Why supplements are contaminated and what to do about it

One of the biggest reasons that people turn to supplements is that they are not drugs. Supplements are considered natural and less risky, making them appealing especially to those who distrust the government or large pharmaceutical companies.

We at Caring Sunshine understand the distrust of the government and large pharma. But that does not mean you should trust all supplement companies. In fact, we would encourage you to be very skeptical of any company trying to sell you something.

One of the big risks associated with supplements is undeclared ingredients, including (ironically) drugs. In fact, you may have noticed that there have been several cases over the recent years of professional athletes testing positive for unapproved drugs because they consumed adulterated dietary supplements.

Research shows that a significant percentage of tested supplements contain undeclared drugs, especially in weight loss and exercise performance. Many other tested supplements across all categories contained ingredients not found on the label and/or did not contain the levels of beneficial ingredients claimed on the label.

Why is this? The answer is very simple. There is no government regulatory body that holds supplement companies accountable. The FDA very rarely tests supplements. In fact, if you buy inexpensive brands on places like Amazon, there is a great chance that the products are being shipped to you from outside the US (usually Asia), completely bypassing any US regulation of any kind.

I am not suggesting that Nature’s Sunshine is the only quality supplement brand; there are several other great brands. I will state unequivocally however that most brands on the market should be avoided, especially those that you do not recognize. The easiest way to determine if a brand is reputable is by looking on the label for evidence that they voluntarily submit to reputable third-party testing and/or certification organizations like these:

• Informed Choice
• Informed Sport
• NSF Certified for Sport®
• Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG) certifications (e.g., Certified Drug Free®)
• United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
• ConsumerLab
• Labdoor

Be very wary. Not only can supplements be a complete waste of money because the label is not accurate, but they can also endanger your health. Inexpensive supplements are often cheap for a reason.