meet 4 criteria:

1. It is a product intended to supplement the diet and contains one or more of the following: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids or any combination of the above ingredients.
2. It is intended to be taken in tablet, capsule, powder, softgel or liquid form.
3. It is not represented for use as a conventional food or as a sole item of a meal or the diet.
4. It is labeled as being a dietary supplement.

How are Supplements Regulated?

The FDA regulates dietary supplements under a different set of regulations than those covering conventional foods and drug product (prescription and over the counter). Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), the dietary supplement manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that a dietary supplement is safe before it is marketed. The FDA is responsible for taking action against and unsafe dietary supplement product after it reaches the market.

DSHEA grants the FDA grants the FDA authority to establish Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which are regulations governing the preparation, packing and holding of dietary supplements under conditions that ensure their safety. These regulations are to be modeled after current good manufacturing practice regulations in effect for the rest of the food industry.

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Health Claims

Health claims are used by food manufacturers as statements that a food product has certain health benefits. These are carefully regulated by the FDA and strictly enforced. Not just anything can be stated on a food label, advertising a health claim. Scientific evidence must be present to support the health claim. Some examples of health claims include:

• Dietary saturated fat and cholesterol and coronary heart disease.
• Folate and neural tube defects
• Soy protein and plant sterols and coronary heart disease.
• Sodium and hypertension
• Calcium and osteoporosis

How to Spot Quality Supplements: Red Flags of Nutritional Quackery

Please be aware of the red flags of nutrition quackery on product labels including, but not limited to, statements such as:

• Time tested- If this were true, such findings would be widely publicized and accepted by health professionals.
• Satisfaction guaranteed- Marketers may make generous promises, but consumers won’t be able to collect on them.
• Quick and easy fixes- Even proven treatments take time to be effective.
• One product does it all- No one product can possibly treat such a diverse array of conditions.
• Natural- Natural is not necessarily better or safer; any produc that is strong enough to be effective is stong enough to cause side effects.
• Paranoid accusations- For example, “Revolutionary product based on ancient medicine.” These strongly suggest that a company is solely in the market to make money.
• Personal Testimonials- Heresay is the weakest form of evidence
• Meaningless medical jargon- Phony terms hide the lack of scientific evidence

Remember that manufacturers may describe the supplement’s effects as “structure or function” of the body or the “wellbeing” achieved by consuming the dietary ingredient. So check for the following statement on the label: “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

In addition, it is important to remember that unlike health claims, nutritional support statements need not be approved by the FDA before manufacturers market products bearing the statements, however, the agency must be notified no later than 30 days after a product that bears the claim is first marketed.

How to Spot a High Quality Supplement

Be sure to check for the following signs of a high-quality supplement:

• Manufactured at a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility
• List a Certificate of Analysis for each ingredients
• Avoid other fillers like:
  • Fillers- inert material added to tablets or capsules to increase their bulk
  • Binders- Substances that give a cohesive quality to powder materials
  • Coating/Lubricants- Inert material added in small amounts to prevent tablets from sticking to the molds
  • Colorings- food dyes
  • Flavorings- examples are sugar, natural flavoring, sorbitol
• Look for ingredients that are clinically proven to boost health
• Avoid supplements that are at a low price point that’s too good to be true
• Pay attention to the company’s integrity and reputation
• Try to choose supplements derived from natural sources and whole foods rather than synthetic chemicals

Keep in mind that The STEW Project sells quality supplements with Designs for Health which is the #1 rated healthcare practitioner brand based on consumer satisfaction. Since 1989, Designs for Health has been the health care professional’s trusted source for research-backed nutritional products of superior quality. I include these supplements free of charge in my all-inclusive coaching programs and I offer discounts to individuals who sign up for my wellness coaching services and need supplemental support. To shop my supplement shop, click here. I hope this helps!

In Good Health,
Amber Stew BS,
Holistic Nutritionist
Certified Master Life Coach
ACSM Exercise Physiologist,
CTNC Mental Health Specialist
TBMM Corrective Exercise Specialist