Problems discovered with vitamin D supplements

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Problems discovered with vitamin D supplements

Many consumers do not realize that natural medications (herbs, vitamins, and supplements) are essentially unregulated in the U.S. Without the wonderful work of several independent quality testing labs, professionals and consumers would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle. To illustrate this is a recent report showing that among 28 vitamin D supplements recently selected for independent testing by ConsumerLab.com, problems were found with 8 products (29% of those reviewed).
Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone health and higher levels in the blood are associated with reduced risk of heart attack, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and other conditions.
Vitamin D has become one of the most popular supplements in the U.S. with sales rising from $72 million in 2006 to $429 million in 2009 according the Nutrition Business Journal. It was the fourth most popular supplement in a ConsumerLab.com survey of its readers in 2010, used by 56% of respondents.
In the recent tests, ConsumerLab.com evaluated vitamin D supplements as well as those containing calcium and/or vitamin K. Results were released in three separate Product Review reports on Vitamin D Supplements, Calcium Supplements, and Vitamin K Supplements that are available to subscribers of ConsumerLab.com.
The most common problem found by ConsumerLab.com with supplements containing vitamin D was the wrong amount of vitamins:

  • A popular supplement for children listed 200 IU of vitamin D per two gummy bears, but actually contained 501 IU, 251% of the listed amount;
  • a gummy product for adults listed 1,000 IU of vitamin D, but contained only 317 IU, 32% of the listed amount;
  • a liquid listing 42 IU of vitamin D contained only 18 IU, 44% of the listed amount;
  • a tablet listing 800 IU of vitamin D contained only 664 IU, 83% of the listed amount; and
  • a vitamin D/vitamin K supplement contained its listed amount of vitamin D but provided only 36.8 mcg of its listed 50 mcg of vitamin K per capsule, 74% of the listed amount.

Two other products containing combinations of vitamins D and K and calcium were found to be contaminated with lead: One contained 5.2 mcg of lead in a suggested serving of 4 capsules, and the other, a powder, contained 4.1 mcg in a suggested serving of 2 scoops.
The FDA permits supplement manufacturers to set their own limits on lead in their products, but one state, California, requires a warning label on supplements that contain more than 0.5 mcg of lead per daily serving (or 1.0 mcg of lead in supplements that contain 1,000 mg or more of calcium).
Neither of the products with lead contamination had this warning label. Both also failed to disclose soy as a potential allergen. They contained a form of vitamin K2 called MK-7, which is made from fermented soybean.
A vegan vitamin D product that passed laboratory tests was not approved by ConsumerLab.com because it listed potential benefits of vitamin D but failed to provide the required FDA disclaimer for such claims.
The new reports are available online to ConsumerLab.com members.
The Vitamin D Supplements Review includes test results, ingredient comparisons, and price comparisons for 28 vitamin D-containing supplements selected by ConsumerLab.com and for 21 products that passed the same testing through ConsumerLab.com’s Voluntary Certification Program.
The report also includes information about 3 products that were not tested but are similar to others that passed testing. The Calcium Supplements Review and the Vitamin K Supplements Review include additional products specific to those nutrients as well as combination products.

0 Comments

  1. Publishing Gal says:

    This report is very interesting, however falls short of telling the full story. Why not divulge the makers of these supplements, giving us the advantage of knowing what manufacturers to stay away from. Making a decision to dump all your supplements based on a few bad eggs could be detrimental to a person’s optimal health. I know about consumer labs and it’s highly regarded in the industry, so I’m baffled that names weren’t used to help us make educated decisions. Could this type of information be part of the whole drive to get the FDA to regulate our vitamins and minerals? I don’t trust the FDA and I don’t want our supplements to skyrocket in prices, which they will, if they get a hold of the rights to regulate. With the proper education, people can find the right company to purchase their supplements, knowing they’re getting exactly what they’re buying. Buying supplements that are NOT synthetically made is my number one priority and then I do research on the company. Consumers need to protect themselves but with empty reports like this one, well, they do nothing but scare people… Exactly what the FDA wants… a bunch of scared rabbits running around expecting big brother to come in and protect them.

    • Dear Publishing Gal, the names of the manufacturers are in the actual ConsumerLab.com report. In each of their tests, they identify the manufacturer, the distributor, and the exact name of each and every supplement they test. So, you’re wrong when you say the report is “empty.” You simply have not read it.

  2. patty purcell says:

    walt what about the 50,000mcg taken 1x a week along with CA12000 mcg daily plus 1cc of vit K injection weekly
    Thanks for all the info . YOU know how long I have been battling this Ca. and vit D

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