Many people with diabetes can obtain all of their essential vitamins and minerals through eating healthily; for those who lack key nutrient supplements can provide additional support.
Vitamins are nutrients your body requires in small doses for proper functioning. Vitamin supplements come in several forms such as tablets, pills, chewable tablets and liquid.
Look for Third-Party Testing
Have you been shopping for supplements recently? You may have noticed that many products bear certification seals from third party testing companies. While this doesn’t imply safety or efficacy of their use, these seals provide assurances that a company takes its customers’ safety seriously and meets high quality standards.
Third-party testing companies operate independently from manufacturers of dietary supplements to verify that their product is safe to use. They conduct tests to make sure that its ingredients correspond with what appears on its label and ensure no undeclared materials or harmful contaminants exist in its composition.
Look for supplements with seals from NSF International, UL, USP, Informed Choice or Banned Substances Control Group. These companies visit manufacturing plants, observe production processes and then inspect finished products to make sure they comply with stringent standards set by them – something the FDA does not do prior to being released onto the market. Their certifications help give consumers confidence when purchasing supplements!
Choose Brands Labeled with the NSF International or U.S. Pharmacopeia Seal
USP and NSF are independent, non-profit organizations that set stringent standards for medical ingredients, food supplements and dietary supplements. Their voluntary certification programs involve product testing as well as audits of manufacturing facilities to ensure the quality of supplements before they reach store shelves.
NSF certification signifies that a supplement has been independently evaluated and found to meet their rigorous product standards, while also showing evidence of good manufacturing practices by its manufacturer. NSF Certified for Sport is another specific label specifically targeting sports nutrition supplements; screening for over 280 banned substances as well as undeclared additives is part of their certification criteria.
Additionally to a USP or NSF seal, it’s also essential to carefully consider the vitamin or supplement ingredient and form listed on its label. Nutrients come in various forms and doses; research on certain vitamins may have used different forms or dosages than what’s sold as supplements.
Keep Supplements in a Safe Place
Vitamin supplements may provide essential nutrition that your diet may be missing out on; however, they should never replace a balanced and healthful lifestyle. For extra vitamins or supplement advice, a healthcare professional is your best source for guidance on which types and doses will best fit into your lifestyle.
Though storing vitamins in your medicine cabinet might seem convenient, that may not be the safest choice. Over time, warm and humid conditions can degrade vitamins and supplements over time – in particular water-soluble ones like Thiamin or Vitamin C could even degrade to become ineffective or potentially even harmful (48).
Store vitamins in a cool, dry location such as the dining room or breakfast nook. Bedroom nightstands may also work well because they keep children away from your vitamins while keeping light at bay. Refrigerating may also be possible depending on what the label specifies as being safe.
Ask Your Doctor
Though supplements do not require a valid prescription, they still present risks. With FDA regulating them less extensively than drugs, supplements could contain ingredients which could be potentially harmful or nonbeneficial to health.
Supplements may be difficult to distinguish, particularly when they list the same nutrient in different ways (for instance vitamin D may be listed either in micrograms (mcg) or international units (IU). Furthermore, how the supplement is prepared and consumed could impact its absorption and metabolism rates as well as your health outcomes.
Before taking any vitamins or dietary supplements – even ones you purchase over-the-counter – it is wise to speak to your healthcare provider first. They can review what you’re taking to make sure it’s safe, ensuring dosages don’t conflict or interfere with any current medications, checking any deficiencies and ordering blood tests to assess vital nutrients like B12 and vitamin D levels.
