Stroll down the supplement aisle and you\u2019ll find no shortage of labels, badges and buzzwords meant to put your mind at ease.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be fooled.\u00a0The US supplement industry is about as close to the Wild West as you can get.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Food and Drug Administration estimates there are more than 100,000<\/a> vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, amino acids and probiotics on the US market, with roughly 75% of adults taking them.<\/p>\n More than 1,000 new dietary supplements enter the market every year \u2014 but unlike prescription drugs, federal regulators don\u2019t review them or their labels before they\u2019re sold.<\/p>\n The number of Americans who take dietary supplements have exploded in recent years. JackF \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n In fact, many dietary supplements can be marketed without even notifying the FDA. <\/p>\n Manufacturers aren\u2019t required to prove their products are safe, effective or even contain what the label claims before consumers buy them.<\/p>\n Still, some reputable brands go beyond what the law requires, voluntarily paying independent organizations to inspect their facilities and test their products.<\/p>\n Among the best known is NSF International, which verifies that products contain the ingredients listed on the label, are free of contaminants and are produced under good manufacturing practices. Brands like Nutrafol<\/a>, Thorne<\/a>, BodyHealth<\/a>, MegaFood<\/a> and Timeline Nutrition<\/a> all have NSF certifications, which are clearly printed on their labels.<\/p>\n But that process is rigorous, expensive and entirely optional. Instead, some manufacturers rely on marketing tricks that make their products appear far more thoroughly vetted than they really are.<\/p>\n Two misleading tactics show up on supplement bottles again and again, according to David Trosin, managing director of NSF\u2019s health sciences certification program.<\/p>\n \u2018FDA registered\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean what you think it means<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things that drives me nuts is, they\u2019ll say \u2018FDA registered,\u2019\u201d Trosin told reporters during a roundtable discussion hosted by hair-growth supplement brand Nutrafol. \u201cWhat that means is, congratulations, you can go online and fill out a form.\u201d<\/p>\n The designation only indicates that a company has filed basic information with the FDA \u2014 not that the agency has reviewed, tested or verified the safety, efficacy or quality of the supplement.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes me so angry when I see that, because to a consumer who doesn\u2019t know what that means, they\u2019re thinking that the [supplement company] has gone through the extra steps. That the FDA has evaluated or somehow approved of what they do,\u201d Trosin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Seeking to fill regulatory gaps, some companies, like Nutrafol, have their supplements third-party tested by organizations like NSF International to verify their safety and efficacy. Valaurian Waller<\/p>\n \u2018Independently tested\u2019: not the safeguard it sounds like<\/p>\n Other phrases that can give shoppers a false sense of security: \u201cindependently tested\u201d or \u201cthird-party certified.\u201d<\/p>\n Those claims aren\u2019t regulated. Any brand can print them on its packaging, even if no outside lab ever tested the product.<\/p>\n \u201cAll that took was Photoshop, really,\u201d Trosin said. \u201cThere\u2019s no grit behind it to indicate that it means something.\u201d<\/p>\n While the FDA doesn\u2019t review dietary supplements before they\u2019re sold, federal law does require manufacturers to use \u201cappropriate\u201d tests to ensure their products meet certain standards before reaching consumers \u2014 including checks for undeclared pharmaceutical drugs and toxic heavy metals.<\/p>\n But even those safeguards can be manipulated.<\/p>\n In some cases, bad actors turn to so-called \u201cdry labs\u201d \u2014 companies that produce testing reports without actually verifying the supplements.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you sent me your product and I was running a dry lab, basically, I would just have an office building or a PO box,\u201d Troisin explained. \u201cI have no equipment. I\u2019m not actually testing the product. I\u2019m just writing a test report and sending it back to them, and that costs $395.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In some cases, an analyst simply makes up the results. In others, they alter them to fit a desired outcome.<\/p>\n Marketing tricks can make supplements look more vetted than they actually are. vector design \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Nondescript language on supplement packaging, like seen here, should be taken with a grain of salt. Safwan Creatives \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n That kind of fraud can put consumers at risk by allowing products with hidden toxins, undeclared pharmaceuticals or dangerously high levels of certain ingredients to reach the market.<\/p>\n In some cases, supplements may contain little to none of the active ingredients consumers paid for.<\/p>\n Buyer beware: other red flags to look for<\/p>\n Other phrases found on supplement bottles deserve a closer look, too.<\/p>\n \u201cNatural\u201d and \u201corganic\u201d: These claims are not regulated and do not guarantee a product\u2019s safety or quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPharmaceutical strength\u201d: There is no official standard for pharmaceutical strength in over-the-counter supplements.<\/p>\n \u201cGMP,\u201d short for \u201cGood Manufacturing Practices\u201d: Indicates that a supplement was produced in a facility that follows certain safety standards. It does not, however, guarantee the purity, safety or accuracy of every individual batch.<\/p>\n When a supplement company has worked with a legitimate third party to verify the safety, efficacy and quality of its product, that certification will be clearly displayed on the label.<\/p>\n NSF scientists verify that supplements contain exactly what is on the label and screens for harmful contaminants, unlisted ingredients, and substances banned by anti-doping authorities. Valaurian Waller<\/p>\n For NSF-certified supplements, consumers can look for the organization\u2019s circular NSF logo on the packaging.<\/p>\n \u201cThat actually means something, as opposed to an American flag that says GMP,\u201d Trosin said.<\/p>\n Consumers can also verify certified products and batch numbers through NSF\u2019s official online database.<\/p>\n Problems in the supplement aisle are more common than many shoppers realize.<\/p>\n One study of 121 dietary supplements<\/a> found that 5% exceeded safe daily consumption limits for arsenic. Two percent contained excessive levels of lead, cadmium and aluminum, while 1% contained too much mercury.<\/p>\n