Do you have questions about vitamins and minerals?
The independent public health organization, United States Pharmacopeia (USP),
sets industry standards for dietary supplements and has developed
the Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP).
The following are answers to common questions about vitamins and minerals.
Q. What are vitamins and minerals?
A. They are nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.
Vitamins and minerals are in many foods you eat,
but you can also take a supplement to make sure you
get all the nutrients you need.
Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat-soluble
vitamins are stored in your body’s fat tissues where they are
used when needed. Vitamins A, D, E and K are all fat-soluble vitamins.
Water-soluble vitamins are not stored very well in the body.
B vitamins are water-soluble vitamins. Your body needs
a fresh supply of the water-soluble vitamins from food or
supplements on a regular basis. What your body doesn’t
use is lost through urine or sweat.
Like vitamins, minerals are necessary for vital body functions.
Trace minerals are needed by your body in small amounts. Chromium,
copper, iodine, iron, selenium and zinc are all trace minerals.
Macrominerals are needed in larger amounts in order for your
body to grow and stay healthy. For example, calcium, magnesium,
phosphorous and potassium are macrominerals.
Q. Why do people take vitamin and mineral supplements?
A. Supplements can be an inexpensive way to make sure you get
all the vitamins and minerals you need, even if you get most of
them from the foods you eat. Some people take supplements
because they can’t eat certain foods. For example, milk is
a good calcium source, but some people can’t drink it.
Q. How are vitamin and mineral dietary supplements regulated?
A. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates
vitamin and mineral dietary supplements as a food product.
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) created the Dietary
Supplement Verification Program (DSVP) to help consumers
be sure that what is on the label is what’s in the bottle.
Supplement makers can earn the DSVP symbol by having their
products tested by USP.
Q. What is the DSVP certification symbol?
A. This symbol lets consumers know that USP has tested and
checked the ingredients and manufacturing process of
the supplement. This means the supplement has passed
important tests to help assure you that the product
actually contains the ingredients listed in the strengths
indicated on the label. It also assures you the product
will dissolve so the ingredients will be absorbed into
your body, and was produced in sanitary, well-controlled
conditions and has been screened for harmful substances
like bacteria and pesticides.
Q. Are all vitamin and mineral supplements with the DSVP
mark made to the same level of quality?
A. USP does not rate vitamins and minerals or compare them
with each other. However, USP does look at each product
that it verifies to help ensure that the ingredients on
the label are actually in the product and meet its standards.
Q. How do I know if a vitamin or mineral dietary supplement
meets USP's standards?
A. Look for dietary supplements that have the DSVP symbol,
or the letters “USP” on the front of the label.
Q. What do I need to know about the quality of vitamin
and mineral supplements before I buy or take them?
A. USP uses detailed laboratory tests to check the
quality of vitamin and mineral supplements.
These are some of the things you will want to take into account:
1. Most supplements are available as either tablets or
capsules and may dissolve fairly quickly or quite slowly
in your body. This affects how well your body can absorb
the vitamins and minerals and is why DSVP on the label is important.
2. Quantity or strength is an important factor to consider
when buying or taking supplements. Products with the DSVP
mark contain the amount listed on the label. Before taking
a supplement, please ask your doctor or health professional
about the supplements and the amount you need to take.
Different people may need different amounts of supplements.
3. When buying vitamin and mineral supplements, check the
expiration date on the bottle to make sure you will use all
its contents before the date. A product past this date on
the package could mean that the supplement no longer
meets USP standards.
Visit www.usp-dsvp.org for more information.