Why High-Quality Supplements Matter: Avoid Risks and Maximize Health Benefits

Discover how high-quality supplements prevent hidden risks and maximize health benefits.

Many of us take supplements, but have you ever questioned if you're even getting the benefits or are you causing yourself more harm than good?

With an overwhelming number of supplements available, understanding the importance of quality is critical for avoiding harm and ensuring genuine health benefits.

Research reveals that around 50% of supplements sold online, including on popular platforms, fail to meet quality standards. Even more concerning, the FDA reports that 25% contain undisclosed ingredients, harmful contaminants, or inaccurate dosages.

When it comes to optimizing your health, choosing the right supplements is crucial. With a myriad of options available on the market, not all supplements are created equal.

The effectiveness of a supplement is directly linked to its quality. High-quality supplements provide significant health benefits, such as improved energy levels, immune function, mental clarity, and reduced inflammation.

Low-quality supplements, however, can be ineffective and often harmful due to contaminants, additives, improper dosages, and biologically inactive forms.

Selecting high-quality supplements ensures that you're getting the right nutrients in their most bioavailable forms, free from harmful additives and contaminants.

The quality and effectiveness of a supplement can vary significantly between brands, making it essential to know how to identify reputable manufacturers.

Let’s explore how you can learn to identify high-quality supplements.

Key Factors to Identify Low-Quality Supplements

When navigating the supplement market, it’s crucial to be aware of key factors that can indicate low-quality products.

From corporate ownership influencing ingredient integrity to harmful additives that compromise health, understanding these red flags can help consumers make informed choices and prioritize their well-being.

The Impact of Corporate Ownership on Supplement Quality

Many formerly reputable supplement companies have been acquired by large corporations, including Big Pharma that prioritize profit over quality.

In these cases, formulas are often altered or downgraded to reduce costs, compromising the integrity and efficacy of the products you trust for your health.

Check out The 14 Mega-Corporations That Own Your Supplement Brands by Neal Smoller, PharmD. (1)

Common Harmful Additives: What to Watch For on Labels

Certain additives are often used to extend shelf life, enhance texture, or lower production costs. These can be readily found on the label.

Be cautious of the following:

Magnesium Stearate: Often used as a flow agent, but can interfere with nutrient absorption and lead to increased cholesterol levels, suppress the immune system, create biofilms in the body, and cause allergic reactions. (2)
Titanium Dioxide: Linked to inflammatory responses and digestive issues. (3)
Artificial Colors: These additives can cause a range of health issues from nervous system disorders to cancer. (4)
Silicon Dioxide: An anti-caking agent that may affect digestive health.

For a complete list, go to Consumer Labs. (5)

The Hidden Dangers of Low-Quality Supplements: Heavy Metal, Chemical, and Biological Contamination

Some of the most harmful ingredients are not as obvious and cannot be found on the label.

These can be due to contaminants or outright mislabeling by the manufacturer.

Heavy Metal Contamination: A Hidden Danger

A study published in JAMA Network found that roughly one-third of supplements available in the U.S. contained harmful contaminants, including heavy metals like lead and mercury, which can accumulate in the body over time, posing long-term health risks.

Purchasing from unreliable sources or choosing unverified products can lead to exposure to contaminants such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. Consuming contaminated supplements can lead to toxicity, as heavy metals build up in the body over time, potentially causing neurological, cardiovascular, and metabolic damage.

For example, Mamavation discovered that several common brands of collagen contain lead and cadmium levels above California’s safe limit, with some even containing trace amounts of mercury. (6)

Many top-selling protein powders contain heavy metals, with vegan options often being more contaminated than animal-based ones. (7,8)

Plasticizers and pfas: other hidden dangers

Low-quality supplements can also contain hidden chemicals like plasticizers and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Beyond heavy metals and contaminants, many low-quality supplements may contain hidden chemicals like plasticizers and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

Plasticizers: These endocrine disruptors can leach into products during manufacturing, affecting hormone balance and reproductive health.

Plasticizers, used to increase the flexibility of plastics, can sometimes leach into supplements during manufacturing or packaging processes. These chemicals are known endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and have been linked to reproductive issues, liver toxicity, and developmental harm. (9)

PFAS: Known as "forever chemicals" due to their persistence in the environment and in the body, PFAS have been linked to various health conditions thyroid dysfunction, immune system suppression, and certain cancers. PFA contamination poses a serious risk to our health. (10)

PFAS have also been detected in some protein powders and electrolyte supplements. (11,12)

Quality risks in herbal supplements: ensuring safety and purity

Herbal products require particularly stringent quality standards because they come from natural sources rather than controlled lab environments.

The purity and efficacy of these products depend on sourcing herbs from unpolluted environments and clean soil. Reputable companies prioritize rigorous quality control measures, processing herbs carefully to retain therapeutic properties.

Like other supplements, herbal products are susceptible to contamination if not sourced reliably.

In addition to heavy metal exposure, herbs face unique biological risks, such as microbial, fungal, and mycotoxin contamination, all of which can pose serious health risks if not properly managed.

