Three Questions I Ask Before Considering The Use Of A Supplement (Part Three)
April 3, 2009 by JD
Filed under Health, Information
If you’re just jumping in, please see Part One and Part Two of this series.
Okay, first question I ask before even thinking about making an investment in a nutritional supplement is “do I need it?”.
Second question is, “does it work?”.
The third and typically last question I ask is:
Is the supplement cost effective?
Earlier in this series I harped on the fact that in the supplement world, you usually get what you pay for. Cheap supplements are usually cheap because the manufacturer doesn’t maintain the quality control standards necessary to ensure the resulting supplement product is as effective as advertised in terms of the underlying quality of it’s ingredients and/or it’s ability to deliver the intended benefits (efficacy).So, that everything-in-one multi vitamin that also contains miracle anti aging antioxidants and amazing green power herbs that only costs $15 / bottle? Chances are it’s just not going to contain or deliver all those beneficial ingredients. I remember trying a relatively inexpensive line of multi-vitamins without doing my homework. Without getting too graphic, my urine became the brightest, almost blinding, shade of yellow and appeared to be glowing.
Well, that was a pretty good indicator that I was, umm, “ejecting” all the ingredients, whatever they were, before they could ever reach my bloodstream. Not a good use of supplement budget dollars.
Now let me throw a wrench into all this. There are inexpensive supplements that do work. These are made by manufacturers that buy their raw ingredients in bulk, but do not scimp on the quality control procedures that ensure the purchased ingredients are pure and that the formulation process is efficient and effective.
Again, it comes down to research. There is plenty of information out there on all the supplement manufacturers, at least those that are reputable. Even the quality discount supplement makers can provide evidence of their manufacturing process, including ingredient testing, formulation processing, and human test trials.
So, do your homework before you jump on that $20 bottle of miracle pills.
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Great series. Are there any brands that you feel are more reputable? It is difficult to trust all the websites devoted to supplement comparisons as they seemed to be backed by one brand or another.
Kim -
Thanks for the feedback. I agree that many of the websites out there are designed to specifically hawk one brand over another and slant their reviews accordingly.
I will tell you that GNC makes a relatively good product line. I’m just not a big fan of their prices for most of the common supplements.
When asked, I steer people to a company called Vitabase:
http://www.it-takes-work.com/Recommends/Vitabase.php
They have some decent on site information and great prices, especially when you buy in multiples. They do maintain good manufacturing processes, at least for their own brand (they also offer other brands on their site). My wife uses their female vitamin formula and has been pleased.
However, if you want to check out a pretty amazing site with a wealth of information and some fairly expensive but high quality supplements, check out Xtend-Life:
http://www.it-takes-work.com/Recommends/XtendLife.php
I’ve tried their CardioKlenz (sp?) product and was pretty amazed at the effects it had on my blood pressure and cholesterol. It’s just so expensive that I’m trying to cycle in out of it over the course of the year. But again, the site is great just for the information it provides.
Hope this helps.
J.D.