The Art of Smart Supplementation for Optimal Health

By JULIE GRAHAM | Contributing Writer

As winter approaches, we all look for ways to bolster our immune system, including choosing supplements for support.

If you’ve ever walked through a health food store or Whole Foods supplement aisle, you may have wondered why some supplements are two or three times as costly as their counterparts at CVS, Target or Costco. Is it just a scam?

The sea of options can be confusing, so let’s dig into how to find quality supplements that actually work.

Understanding Supplements: Not All Are Created Equal 

Is purchasing higher-priced supplements merely investing in costly urine? There are several justifications for why certain supplements often command a higher price.

Bio-Availability: The Key to Supplement Effectiveness 

Think of bio-availability like a VIP pass: It helps nutrients cut the line for easier bodily access. The effectiveness of a supplement is not just about the ingredients listed but also how well your body can absorb these ingredients.

Many less expensive brands use tablets, which are less absorbable, making them challenging to digest. In contrast, high-quality supplements usually come in more bio-available forms, like capsules, powders and liquids, ensuring that you’re not consuming nutrients that pass through your system without any benefit.

Binders, Fillers and Additives 

For cost-effectiveness, many lesser-quality brands include binders, fillers and additives like magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide. This makes the supplement cheaper, but often these binders also bind the nutrients within.

Also be wary of artificial ingredients. For instance, some adult or children’s multivitamins contain artificial colors and sweeteners, chemicals you or your child don’t need to ingest.

Misleading Marketing

Companies often use enticing marketing strategies to promote their supplements. Phrases like “Fresh from Farm to Table,” accompanied by images of vibrant fruits and vegetables, give the false impression that a supplement is entirely food based. In reality, they often mix lab-derived nutrients with tiny amounts of food or herbs.

It’s essential to differentiate between true food extracts and those merely mixed with food derivatives. Truthfully, the majority of nutrients in supplements are lab-derived. This allows for precise standardization, ensuring you get the exact dosage stated on the label.

Quality Labels and Guidelines

Key certifications include Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), ensuring sanitary, well-controlled processes. Third-party auditing of these certifications is the gold standard.

Third-Party Auditing

This process verifies that a supplement meets standards for quality, safety and label accuracy. Organizations like NSF International, USP (United States Pharmacopeia) and ConsumerLab.com conduct such testing. However, third-party testing doesn’t assure quality in terms of ingredient types.

Special Mentions, Herbal Supplements and Probiotics

Herbal Supplements: Variations in purity and potency are common. Products may not accurately reflect labeled herb quantities and could be contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals or pollutants. Poor growing conditions or incorrect harvesting can diminish effectiveness. Processing and storage methods also impact herbal potency. Furthermore, mislabeling and adulteration with cheaper or unrelated herbs are prevalent problems in the industry.

Probiotics: Different strains provide buried benefits, so it’s crucial to select a probiotic that caters to your health needs. Effective probiotics contain live organisms in adequate quantities. However, many products don’t maintain their potency, due to time or improper storage, and may not contain the live count as advertised. Storage conditions are important, with some needing refrigeration. These bacteria must survive stomach acidity to reach the intestines and deliver benefits. High-quality probiotics often have protective coatings or delivery systems for this purpose.

Variability in Supplement Ingredients

The bioavailability of vitamins and minerals varies depending on their specific forms. Many vitamins and minerals come in cheaper, less absorbable forms. Some of the common offenders include:

B vitamins: Many people better absorb methylated forms. For example, the methylated form of vitamin B6 is Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate (P5P). This form of B6 is the active form that the body can utilize immediately without the need for conversion. The more commonly used form, Pyridoxine, requires conversion by the liver into P5P before it can be used by the body.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is often more effective than vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), being more readily absorbed and converted by the liver.

Magnesium: Magnesium oxide, commonly used in multivitamins, is poorly absorbed. Better alternatives are magnesium glycinate, malate, citrate and l-threonate.

Zinc: Zinc oxide, while common due to its cost effectiveness, has lower bioavailability. The best forms in terms of absorption are zinc picolinate, zinc citrate and zinc gluconate.

Calcium: Calcium citrate is more easily absorbed than calcium carbonate.

Become an Informed Consumer

Research your supplements for their practices and testing. Quality truly matters—from bioavailability and clean ingredients to proper storage and third-party testing. Remember, the cheapest option may not always be the most effective. Prioritize supplements that deliver genuine benefits, ensuring your investment in health is truly enhancing your wellbeing.

Julie Graham is a national board-certified health and wellness coach (NBC-HWC) and is also pursuing her functional medicine certification (AFMC). Her advanced training includes pre-diabetes, diabetes prevention and resolution, and women’s hormonal health. Reach her at julie@butterandsunshinewellness.com or visit butterandsunshinewellness.com.