These contaminants pose serious health risks, emphasizing the importance of selecting high-quality brands that screen for purity and consistency.

Screening for contaminants and consistency helps ensure that herbal supplements remain free from allergens, fillers, or dangerous contaminants like heavy metals. Reliable brands demonstrate this commitment, protecting both efficacy and safety. (13,14)

Fraud in the supplement Industry: hidden risks and consumer safety

Studies have found that supplements bought from Amazon and other online retailers often fail to meet label claims, posing serious health risks.

For instance, many products marketed as containing elderberry were actually filled with black rice extract, a low-cost filler, and numerous others completely omitted the ingredients listed on their labels. (15)

A separate 2022 study examining 80 CBD supplements revealed widespread labeling inaccuracies, with more than one-third of the products containing CBD levels that were at least 10% higher or lower than what was indicated on the label. (16)

Additionally, products often have degraded potency due to improper storage or expiration.

The researchers conducted six years of tests on 72 of the most popular brands of omega-3 supplements, and found that found a total of 45% of flavored and unflavored supplements tested positive for rancidity, with 32% of flavored supplements testing positive and 13% of unflavored pills. (17)

If that isn't bad enough...

A significant investigation by the FDA revealed that nearly 50 dietary supplements sold on major online platforms like Amazon and eBay contained hidden drugs, both approved and unapproved.

This alarming trend underscores the ongoing risk of dietary supplements being adulterated with harmful substances, jeopardizing consumer safety.

The FDA’s Health Fraud Product Database highlights the persistent problem of supplements adulterated with undeclared drugs and contaminants, underscoring the importance of purchasing from reputable sources that adhere to rigorous quality control standards. (18,19)

Key Considerations for Choosing High-Quality Supplements

Choosing high-quality supplements is essential for supporting your health and well-being.

With a saturated market filled with various products, it can be challenging to discern which supplements are effective and safe.

Key factors such as third-party testing, bioavailability, and formulation play a crucial role in ensuring that the supplements you take deliver the intended benefits.

Third-Party Testing and Certification: A Non-Negotiable Standard

Reliable supplement brands will be transparent about quality assurance. These companies invest in third-party testing to confirm purity, potency, and safety which earns them the cGMP certification.

“cGMP” stands for "current good manufacturing practices." In the supplement industry, it signifies adherence to a strict set of regulations that govern the production, testing, and labeling of dietary supplements.

This process certifies that products contain only the ingredients on the label, have proper dosing, and are free from contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, and microbial agents.

These guidelines ensure that supplements are consistently produced and meet quality standards, focusing on safety, purity, potency, and proper labeling.

Bioavailability: Key to Supplement Efficacy

High bioavailability is essential for ensuring that your body can effectively use the nutrients in your supplements.

Without it, you’re likely not receiving the full intended benefits, even if you’re taking a high-dose supplement. This is why it's crucial to choose products from reputable brands that prioritize bioavailability in their formulations.

Stay tuned for the upcoming blog, Why You’re Not Seeing Results from Your Supplements: Bioavailability Explained.

How to Choose Reputable High-Quality Supplements and Get the Benefits

Look for Third-Party Testing: Labels from independent labs provide assurance of safety and potency.
Check for cGMP Certification: Ensures high manufacturing standards.
Buy from Trusted Sources: Purchase directly from manufacturers, or authorized distributors.
Consider the Formulation: Choose supplements with bioavailable forms of nutrients for maximum benefit.
Ask Key Questions: Confirm the brand's ownership, values, and dedication to transparency.
Read labels: Keep reading the ingredient list, even with trusted brands you’ve used forever. The manufacturer may have changed the ingredients or sold out to a mega corporation which could alter the formulation.
Consider working with a functional medicine doctor: Rather than taking a shot in the dark, going with a personalized approach to your health and supplement regime can go a long way.

Take the Guesswork Out of Supplements with Personalized Functional Medicine

Selecting high-quality supplements is critical for optimizing your health, but the process can still feel overwhelming despite the guidance provided in this blog.

Even when you've identified a reputable brand, key questions remain: Which supplements are right for addressing specific health concerns like gut issues, insomnia, anxiety, or immune support? Do you need to detox? What’s the correct dosage? Should you take them with or without food? Am I just taking a best guess at what I need?

At Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine, we can help you shed light on these important questions. With a thorough evaluation and functional lab testing, we can help guide you in dietary and lifestyle modifications, as well as a personalized supplement regime.

Partnering with a functional medicine doctor for a personalized approach can optimize your health and change life. This way you are ensured that your supplement regimen is tailored to meet your unique health needs

We provide only clinical-grade supplements to our patients that are rigorously tested to ensure purity, potency, and safety.

Ready to Elevate Your Health?

Request a free 15-minute consultation with Dr. Martina Sturm at Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine today to learn how high-quality supplements can support your health journey.

Our goal is to help treat your health concerns and optimize your health and longevity so you can live your best life!

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