11 MULTI VITAMINS TO AVOID

[honeybadgirl]

i thought i would share this article with you ladies since we love our vitamins in here. i'm surprised....
http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/08/07/11-multivitamins-to-avoid/

11 Multivitamins to avoid

Posted: Aug 7th 2007 11:30PM by Tanya Ryno
Filed under: Vitamins and Supplements

Ideally, humans would eat only wholly nutritious real foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. The fact is, most of us do not meet all our nutritional needs through food, so we rely on multivitamins and supplements to achieve more complete nutrition. The problem is that it's just not that simple.

Question: Did you know that vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements produced and distributed in the U.S. are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and that some multis don't actually contain what is on the label?

While it's not an overwhelming problem, it's still something to take into consideration as these 11 multivitamins were flagged for problems, and you may be (or may have been) taking them.

Health magazine gives us a breakdown of which multis to avoid and why.
For Adults

• Eniva VIBE, a liquid sold in packets -- falls short of listed vitamin A
• Healthy Moments Mint Cream Flavor Vitamin Strips -- contains no vitamin A and exceeds listed amount of niacin
• Swanson Daily Multivitamin & Mineral -- short of listed folate
• The Greatest Vitamin in the World -- short of listed folate
• Weil, Andrew Weil, M.D., Daily Multivitamin for Optimum Health -- short of listed vitamin A and exceeds the amount of calcium

For Women

• Nature's Plus Especially Yours Women's Multivitamin -- doesn't disintegrate properly and exceeds listed calcium
• The Vitamin Shoppe Multivitamins Especially for Women -- contaminated with 15.3 micrograms of lead per serving -- 10 times amount permitted without a warning label in California -- and short of listed calcium

For Men

• Now Adam Superior Men's Multi -- takes too long to disintegrate
• Win Fuel Men's Formula -- short of listed vitamin A and folate

For Seniors

• AARP Maturity Formula -- takes too long to disintegrate

For Kids

• Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears -- contains twice as much Vitamin A as listed, which may lead to weak bones

After these findings were published, The Vitamin Shoppe and AARP voluntarily withdrew their products and HERO Nutritionals began offering consumers a replacement.

[FONT=arial,verdana,verdanna,helvetica][FONT=arial,verdana,verdanna,helvetica][FONT=Arial,verdana,verdanna,helvetica][SIZE=-1]For more recalls and warnings (on other health, wellness, and nutrition products), visit ConsumerLabs.com.[/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

 

[Nice & Wavy]

Thank you, girl!

 

[BeetleBug]

Thanks for posting!

 

[gorgeoushair]

Thank you so much for posting this.

 

[honeybadgirl]

you ladies are so very welcome. i couldnt believe it! what can you buy now a days!!!!?!???erplexed

 

[divinefavor]

Thanks so much for the list hon!

 

[MizAvalon]

Thanks a bunch! Glad none of mine are on the list.

 

[alexstin]

Thanks! I use Shaklee multi and think I'll stick with it.

 

[Poli]

Thanks! I use Shaklee multi and think I'll stick with it.

I'll stick with Usana.

 

[morehairplease]

thanks sweetie for the list! I will definately avoid these vitamins.

 

[starfish79]

I thought that since honeybadgirl named a bunch of potentially harmful supplements it was useful to show some that are good alternatives.

This information was pulled from the U.S. Pharmacopeia website wherein they have listed some verified dietary supplements. (Costco is doing it with their Kirkland brand -- great prices + backed by USP certification = an even better deal!!!) I’ve also included some information about what it means for a supplement to carry the USP certified label below.

Upon successfully meeting the requirements of the verification process, the manufacturer's product is awarded the use of the USP verification mark. The manufacturer may display the mark only on specific products that have met all of the requirements of the verification process.

