To supplement or not to supplement that is the question
Introduction
It is my understanding that, although everybody’s body is different and unique, several physiological processes are common to the functioning of everybody’s body!
We breath, we eat, we defecate, repeat.
Some people’s processes will be more efficient than others depending on several factors including age, the quality of food, the amount of exercise and external influences such as environmental pollution etc.
However, everybody”s body needs essential macro and micro nutrients to function correctly – which we should be getting from the food we eat.
Over time, access to food and food quality has changed considerably (ref). With busier lifestyles and, to some degree, the downplaying of food preparation and cooking skills, society, by and large, has become less aware of the nutritional value of food. Eating has become, for many, something incidental to the rest of life. Something we grab on the way to do something else.
The net result is that decade on decade many more people have turned to highly processed pre-packaged meals, takeaways and buying cheap supermarket food all of which lack the optimal levels of the essential micronutrients (‘link to blog’ see more details here) i.e. vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals.
I’ve discussed the issue of food quality elsewhere (‘link’) and in my ebook “The Health Jigsaw”, but the bottom line is that I believe that we should all consider supplementing our diet with a broad spectrum of essential vitamins and minerals. For further reading on this, please refer to (refs).
A question I’m often asked, though, does that mean I should buy a tub of multivitamins from my usual supermarket, store or high street pharmacy or specialist health food shop?
My conclusion after more than 20 years of looking at the health food and supplement industry is a resounding “No“!
Not all supplements are created equal.
What do I mean by that?
Its partly to do with how the supplements are manufactured, partly what raw materials are used and partly about the science behind how different compounds work together.
Its quite a complex subject, but in essence, like many things, if the processes lack full quality control, cheap materials are used and the science is not fully understood, an inferior product will result.
What makes a good supplement manufacturer?
Supplements are not pharmaceutical drugs or medications, but for a supplement to be properly ingested it should, nevertheless, meet the same standards that are required by the governing bodies for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products such as the US Pharmacopeia (USP) in the United States, The British Pharmacopoeia of the United Kingdom (BP) or the Australian Government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This latter organisation is reputed to have the toughest standards concerning quality control.
The basic requirements of a USP or BP or TGA drug are that the products should be of adequate quality, be safe to use and be effective.
Supplements are required to meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for foods, which may be adequate for food preparation and to ensure the minimum quantity of the food is included within the product, but this should not be the standard for a product designed to directly affect cell health. USP, BP and TGA standards require drugs to be manufactured to the Good Manufacturing Practice for pharmaceuticals and this higher standard is the one that should also be used for supplements.
In fact, although most supplement manufacturers use GMP for foods there are a few that voluntarily choose the GMP for pharmaceuticals to ensure the product, tablet, capsule or pill, has the ingredients and strength it claims to have.
According to the GMP for pharmaceuticals the tablet, capsule or pill should be uniform in content, strength and size, disintegrate rapidly and predictably, dissolve fully and release active bioavailable ingredients to ensure ease of absorption. Correct labelling is also a requirement listing all the ingredients. Food labelling and even some cosmetic standards do not require every ingredient to be listed and often the requirement of what should be included is vague.
Where the product is manufactured is also critical. Many supplement companies have only limited manufacturing facilities and so they buy-in from so-called specialist manufacturers who may be supplying a variety of companies with varying demands on quality and processes. A company that cannot control the whole process from obtaining raw materials to the final labelling is unable, in my opinion, to provide an absolute guaranty that the product is of the highest quality.
The supplement industry needs to demonstrate it has the best interests of its customers as a priority. Articles such as this in the New York Times, dated November 2013, show that product quality is generally very poor (there have been others since in the British press and media), but it needn’t and shouldn’t be so.
It’s not surprising to me that many medical authorities and personnel show scant regard for supplementation, but it’s time for things to change and I hope this section of my website will change a few minds.
Trust should not be blind. Supplement manufacturers should show that they clearly follow the best possible standards to ensure their products and our health are of the highest priority.
Choosing a Supplement Manufacturer
- Is the company FDA, USP, BP or TGA approved?
- Which manufacturing good practise standard is followed?
- Do all ingredients meet “pharmaceutical” standards or only some?
- Does the company manufacture the majority of their products inhouse?
- Who founded the company – a scientist or someone with just a good idea?
- Are all ingredients listed on the label?
- Does the company choose effective ingredients or the cheapest?
- Is the company known for its investment in research?
- How many research PhDs, microbiologists, medical practitioners and nutritionists are on staff?
- Are the company’s products reviewed in an independent publication such as the NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements?
- How many science or sport-based awards has the company received?
- Are the company’s products trusted by elite athletes as being pure and effective?
- Does the company engage in or actively support humanitarian or charitable projects
Acknowledgements
NB: Material for this section has been from gleaned from a variety of sources including the FDA, WHO websites, but this website page – Pharmaprinciple – provided a clear summary with links to the main authorities.