Certified Supplement Brands
These are supplement brands that give some assurance that the ingredients on the label are what is inside the container.
Search for NSF supplements
USP Verified Products – Nature Made, Kirkland, Natrol, Members Mark, Natrol
Search for Informed Choice Certified Brands
Over-the-counter (OTC) supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA the same way as prescription medications. This may make it hard to choose a quality product — and fraudulent supplements are on the rise.
OTC supplements can still have side effects and drug interactions. So it’s best to talk to your healthcare team before starting something new.
Harvard Medical School – In the past, research on a variety of supplements has found concerning discrepancies between what’s on the label and what’s in the bottle. One recent report looked at three memory supplements: two of them contained none of the active ingredient, and one of those contained unidentifiable chemicals that raise serious questions about its safety.
Another, much larger study finds that the problem of tainted supplements — and lack of oversight — is widespread. Researchers analyzed warnings issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 2007 and 2016. These included 776 dietary supplements that contained contaminants, including
- a prescription drug, sildenafil (Viagra), in supplements sold for sexual enhancement.
- sibutramine (Meridia), found in weight loss supplements. This drug was approved in 1997 for weight loss but was taken off the market in 2010 when studies linked it to heart attacks and stroke.
- steroids or drugs with steroid effects in supplements marketed as muscle builders.
About 20% of the contaminated supplements contained more than one unapproved ingredient. In more recent analyses, more than one-third of the contaminated supplements were found by sampling products ordered online, and another third arrived by international mail delivery.
Unfortunately, the FDA announced voluntary recalls for less than half of these tainted supplements.
