I haven't looked lately but a few years ago, Consumer Reports did an article on supplements and Spring Valley was among the top rated brands.
My B12 has run high for years and my MD didn't mind that at all. Looking at my 2019 lab work my B12 came in at 1713, range is 193-982. So this is why I hardly do A B12 labs anymore, no reason to. And I could probably not take B12 for months and I'd be OK. If you come in at 200-300 you are low low low end of range.
How interesting. Thanks for that, Shirley. I encountered a few CR resources, but they were subscriber-only. I came across aonearticle that said a study was done comparing Equate multivitamins (Walmart's brand) to Centrum, and they came out equal. This has always been a concern to me, ever since I did my initial research in the days before the web. I put together my first supplement program by reading 3 books and taking notes by hand, tweaking along the way as I read more. The main issue back then was that testing vitamins used a process where they were ground between 2 discs before being analyzed, which in no way mimicked survivability through the digestive process. I'll just stick with what I've got. I suspect the Spring Valley Alpha Lipoic Acid is real because of the heartburn it gives me. Maybe I should try some S.P. Niacin and see if I get a flush.
I don't trust drug store brands, walmart etc as I'm sure so many come from China... I buy only name quality brands: Now Foods, Jarrow, Healthy Origins, Twin Labs, Thorne...Designs for Health and so many others.....I steer from the china crap. Centrum is from china I'd bet.
Here is a Food Based Multi for Man. I don't take multi vits any more, but my last brand was Rainbow Light, high quality food based. No junk. I take what I feel is important in separate doses. https://www.iherb.com/pr/rainbow-li...min-90-tablets/1794?rec=iherbtest-pdp-related
That is my remaining concern regarding Spring Valley. I took a glance at a couple of others (NOW, Centrum) and while they are made in North America with "globally sourced ingredients," neither of those two have any 3rd party certification (nor does Spring Valley.) Nature Made brand is USP Certified, for whatever value any of us think that may have. I guess for these products that have no other way to quantify "quality," it's better than nothing. It would not cost much for me to replace the Spring Valley stuff I have on hand. Out of all the stuff I'm taking, only the inexpensive stuff (Alpha Lipoic Acid, B, C, magnesium, calcium) is Spring Valley. I'll have to think about it...my concern level is not all that high given Shirley's comment regarding Consumer Reports. But now I am thinking that when it's time to restock my supply, I should look at USP-certified Nature Made in preference to NOW and Puritan's Pride.
I like Now Foods and Jarrow brands and they are high quality...And both companies have contact numbers so a phone consultation can be had if one has questions. These contacts are product consultants and give some helpful advice I beleve. I've used both over the years. And I use Pendulum dowsing when I have questions on things like my supplements....
Many of the ingredients is supplements don't grow in the US. Turmeric, for instance. It says , "Product of China and India.; Packaged and bottled in US."
I'm talking about natural products. Like ginger; Ginger is native to the tropical rainforests of Southern Asia, is used widely in culinary and for medicinal purposes.
I believe we're talking mostly about multi vits and I'd believe most multi's don't contain turmeric, and other herbals but some specialied multi's could. As I said I've not taken multi vits for some time now..
Here is an excerpt from NOW Food's website regarding Country of Origin: From NOW CEO Jim Emme: “We’re focusing on developing direct sourcing relationships with supply manufacturers around the world, so we have more control over quality before the ingredients arrive at our facilities and undergo quality assurance testing.” We source ingredients from all around the world, based on the highest quality and best value available. In order to avoid ingredients from a specific country, such as China, one would eliminate virtually all of the world’s supply of certain vitamins, such as vitamin C and many of the B vitamins. [Interesting, huh?] These include some of the exact same vitamins used in food fortification, which frequently come from Chinese sources and which we all likely consume daily in packaged foods. It is unlikely that we can avoid them completely, nor is it necessary. In the end it makes no difference where our suppliers are located as the qualification process is the same. We rely on rigorous audits by highly knowledgeable people to assess the capabilities and compliance of our suppliers. Then, we validate the effectiveness of their quality systems through testing before adding them to our approved supplier list – so that our purchasing team can procure raw materials from them. Our ingredients, regardless of country of origin, have been thoroughly monitored for quality and safety, and we don’t compromise on either. That statement from the CEO sounds like building such close relationships is in-process and not necessarily something that has been (or even is) in place. It almost implies a problem that is being fixed. NOW talks a lot about "global supply chain management" and "rigorous testing," but there is no overt statement that they actually test the ingredients themselves. The strong implication (obfuscated by corporate gobbledygook) is that such testing is (or will be) part of their supply chain management and is (or will be) done by their suppliers "with oversight," and not directly tested by NOW. They offer no product-specific or ingredient-specific listing by Country of Origin. I'm not bashing NOW, but selected them because they seem to be universally respected in every online review I've read, both on their products and on the business. I would assume that most supplement manufacturers' businesses mirror theirs...as NOW says, there are countries you just cannot avoid. If nothing else, I feel a burden removed, since no amount of research I do is gonna find a pure domestic source...it's all about trusting a given company's commitment to oversight and their willingness (and ability) to exert control over foreign sources.
and this has been going on a long time, This article is on Vit D which is so critical and which many of us believe are dead from the covid as so many are deficient in this vital "hormone"... Millions are deficient and the old for certain. Libs = Power and Control They want a sick society. https://anh-usa.org/durbin-dont-take-our-sunshine-away/.. The “sunny” days of Americans being able to regenerate health with vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, could be over. Action Alert! Last week, we detailed what we believe to be Sen. Durbin’s end game with regard to his new mandatory product listing bill for dietary supplements: the imposition of European-style restrictions on high-dose vitamins and minerals. For those who care about natural health, one of the most important threats is to high-dose vitamin D. Optimal levels of vitamin D support a breathtaking array of health benefits for brain health, heart health, bone health, immunity, and much more. If we want to preserve our ability to achieve optimal vitamin D levels, we must speak out vehemently against Sen. Durbin’s bill and any attempt to sneak this policy into other unrelated bills. To recap the issue at hand: Sen. Durbin’s new bill requires supplement companies to register all their products with the FDA, the purpose of which is to allow the FDA to quickly scan the market for products to eliminate. Additionally, “registration” can easily lead to pre-approval, which will cause supplements to cost as much as drugs. From previous versions of Sen. Durbin’s bill, we know the goal is for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to develop a list of supplements that can cause “potentially serious” adverse effects. NASEM flags these supplements for the purpose of adding a mandatory warning label, which is a prelude to removing them from the market. Because NASEM has already developed levels above which they believe nutrients can cause adverse events, we believe Sen. Durbin’s list will be used to remove high-dose supplements from the market, including vitamin D. NASEM’s record on vitamin D is very concerning. This body of “experts” recommends that individuals aged 1-70 get 600 IU (15mcg) of vitamin D per day. NASEM also set the tolerable upper intake level (or UL) for vitamin D—that is, the maximum daily intake unlikely to cause negative effects—at 4,000 IU (100mcg) for those 9 years of age and older. Get involved in the online petition attached here...I will do all I can to keep my choices....
I tried, @Joy Martin but it would not send a message because it would not accept my valid phone number.