4 Principles To Live By
To Find Safe And Effective
Dietary Supplements

These principles will serve you well. Use them to find excellent supplements and supplement companies. The dietary supplements industry is loosely regulated, so it's largely up to you to find quality products.

1. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and herbal extracts work most effectively when taken together. This is called synergy.

   Formulating a multi-nutrient supplement with complementary ingredients in their proper amounts takes considerable skill. Review the credentials of the biochemist heading the formulating process. If the company won't provide you with that info, beware.

   Click here for more info on supplement synergy.

   
   

2. How does the company address supplement absorption? This is a key question, because stomach acid destroys many beneficial nutrients.

   As a consumer, it's not enough to take a supplement that includes the best ingredients; you have to make sure those ingredients are delivered to the right place in your body.

   Click here for more info on supplement absorption.

   
   

3. A supplement formulated improperly either provides no benefit or it causes harm. In the US, only 20 percent of supplements actually contain what's on the label.

   Choose a supplement manufacturer that voluntarily abides by pharmaceutical GMP compliance, the Food and Drug Administration's highest manufacturing standard. They are not required to meet this level, but it shows a dedication to excellence.

   Click here for more info on supplement manufacturing.

   
   

4. Contact the supplement company. Can you get someone on the phone? Do they reply to email? Are they polite and helpful?

   Ask them for a Certificate of Analysis (COA); this document confirms the potency of the ingredients used. Avoid all companies that ignore you, give you a bad vibe, or dodge your questions.

   Click here for more info on supplement ingredient quality.