Taking supplements is still a pretty controversial topic. The jury is still out on their long-term benefits, and some have even suggested that in the long run, vitamins and minerals taken in supplement form could be doing us more harm than good. Of course, no-one is disputing the value of getting the right minerals into our bodies, but the problems begin to arise when you’re no longer getting them from your food.
But now those people who do prescribe to the idea of taking supplements have something new to worry about. New research conducted by independent laboratory ConsumerLab has revealed that one in every three supplements do not contain the level of nutrients suggested on the label. Quite worryingly, this means that there is no way of knowing exactly what you’re getting from the supplements without lab testing.
Given the widespread popularity of mineral and vitamin supplements it’s very surprising that the products are not regulated stringently or often inspected. This means that consumers have to rely on independent laboratories as an ally in trying to get the right information.
The results of the study did not reveal anything especially sinister that could be considered a major risk of causing health problems, but they still had the potential to cause some issues. One pill for example, contained excessive amounts of vitamin A. Getting too much vitamin A can be highly toxic to the liver and has been linked to a number of health issues.
So while the problems aren’t immediate, there is certainly a lot to worry about. The poor labelling will always have the potential to be quite dangerous if it continues to be unregulated. It is also notable that ConsumerLab found no correlation between higher prices and higher quality. Label inconsistencies could be seen in the most expensive and the cheapest of the products.
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