iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll ethhsbmbkceNot All Supplements Are Created Equally!
Vitamin and supplement companies are not required to adhere to the
same strict rules as medications in their manufacturing and labeling re-
quirements. This leads to some supplements not having the ingredients
stated on their labels or having them in doses that are either too high or
too low. In some cases, they may contain substances are not even listed on
the label. Additionally, many of the excipients used in drug store brands
can cause hypersensitivity reactions as well as preventing the proper ab-
sorption of the supplement.
Reports of toxicity from poorly regulated supplements pop up every so
often, and many brands are simply not worth spending your money on or
risking your health over.
Formulations Matter
Various formulations exist for mineral supplements. For example, zinc is
available as zinc oxide, zinc citrate, zinc gluconate, and zinc picolinate.
The picolinate formulation is the most bioavailable for zinc and chromi-
um supplements. Taking zinc with food (after a meal) and with vitamin
C increases its absorption as well.
The same is true of ferritin, which should also be taken after meals with
vitamin C.
I have researched and tried a variety of brands, and the following are the
brands I recommend and use personally.
Country Life: Gluten-, dairy-, soy-, corn-, yeast-, and sugar-free brand
sold at Whole Foods. I use selenium (L-selenomethionine 200–400
mcg), biotin 5,000 mcg, and vitamin D3 5,000 IU by this manufacturer.
Ortho-Molecular Products: Professional-only brand that is mostly hy-
poallergenic. This is one of the few brands that carries alcohol-free licorice
drops, which I use most mornings when my adrenals need a boost.
Standard Process: This whole food nutrition company only sells to
health care professionals. Although its products are not certified gluten-
or dairy-free as the facility uses wheat germ to derive other products, I
have used Drenatrophin PMG and Thytrophin PMG without any cross-
reactivity concerns. Most of the supplements made by Standard Process
are from whole food sources, which I believe have the best bioavailabil-
ity. The company is still working toward making the products gluten-,
dairy-, and soy-free.