Guide for Choosing Quality Nutritional Supplements

Dietary supplements are regulated under "Food" Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) rather than "Pharmaceutical" GMPs and it has created numerous problems for the industry.

Food grade GMPs do not require that the ingredients in dietary supplement products nor the finished products themselves used in Dietary Supplement products, be tested to verify what is on the label is in the bottle.

Due to this fact, low quality, low grade supplements have flooded the market. Numerous independent studies have highlighted this quality issue by identifying ineffective results from tests of some so-called popular retail supplement products.

The newly proposed GMP rules for the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) may not stop these practices. Unfortunately, the few manufacturers that have strict standards are unfairly compared to those who only follow food GMPs.

For those interested in optimizing their health and warding off the aging process, the NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplement is a MUST!

The purpose of this guide is to provide the reader with a better understanding of how vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other plant-based nutrients - as supplements to today's inadequate diet - work together to optimize your health and reduce your lifetime risk of degenerative diseases.

Using an evidence-based approach, and relying on the latest research findings, this guide will show which brands of supplements will provide the most complete nutritional support to build your personal health insurance plan and help you age more gracefully.

Packed with the latest findings on inflammation, oxidative stress and degenerative diseases, the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements is the definitive resource for anyone serious about optimal nutritional and anti-aging defense.

In a nutshell, the Comparative Guide:

- is a compendium of over 1,500 US & Canadian supplements rated & compared;
- uses 18 critical Heath Support Criteria required to evaluate supplements;
- uses a five-star scale, divided into half-star increments for each product;
- shows full-colored graphs to easily compare the top-rated products.

The NutriSearch "Blended Standard" incorporates the published recommendations of 12 independent, leading authorities in nutritional science. By using a median value of daily intakes, the "Blended Standard" avoids the introduction of any potential bias on the part of NutriSearch or the author.

The weight of scientific evidence supports the need for daily levels of intakes significantly higher than current recommended levels (RDAs and DRIs) for many nutrients. The NutriSearch "Blended Standard" seems to be the only independent standard currently available for comparing nutritional supplements.

The NutriSearch Comparative Guide employs an 18-point Health Support Profile to help rate each of the products evaluated in order to maintain consistency.

Each of these 18 criteria are based on scientific-based justification with detailed information on each.

In this article, I'm not going to cover all the 18 criteria, however, I will list down a few so as to give you an idea of what this scientific criteria looks like. However, at the end of this section, I will provide you a link to the official web site of the Comparative Guide in case you want an in-depth look.

Having said so, listed below are some of the key criteria:

Completeness: helps determine whether the product contains the full spectrum of nutrients and nutrient categories listed in the Blended Standard that are considered essential for optimal health.

Potency: verifies the level of effectiveness relative to the potency for that nutrient in the Blended Standard.

Bioavailability: determines whether the product is easily absorbed into the system or just passes through.

Antioxidant Support: evaluates if the product contains a balanced spectrum of antioxidants as well as their potency.

Bone Health: determines what key nutrients and their potencies are included in the product that are required for long-term bone health.

Heart Health: reviews if the product contains a variety of nutrients that help in protecting the heart and reducing cardiovascular risks.

Inflammation Control: checks if the product contains a variety of essential nutrients that help fight against inflammation which is caused by oxidative stress.

Potential Toxicities: evaluates the level of toxicity in relation to vitamin A and iron.

Like I mentioned earlier, these are just a few of the criteria used in the product comparison process - Click Here To Review The Science Behind The Product Rating Criteria

Are you still with me? ; ) Well, I hope so...let's take a quick peek at how some top nutritional supplement companies fared in their ratings - you maybe shocked!

From these 18 criteria, a Final Product Rating is determined based on a five-star scale.

A product with a five-star rating possess characteristics that provide optimal nutrition as determined by the Blended Standard and are superior to majority of the products in the marketplace.

On the other hand, one-star or lower rated products possess far less of the characteristics for optimal nutrition as reflected in the Blended Standard.

Basically, the five-star rating scale provides a good scientific means for the consumer to compare supplement products and decide for themselves. For those readers wanting to delve in-depth into the science of nutrition, CLICK HERE

Below is a list of popular nutritional supplement companies along with the star rating range for their products that have been evaluated in this Comparative Guide (in alphabetical order):

- Centrum (zero to 1)
- GNC (half to 2 ½)
- GNLD (1 to 1 ½)
- Herbalife (1)
- Isagenix (1 ½)
- Jamieson (half to 1 ½)
- Mannatech (2 to 2 ½)
- Melaleuca (1 to 2)
- Usana Health Sciences (5)
- Xtend-Life (2 ½ to 3)

Wow, does it surprise you to know that companies like Centrum, Jamieson and many others have scores below 2 and 3 stars?

Their products fall very short of quality, potency, purity, bioavailability and other key criteria. It just goes to show how millions of dollars are invested by many retail companies with deceptive marketing tactics that hype up their products.

The only companies that received a Gold Medal 5-Star Standard are as follows (listed alphabetically):

- Creating Wellness Alliance
- Douglas Laboratories
- Truestar Health
- Usana Health Sciences

Also, worth mentioning is that Usana Health Sciences received the Nutrisearch Editor's Choice Award.

Mr. Lyle MacWilliam is an author, educator and Biochemist. He is also a former Canadian Member of Parliament and Member of the Legislative Assembly for British Columbia.

He has extensive consulting experience in the field of management and public policy for the British Columbia Science Council, Health Canada, Environment Canada and Human Resources Development Canada.

Mr. MacWiliam also has a passion for personal fitness and healthy living. He has authored numerous publications comparing the nutritional profiles of Canadian and American nutritional supplements.

In terms of his scientific training and research, he has delved into biological properties of antioxidants, damage caused by radiation to heart cell membranes, the role of Vitamin E and its effects on exercise and dietary supplements, oxidative stress and its role in the development of degenerative disease and much more.

The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements was the culmination of his search for vitamin and mineral supplements for his family. Lyle's scientific-based approach through his knowledge, research and experience has won him respect and praise in US and Canada. He is now a much sought-after speaker on in the field of nutrition and healthy living.

So now that you are well informed about the importance of taking the best quality nutritional supplements that support a healthy lifestyle, it's decision time - You decide if you want to throw your life away to the lowest bidder!.

My decision to supplement my diet with nutritional supplements has paid of with great dividends in a short period of time. Make a decision today to make healthy living a lifestyle, not a diet program!

If you wish to visit the official website of the NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements (CLICK HERE)

~ Photo Credits ~
Images on this Squidoo web page (unless otherwise linked) belong to AJ Godinho.

~ Research Sources ~
NutriSearch.ca and Nutrisearch Comparative Guide

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.
Updated: June 3, 2012