The FDA has established Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), which companies must follow to help ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their dietary supplement. These GMPs can prevent the addition of incorrect ingredients (or too many or too few correct ingredients) and reduce the chances of contamination or improper product packaging and labeling. The US Food and Drug Administration regularly inspects factories that produce supplement.

Some independent organizations provide quality testing and allow products that pass these tests to display quality assurance stamps, indicating that the product is correctly manufactured, contains the ingredients listed on the label, and does not contain harmful levels of pollutants. These seals cannot guarantee the safety or effectiveness of the product. The institutions providing quality testing include:

ConsumerLab.com
NSF International
US Pharmacopoeia

Any mention of a specific company, organization, or service does not represent ODS recognition.

Talk to your healthcare provider

Tell your healthcare provider (including doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and nutritionists) about any dietary supplement you are taking. They can help you determine which supplement (if any) may be valuable to you.

Keep a complete record of any dietary supplement and medications you take. There is a useful form on the website of the Dietary Supplement Office, 'My Dietary Supplement and Medication Record', which you can print and fill out at home. For each product, note the name, dosage, frequency of use, and reason for use. You can share this record with your healthcare provider to discuss the best approach for your overall health.

remember

Before taking dietary supplements online to treat health problems, please consult your healthcare provider.

Please obtain approval from your healthcare provider before taking dietary supplement instead of prescription drugs or in combination with prescription drugs.

If you plan to undergo any type of surgical procedure, please discuss any supplement you take with your healthcare provider.