Bioavailability & Effectiveness of Dietary Supplements.

Are All Supplements Created Equal?
Currently, there are no FDA regulations that establish minimum standards of practise for the manufacturing of dietary supplements. Another legitimate concern for the consumer is the question of safety in the manufacturing process. Purity is paramount.Consumer assurance that a particular product has surpassed the highest standards for quality, purity and guaranteed potency can only be met through compliance with U.S. and Canadian Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for pharmaceuticals. These criteria used as a quality benchmark to ensure the highest level of quality control and purity, right from the raw material to the finished product. It is far better to purchase a professional designed broad-spectrum nutritional supplement in which the questions of completeness, potency, balance and synergy have been factored into the formulation.

For example: What can the consumer or health care provider do to obtain a quality product containing pure chondroitin sulfate or glucosamine?

A recent review by The Arthritis Foundation provides the following suggestions :

• consumers should consult with their physician or healthcare provider concerning these two supplements;
• healthcare professional should become knowledgeable about glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate products;
• consumers should not purchase through the mail or Internet unless they know the vendor;
• consumers should buy from companies that use USP material.

Some findings verify the scientific community's skepticism towards nutraceuticals based on lack of quality control by some manufactures. these substances are not pharmaceuticals; there is no requirement for pharmaceutical GMPs to guarantee high quality, batch-to-batch consistency. The use of validated analytical methods for the raw materials and finished products is the only mechanism to verify purity. It is not surprising to know that Arthritis Foundation has recently recommended that "when a supplement has been studied with good results, find out which brand was used in the study, and buy that".

Despite terms like 'quality tested" appearing on labels, consumers and healthcare providers have no basis to compare one product against another or to judge the quality of the products they purchasing or recommending.

Product Quality Checklist

• Is the product delivered in a single dose? (potency of once-daily always better than multiple doses)
• Are the potency levels of the ingredients high enough to provide optimal daily nutritional intake without compromising safety?
• Are the ingredients provided in their most bioavailable form? (Organic carrier can absorb better by human body)
• Is the safety profile of each ingredient thoroughly researched and evaluated?
• Does the company meet U.S. and Canadian GMPs?
• Is the product formulated to meet pharmaceutical standards for full disintegration and dissolution?
• Is the product potency guaranteed for a specified shelf life?
• Is the product independently tested and guaranteed for potency and safety?
• Is the product manufactured in-house? or contracted out to the lowest bidder?
• Is the product free of ingredients that may have cumulative toxicities ?

In reality, it is just not feasible for the consumer to consider all these points about a product simply by scanning the label. many nutritional manufacturers don't make such detailed information easily available. Furthermore, consumer should shy away from the products that are backed only by testimonials and not scientific research.