Knowing Which Supplements are High Quality Can Be Confusing
“An important part of my role as an Integrative and Functional Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, is to keep up to date on supplements that can help my clients, their quality control, research and clinical outcomes.” — Janet Zarowitz, MS, RD, CDN
Professional grade nutrition supplement manufacturers that I work with (and whose supplements I take myself) have excellent track records. They follow rigorous quality assurance standards and certifications, are tested regularly, and even go above and beyond what is required.
They follow FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s) for Dietary Supplements and are inspected by the FDA.
The manufacturers establish quality control procedures and standard operating procedures that include purity and safety of raw materials and final product, toxicology reports of contaminants or residues, stability testing, ingredient identity testing, potency testing, serious adverse event reporting and accurate labeling.
According to GMP regulations, companies must prove that the composition of their products matches the ingredients on the label.
Many Professional Grade Supplement Companies Go Above and Beyond
I work with professional supplement companies that also voluntarily exceed FDA requirements and become certified by a third-party quality assurance and compliance organization – NSF International.
NSF International is an independent organization that carries out regular audits, verifying that quality control procedures are in place. Companies in this program become GMP Registered through NSF International. (USP Verified is another independent quality assurance program that many professional supplement companies participate in; it tests for purity, quality and potency standards set by United States Pharmacopeia.)
These more robust testing protocols and quality control programs conducted by professional-grade supplement companies are costly but undeniably well worth it.
Clinical Studies, Scientific Research, Education
In addition to guaranteeing product integrity, many professional grade supplement companies also conduct or clinical studies with their products, at leading universities and medical research centers and hospitals.
Most also have scientific advisory boards and in-house research staff – comprised of experienced medical practitioners – MD’s, RN’s, RD’s, ND’s, DC’s, OD’s, and PhD’s as well as chemists and biologists.
They also provide educational programs to healthcare practitioners about latest research or protocols for different health conditions.
For more information on Using of Dietary Supplements Wisely, visit:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the NIH (National Institutes of Health).
