Newport Beach Chiropractor: Does Your Multi-Vitamin Work?

As stated in a previous blog, the number of Americans who take supplements is on the rise. According to the CDC, it's around 40% of adults in the U.S. When taken properly-along with a nutritious diet-supplements (or "micronutrients") help aid in the uptake and digestion of essential foods ("macronutrients") such as proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, etc.

But are you really getting what you're paying for from your supplements? There are so many different kinds out there, it's difficult to know which are good and which are, well, fake. An interesting article I read points out one troubling factor: while the FDA does regulate supplements, the companies manufacturing them are not required to prove their effectiveness like the drug companies are.

Recently, consumerlab.com tested a number of high-selling brands' products to see if the chemical breakdown of the supplement matched what the company described was contained in the ingredients. They did this by using a test that analyzes the rate at which the compound dissolves in water, and they found that 13 of the top 38 brands failed the simple test.

To see how your multi-vitamin stacks up against this test, check out this website's analysis.