How to evaluate vitamins and supplements

Everyone needs a balance of essential nutrients from a variety of foods to stay healthy. Yet it’s not always easy to eat properly when you’re on the go. That’s why some of us reach for vitamins and supplements to fill in the gaps.

Yet, with so many multivitamins, herbs and botanicals out there, how can you tell if a supplement is safe - or right for you?

Nine questions to ask about vitamins and supplements

Although there is contradictory evidence as to whether a daily multivitamin wards off disease, many people add them to their diet to maintain or boost health. Others, such as pre-menopausal women, sometimes choose individual vitamins and minerals, such as iron, to fill specific gaps.

If you’re evaluating supplements and vitamins to add to your diet, here are nine questions to ask:

• What health benefits does this supplement offer me?
• Do I need this supplement for my health?
• What is the recommended dose for this supplement?
• When and for how long do I need to take this supplement?
• Which is most appropriate and effective for me - a tablet, powder or liquid? And, which form of the vitamin (vitamin D2 or D3, for instance) is the best (see below)?
• Does this supplement or vitamin have any known side effects?
• What are the best brands of this supplement?
• Does this supplement interact with any medications or foods?
• Will I need to stop taking this supplement or vitamin if I have to undergo surgery?

You may be able to get help with answers to these questions from your doctor, pharmacist or dietician.

Which vitamin presentation should you choose?

Once you know which vitamin or supplement is right for you, you’ll discover many can be bought as pills, liquids or powders. Typically the difference between them is the rate at which your body absorbs the supplement and how quickly the supplement becomes active. For example, liquids are absorbed faster than pills.

Certain supplements are in pill form because they become ineffective, or even dangerous, if exposed to stomach acids. Some people need to take a liquid if they have difficulty absorbing vitamins or supplements from a pill.

Not all formulations of a particular vitamin are the same. For example, vitamin D supplements come as either vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) or vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), with some preliminary evidence showing that vitamin D3 tends to be the more active form. When in doubt, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about which supplement suits your needs.

Supplement safety

Dietary supplements are not regulated in the same way as medicines - rather they are treated as foods, and are governed by EU food regulations. UK regulations say: "A product presented for treating or preventing disease, or which may be administered with a view to restoring, correcting or modifying physiological function in humans, falls within the definition of a medicinal product and is subject to the requirements of the Medicines Directive (2001/83/EC), the Medicines Act 1968, and the Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations etc) Regulations 1994".