How USP Verifies Dietary Supplements
USP conducts a rigorous process of tests and reviews before awarding the USP Verified Mark to a dietary supplement that a manufacturer voluntarily submits for verification. The process ensures that the supplements meet USP's high standards for integrity, purity, and potency:
· Experienced USP scientists direct the testing of supplement samples in well-equipped laboratories. They test these supplements against the official, FDA-recognized public standards that USP itself establishes.
· USP audits the supplement manufacturer's facilities, practices, records, and quality control measures.
· USP tests marketplace samples of verified products to ensure that they continue to retain ingredient strength and stability over their shelf life.
· Where needed, USP helps manufacturers improve their quality systems or reformulate their products to deliver the intended ingredients.
· USP review supplement labels to ensure that the ingredients are properly listed and that appropriate dosage information and warnings/cautions/counterindications are featured.

What is the verification process?
USP's Verification Program is a multi-step process. It begins with a pre-audit review, which entails an initial assessment of the company's quality system infrastructure. The program is designed to ensure that critical elements of a company's manufacturing systems are in place prior to conducting extensive site audits, documentation review, and product testing. (See Verification Program process graphic)
· When the Verification Program's staff has determined that a company's manufacturing infrastructure is in place, an extensive on-site audit of the manufacturer's facility and manufacturing operations is conducted. The audit covers all aspects of the manufacturing operation from receiving materials to shipping of the final product. The on-site audit goes a step further than most programs by ensuring that the system controls and operation used to manufacture a product are functioning properly.
· Upon successful completion of the on-site audit, an extensive review of quality control and manufacturing documentation is performed on specific lots of products. These documents demonstrate that a manufacturer is producing products according to their specifications, as per USP manufacturing practices. The review of these documents is designed to identify areas of improvement for all aspects of the manufacturing process that ensures that a quality product is obtained.
· Once the manufacturer has met the requirements of the documentation review, the program's staff tests a statistically determined number of the manufacturer's products against specifications and ingredient label claim. This step primarily confirms the observations obtained from the on-site audit and review of product documentation. The program's staff works closely with the manufacturer to resolve any issues that may arise during testing. Other programs merely report test results.
· If a dietary supplement manufacturer has reached this point in the program, they have met the requirements of the program, and the product under review is awarded the USP verification mark. To ensure that the product continues to meet the requirements of the program, the program staff conducts market surveillance product testing, product documentation review, and manufacturing site audits, on a continual basis.

USP's Verification Program addresses the issue of dietary supplement safety in several ways. The program's staff, in consultation with USP's Dietary Supplement Information Expert Committee, evaluate each product's ingredient content. Those products that contain ingredients that the committee finds to have a safety risk will not be accepted into the Verification Program. USP's Verification Program does ensure that supplements contain the ingredients stated on the label, in the stated amounts, and that they meet acceptable limits for contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, dioxins, furans, PCBs, and microbes. The program ensures that the products are manufactured using safe, sanitary, and well-controlled procedures.

The Verification Program helps protect and inform consumers by providing them assurances that the products with the USP verification mark will not contain harmful levels of contaminants, toxic botanical species, or greater amounts of active/marker compounds than that indicated on the label.

 

[blazingthru]

THank you, I was looking for a good vitamin, I stick to my alive vitamins.

 

[LaNecia]

you ladies are so very welcome. i couldnt believe it! what can you buy now a days!!!!?!???erplexed

Whole foods!!

Thanks for sharing, there's a reason why I don't rely on multi vitamins anymore...

 

[taj]

Thanks a bunch for this info! This topic is important. The salesman at the vitamin shoppe recommended their brand of womans vitamin. Based on the info that you've provided, it has a considerable amount of lead. I will not purchase that brand.

 

[vevster]

I would avoid anything from

GNC
or the Vitamin Shoppe

 

[Empress Yahudah]

thnx for this thread!!!

 

[EMJazzy]

Thanks a bunch! Glad none of mine are on the list.

OK?!?!?!?!

 

[sound]

thanks a lot.
​

 

[honeybadgirl]

I thought that since honeybadgirl named a bunch of potentially harmful supplements it was useful to show some that are good alternatives.

