How To Choose A Good Quality Vitamin Supplement For You And Your Family Without Getting Ripped Off

As you may have already experienced, figuringconsidering doesn't meet the standards discussed
out how to choose a good quality vitamin andabove, it can pass right through your body and do
mineral supplement can be a confusing and timeyou no good at all.To give you an example of this,
consuming task.The purpose of this article is toI have actually seen a photo of an x-ray taken of
look at several important factors that you shoulda person's colon area with the vertebrae of their
consider when looking for a good quality vitaminbackbone off to one side. In this photo I could
and mineral supplement and to provide you withclearly see two supplement tablets, still intact,
resources where you can learnlooking like they had just come out of the bottle.
more.CONSIDERATION #1: ABSORPTIONHere isThese supplement tablets were poorly made,
one of the first questions you should keep innever disintegrated and would soon end up in the
mind:Will the ingredients in the vitamin and mineraltoilet.Photos like these are a graphic illustration of
supplement you are considering actually bethe fact that just because you swallow your
absorbed by your body?There are many stepsvitamin supplement doesn't mean your body is
that the ingredients in your vitamin and mineralgoing to be able to use it.ARE YOU WASTING
supplement (referred to as supplement from nowYOUR MONEY?With this in mind, let's look at this
on) have to go through in order to make it all theuseless, undissolved supplement from a another
way through your digestive tract, into your bloodperspective; a financial one. Let's say you find a
stream and ultimately to the location where yourgreat deal on a supplement and start taking it.
body can use them.It's a complex process andWe'll call it Supplement X. Let's also say this
there are many opportunities for the process toSupplement X costs $20 for a sixty day
not go quite right and prevent your supplementsupply.You think you've found a great deal,
ingredients from getting to where they arehowever what if it turns out that your
supposed to. Let's look at some factors that canSupplement X has been poorly manufactured and
affect the journey your supplement takes andis only 10% bio available. What this means is that
also affect how well your body can absorb ayour body will be only able to use $2 worth of
supplement's ingredients.WHAT ISthis supplement ($20 times 10%).And what
BIOAVAILABILITY?Bioavailability is the degree tohappened to the other $18 you paid for the
which a nutrient is available to the body for use.supplement? It went right through your body,
More specifically, for a nutrient to be bioavailable itthat's what. Looking at it another way, you paid
must be within physical proximity to the cell so$20 for your sixty day supplement supply yet
the cell can use it. Also, for a nutrient to beended up completely wasting 90% of that $20
bioavailable it has to be dissolved in some sort ofyou spent. You literally flushed $18 right down the
solution so that the nutrient can be transportedtoilet.Just like everything else in life, there is no
across the cell membrane.From a nonfree lunch. When it comes to choosing a
biochemistry perspective, here's a simple way tosupplement, don't be cheap. Do your homework
picture what needs to happen; the nutrient has toand find a good quality supplement that your
make it all the way from your mouth to the cellbody can actually use.OTHER FACTORS TO
and be in a form the cell can use.For bioavailabilityCONSIDER- Are the health benefit claims being
to occur, certain things have to happen once youmade by the supplement company
put that supplement into your mouth. Here areprovable?Vitamin supplement companies may
two of those processes. One is dissolution whichclaim that their product will do certain things or
refers to how fast a supplement dissolves. Anthat the way they put their product together or
example to help you picture this process would bepackage it will create a particular health benefit.
taking some sugar, putting it in a glass of waterThis claim may very well be true but the only
and stirring it with a spoon until the sugarthing that matters is have they proven it. Are
disappears.Another process is disintegration. This isthere proven health benefits from taking their
similar to dissolution only disintegration refers tosupplement? In other words, have there been
how fast the capsule or tablet breaks into smallerclinical trials that prove the health benefit claims?-
pieces so that the dissolution process can takeIs the supplement you are considering safe to
place.HOW TO TELL IF YOUR SUPPLEMENT WILLconsume?Just because the supplement is in a
DISSOLVESo how in the world are you going tobottle, the bottle has a fancy label and it looks like
be able to tell if the supplement you areit comes from a big company doesn't mean the
considering does all this dissolution andingredients in the supplement are pure and safe.
disintegration stuff? Fortunately, it's pretty straightThere can be many substances in that capsule
forward to figure out. A good way to know thatthat can have an immediate harmful effect as
your supplement is meeting these standards is towell as a harmful effect over the long
make sure there is some sort of "USP"term.WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORESpecific
designation on the label of the product.USP refersdetails on health benefit claims and whether or not
to U.S. Pharmacopeia, an organization that wasthe supplement you are considering is safe to
established to create state-of-the-art standardsconsume are beyond the scope of this
to ensure the quality of medicines that humansarticle.However, if you would like to learn more
use. This includes vitamin and mineralabout these health benefit and safety subjects,
supplements.An example of the kind of USPdetails on these topics can be found on web
designation that you want to look for on the labelpages that I have provided a link to below. these
of a product you are considering would bevitamin resources pages you will also find:-
something like, "this product conforms to theOrganizations that can help you figure out what
USPXXVII requirements for disintegration andkinds of vitamins, minerals and other supplements
dissolution".WHAT CHELATION DOESChelation ismay be right for you- Where you can get
very important when it comes to making sureunbiased evaluations on the product you are
that the minerals in your supplement areconsidering- Some more interesting facts on
bioavailable. Chelation refers to a process thatabsorption- Surprising information on colloidal
increases the absorption of minerals such asmineralsFINAL THOUGHTSIf you have gotten to
chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese,the point where you are looking for a vitamin and
molybdenum and zinc.It can be hard to getmineral supplement to take, congratulations. You
minerals all the way to that bioavailable state thathave taken a positive step towards improving
was discussed earlier. Chelation involves wrappingyour health and taking better care of your
the mineral in an amino acid so that the body canbody.However, make sure to continue that
more easily absorb it. This can improve thecommitment to yourself by doing your
absorption of some minerals from only 10%homework and making sure that you choose a
absorption for a non chelated mineral to 45% andgood quality supplement. It makes no sense to go
more for a chelated mineral.So when you arethat far then end up wasting your money on
looking at the label of a vitamin supplement andsomething that your body can't even use.After
you find a trace mineral such as manganese asyears of extreme fatigue, severe digestion
one of the ingredients, you want to seeproblems and frequent sickness, Andy Long now
something like "Manganese (as Manganeseenjoys energy levels that allow him to windsurf in
Chelate)" on the label. This indicates that the30 mph winds for 3-4 hours at a time.He now
manganese mineral has been chelated.WHAT CANshares with others what he did to completely
HAPPEN IF YOU PICK THE WRONGregain his health through his health related web
SUPPLEMENTIf the vitamin supplement you aresites and newsletter.