Let’s Talk Supplements
“Should I be taking supplements? How do I know which brands are best?”
I get these questions a lot...and the answers are not simple. Ideally before you choose to take a particular dietary supplement, you would want to understand the current baseline of your health, primarily through comprehensive blood work. The functional medicine clinic I work with runs in-depth testing to assess nutrient, hormone, and other biomarker levels, in order to get the big picture view of a patient’s health. Once the functional medicine practitioner has a good grasp of where the health gaps may be, he/she formulates a treatment plan, and this is where dietary supplement recommendations may come into play.
If you don’t have a functional medicine provider or just prefer to experiment on your own, I recommend you have a clear understanding of the ingredients, quality, and efficacy of the supplements you’re thinking about taking, before you hit that “add to cart” button.
Here’s a good example. Fish oil is a widely used supplement that my clients ask about all the time. Studies have shown its effectiveness in lowering inflammation and the risk of cardiovascular death. But not all fish oil supplements are created equal! It’s good to know where the fish oil is sourced, which type of fish the oil is derived from, and if there are any additional fillers. Quality is crucial here.
So when choosing the right brand:
Look for “USP” (U.S. Pharmacopeia) and/or “NSF certified” on the labels, which ensures that the claims made by the company are verified, and the quality meets standards.
The “GMP certified” stamp on Canadian products are something to look out for, which indicates that it has met the standards of Good Manufacturing Practices.
When it comes to quality of fish oil, you can be assured that “IFOS-certified” products have met International Fish Oil Standards.
Look up products on ConsumerLabs.com for independent testing and comprehensive reviews.
What’s important to know here is that products with any one of these certifications confirms that they have actually invested in the quality of their supplements. It means that they are paying anywhere between $300 - $15,000 per product for independent, quality testing.
When in doubt, always read the ingredient labels and check the supplement company websites for verification of independent quality testing of their products.
Want to know more? Message me - I’m here to help!