if vitamins say they are not approved by the fda?

Question

how do you actually know ?

Answer 1

you don't. that is reason to not buy vitamins from wal-mmart or target. they purchase from another company and then slap their label on it.
Just look for companies that grow, test, manufacture, and bottles their own product. These companies will never be found in the open public retail market. I use www.naturessunshine.com. They are excellent.
Eventually I hope herbals will be licensed, but for now, you must be selective in your choices.

Answer 2

Hi Pita. You certainly get a lot of 'interesting' opinions here.

First, nutritional supplements by law do not require FDA approval. However, if the manufacturer claims a specific health benefit, then FDA approval is required. Certain nutrients have now been granted FDA approval for certain, specific health benefits.

Second, USP does NOT guarantee you are getting the highest quality supplement. It only means the supplement(s) was manufactured according to USP guidelines. For example, a product can meet USP guidelines for the manufacture of synthetic alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), but you want only the natural form of this vitamin in your supplement - not the common synthetic form. Additionally, many 'cheap' supplements contain 'USP' forms of minerals that are virtually unabsorbable. The common (again because they are cheap to manufacture) oxide forms of zinc, magnesium, etc. should be avoided in supplements because medical studies have clearly shown that they are not absorbed. (For these, and other reasons, Centrum is a 'junk-food' vitamin supplement.)

I hope this was not too complex to be helpful for you. Best wishes and good luck.

Answer 3

No vitamin is approved by the FDA. What you want to look for is a supplement that is USP. The link below if you click on some of the text located on the top left one link will state "About USP—An Overview
Who We Are
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is the official public standards-setting authority for all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and other healthcare products manufactured and sold in the United States"

Answer 4

If they are not approved by the FDA its usually written somewhere on the box/container.

Uhm...also, many times its not the actual vitamin not being approved by the FDA....its what they say the vitamin can do. Like, if they're selling Vitamin C and saying that it'll boost your immune system--or if they're selling vitamin B and they're saying that it'll speed up your metabolism,.... those things might not have been tested by the FDA and may not actually be true. Like they say green tea will help you loose weight, but its not approved by the FDA....still, many people drink green tea.

You will find the best quality vitamins however by going to see a nutritionist. Places like GNC or other stores ...its said that their vitamins arent as good quality as they could be...

I myself take Centrum. Its not bought in a health food store or by a nutritionist..... its over the counter.... I've been pretty healhty so, hopefully its working.

Answer 5

Vitamin companies are not going to tell you that their procuct is NOT approved by the FDA. Look at the label. Look for the source of the ingredients. If you can't read or understand the sources of the ingredients or the names of the ingredients, don't take it. Its not natural.

Answer 6

The FDA only approves synthetic stuff. They don't concern themselves with natural ingredients, because natural stuff is not harmful to the human body. I would prefer to take natural vitamins made from herbs rather than synthetic vitamins that could have harmful ingredients. For some reason people don't seem to understand that natural ingredients are made by mother nature and are not manipulated by drug manufacturers.