Guide To Choosing The Best Nutritional Supplements

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

Food GMPs do not mandate that finished dietary supplement products, or ingredients used in Dietary Supplement products, be tested to verify label claims.

As a result, cheap, low-grade, non-potent dietary supplement products have flooded the marketplace. Many independent studies and recent news articles have illustrated this quality problem by highlighting less than stellar results from tests of commonly retailed products.

Indeed, 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 and Canadian supplements scientifically rated and compared;

- uses 18 critical Heath Support Criteria required to evaluate supplements;

- uses a five-star scale, divided into half-star increments, depicts the ranking of the Health Support Profile 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.

Each criterion that comprises the Health Support Profile is shown below with some relevatant information:

1. Completeness: ensures that the product contains the full spectrum of nutrients and nutrient categories that are required for optimal health as per the Blended Standard.

2. Potency: measures the level of potency in each nutrient relative to the potency for that nutrient in the Blended Standard.

3. Mineral Forms: examines the bioavailability of mineral forms or organic-acid complexes.

4. Bioactivity of Vitamin E: assesses if the vitamin E in the product is the natural or synthetic form.

5. Gamma Tocopherol: assesses the product for the inclusion of the gamma-tocopherol (a type of vitamin E).

6. Antioxidant Support: examines the nutrients that help to prevent or repair cellular damage caused by oxidation.

7. Bone Health: examines the nutrients in a product that assist in bone remodelling.

8. Heart Health: examines several nutrients known to help protect the heart and cardiovascular system by reducing oxidative stress and suppressing inflammtion.

9. Liver Health (detoxification): examines those nutrients that optimize levels of glutathione and enhance liver function.

10. Metabolic Health (glucose control): examines those nutrients that help the body handle its daily sugar load, keeping systems responsive to insulin and restoring lost insulin sensitivity.

11. Ocular Health: examins if the product contain adequate levels of several nutrients known to reduce the level of oxidative stress in the retina and lens of the eye.

12. Methylation Support: looks at those nutrients required for the body to reduce homocysteine levels in the blood.

13. Lipotropic Factors: examines those lipotropic (fat-moving) agents that help the liver mobilize fats stores and remove toxins.

14. Inflammation Control: examines the nutrients responsible for reducing inflammation at the cellular level (like the omega-3 oils).

15. Glycation Control: examines those nutrients that help slow the process of gycation.

16. Bioflavonoid Profile: examines the bioflavanoid family of nutrients, which works throughout the body to attack free radicals, suppress inflammation and support many bodily functions.

17. Phenolic Compounds Profile: examines specific phenolic compounds known to be exceptionally potent free radical antagonists.

18. Potential Toxicities: examines the levels of preformed vitamin A (retinol) and iron in the product and penalizes the product rating if it contains too much of a nutrient.

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

Info Source: Click Here To Review The Science Behind The Product Rating Criteria

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

A five-star rating highlights those products whose characteristics for optimal nutrition are clearly superior to the majority of products on the market and that approach or meet the pooled recommendations of the Blended Standard.

Conversely, a one-star rating or less represents products possessing few, if any, of the characteristics for optimal nutrition reflected in the Blended Standard.

This five-star scale, divisible in half-star increments, provides an intuitive means by which the consumer can compare products, based on product content.

For those readers wanting to delve even more deeply 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)
- 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.

In 1998, author, educator and biochemist began a search for a vitamin and mineral supplement for his family. A year later, the first Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements was produced, and MacWilliam Communications Inc. was born.

The company now includes Northern Dimensions Publishing, a small publishing company focused on nutrition and health science.

Author, educator and biochemist, Lyle MacWilliam's scientific training took him to the frontiers of research into the biological properties of antioxidants.

His scientific investigations focused on the damage caused by radiation to heart cell membranes and the effects of exercise and dietary supplementation with Vitamin E.

Mr. MacWilliam is a former Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for British Columbia. His wide-ranging consulting experience includes work in the fields of management and public policy consulting for the British Columbia Science Council, Environment Canada, Human Resources Development Canada and Health Canada.

An accomplished martial artist, Mr. MacWilliam is passionate about personal fitness and optimal health. He has authored several previous publications comparing the nutritional profiles of Canadian and American dietary supplements.

His writing hits hard at today's lifestyle and dietary patterns and their role in the development of degenerative disease.

Lyle's scientifically rigorous, no-nonsense delivery, lightened with a gentle touch of humor, has earned him praise across Canada and the U.S. as a sought-after speaker on the importance of nutrition and lifestyle.

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!

To visit the official website of the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements CLICK HERE

Information Research Sources:
- Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements
- Herbal Supplements Guide