This information was pulled from the U.S. Pharmacopeia website wherein they have listed some verified dietary supplements. (Costco is doing it with their Kirkland brand -- great prices + backed by USP certification = an even better deal!!!) I’ve also included some information about what it means for a supplement to carry the USP certified label below.

Upon successfully meeting the requirements of the verification process, the manufacturer's product is awarded the use of the USP verification mark. The manufacturer may display the mark only on specific products that have met all of the requirements of the verification process.

How USP Verifies Dietary Supplements
USP conducts a rigorous process of tests and reviews before awarding the USP Verified Mark to a dietary supplement that a manufacturer voluntarily submits for verification. The process ensures that the supplements meet USP's high standards for integrity, purity, and potency:
· Experienced USP scientists direct the testing of supplement samples in well-equipped laboratories. They test these supplements against the official, FDA-recognized public standards that USP itself establishes.
· USP audits the supplement manufacturer's facilities, practices, records, and quality control measures.
· USP tests marketplace samples of verified products to ensure that they continue to retain ingredient strength and stability over their shelf life.
· Where needed, USP helps manufacturers improve their quality systems or reformulate their products to deliver the intended ingredients.
· USP review supplement labels to ensure that the ingredients are properly listed and that appropriate dosage information and warnings/cautions/counterindications are featured.

What is the verification process?
USP's Verification Program is a multi-step process. It begins with a pre-audit review, which entails an initial assessment of the company's quality system infrastructure. The program is designed to ensure that critical elements of a company's manufacturing systems are in place prior to conducting extensive site audits, documentation review, and product testing. (See Verification Program process graphic)
· When the Verification Program's staff has determined that a company's manufacturing infrastructure is in place, an extensive on-site audit of the manufacturer's facility and manufacturing operations is conducted. The audit covers all aspects of the manufacturing operation from receiving materials to shipping of the final product. The on-site audit goes a step further than most programs by ensuring that the system controls and operation used to manufacture a product are functioning properly.
· Upon successful completion of the on-site audit, an extensive review of quality control and manufacturing documentation is performed on specific lots of products. These documents demonstrate that a manufacturer is producing products according to their specifications, as per USP manufacturing practices. The review of these documents is designed to identify areas of improvement for all aspects of the manufacturing process that ensures that a quality product is obtained.
· Once the manufacturer has met the requirements of the documentation review, the program's staff tests a statistically determined number of the manufacturer's products against specifications and ingredient label claim. This step primarily confirms the observations obtained from the on-site audit and review of product documentation. The program's staff works closely with the manufacturer to resolve any issues that may arise during testing. Other programs merely report test results.
· If a dietary supplement manufacturer has reached this point in the program, they have met the requirements of the program, and the product under review is awarded the USP verification mark. To ensure that the product continues to meet the requirements of the program, the program staff conducts market surveillance product testing, product documentation review, and manufacturing site audits, on a continual basis.

USP's Verification Program addresses the issue of dietary supplement safety in several ways. The program's staff, in consultation with USP's Dietary Supplement Information Expert Committee, evaluate each product's ingredient content. Those products that contain ingredients that the committee finds to have a safety risk will not be accepted into the Verification Program. USP's Verification Program does ensure that supplements contain the ingredients stated on the label, in the stated amounts, and that they meet acceptable limits for contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, dioxins, furans, PCBs, and microbes. The program ensures that the products are manufactured using safe, sanitary, and well-controlled procedures.

The Verification Program helps protect and inform consumers by providing them assurances that the products with the USP verification mark will not contain harmful levels of contaminants, toxic botanical species, or greater amounts of active/marker compounds than that indicated on the label.

great info starfish. thanks girlie!!!

 

[honeybadgirl]

Whole foods!!

Thanks for sharing, there's a reason why I don't rely on multi vitamins anymore...

you are absolutely right!! i have been saying that lately and also saying, if you i didnt cook it, i dont want it! i dont totally 100% follow that, but i'm at about 80% and thats good!

 

[Allandra]

Thanks for sharing.