At OVitaminPro.com, we pride ourselves on being very attentive to the needs of our customers. We take time to learn from the best healthcare professionals, researchers, and supplement manufacturers to ensure that we can provide the best advice and the best products to our customers. In recent months, we’ve noticed that the media has been buzzing about the safety of vitamins and other supplements. We’d like to give you more information about the safety in the vitamin and supplement industry, as well as considerations to keep in mind. If you look back at our two previous posts, you’ll see a more thorough explanation of the safety in the industry. However, there are still things you can do as a consumer to ensure you have the safest experience with supplement possible. Here are the things you need to know about choosing safe supplements.

OVitaminPro.com Tips for Choosing Safe Supplements

• Always check with a doctor or trusted healthcare provider before using a supplement. There are many considerations that could impact your overall level of health and your doctor will be able to answer questions about whether or not a supplement might interact with your current diet, any medications you’re taking, etc.

• Ask yourself, “Is this supplement too good to be true?”. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Unfortunately, there are some supplement makers out there that work off of exaggerated claims in order to sell products. Don’t listen to the hype and learn to distinguish between that and good science. Always ask questions and look into the science behind the supplement.

• Always read the ingredients label. Knowing what’s in the supplement is the first step in maintaining safety. If you see an ingredient you have questions about, start researching. If you see something you’re allergic to, pass on the product. If you’re unsure about an ingredient interacting with something else you’re taking, ask your doctor. Always be wary of products that do not list ingredients.

• While you’re checking the label, you’ll also want to look for key words that indicate quality safeguards, such as “Laboratory Tested”, “Third-Party Tested” or “Clinically Tested.” You’ll also want to look for supplements that include certifications by organizations like United States Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF International, or the United Natural Products Alliance, as these indicate a higher standard of quality assessment.

• Don’t be afraid to contact the manufacturer for more information about the quality standards, clinical research, and ingredients found within a particular supplement. Trusted manufacturers should be able to substantiate any claims they’ve made regarding their products and should be able to tell you more about how the supplement is made, what kind of testing its received, and what kinds of quality control measures are in place.

And as always, when it comes to having questions about our products, please feel free to contact us. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort in developing our knowledge of our products and how they work with our bodies. We’ll help guide you in the right direction and can provide you with resources to help you make the best supplement decisions. We stand behind all of the products in our store and will do our best to provide you with the best products and information possible.