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Overview of Dietary Supplements

According to the National Institute of Health and as defined by the Congress of the United States, a dietary supplement is a product that is intended to supplement the diet; contains one or more dietary ingredients (including vitamins; minerals; herbs or other botanicals; amino acids; and other substances) or their constituents; is intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid; and is labeled on the front panel as being a dietary supplement

In today's fast-paced world, many people do not have time to sit down and properly eat a meal or plan-out a balanced healthy diet. Poor food choices, lack of exercise and a general sedentary lifestyle in front of the computer or TV have negatively affected the health of millions of people.  Supplements can help these people improve their health by providing much-needed nutrients and vitamins.

Labeling of Dietary Supplements

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If we use this definition, a lot of dietary supplements in today's market should be disqualified. But they are not. Unfortunately, many products that saturate the shelves, claim to do more than just supplement the diet. They claim to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease. Such claims may not legally be made for dietary supplements. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States governmental body that is responsible for protecting and advancing the public health regulates label claims. The label of a dietary supplement may contain one of three types of claims: a health claim, nutrient content claim, or structure/function claim.

Since 1994, the FDA also reviews products for their safety before they are marketed for human consumption. However, unlike drug and food products, and contrary to popular belief, the FDA does not need to approve dietary supplements for safety or effectiveness prior to them reaching the marketplace. Rather, like Napoleonic Code, once a dietary supplement is marketed, the FDA has to do the extraordinary task to prove that the product is indeed not safe in order to limit its use or remove it altogether from the market.

The label of a dietary supplement must be truthful and clear. If the label does not meet this criteria, the FDA is able to remove the product from the marketplace or sanction the manufacturer. There are three general items that the FDA requires that appear on the dietary supplement label:

General Information

  • Name of the product
  • Net quantity of contents
  • Name and place of business of manufacturer, packer, or distributor
  • Directions for use

Supplement Facts Panel

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  • Serving size
  • List of dietary ingredients
  • Amount per serving size
  • Percent of Daily Value
  • Total weight of the blend
  • Components of the blend in order of predominance by weight

Other Ingredients

  • Fillers
  • Artificial colors
  • Sweeteners
  • Flavors
  • Binders

Quality Control and Standardization

Quality control is of utmost importance. It is difficult to determine the quality of a dietary supplement or its formula simply by reading its label. That is why certain measures need to be in place in order to assure consumers of the product's safety and put their minds at ease.

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The degree of quality control depends on the manufacturer, the supplier, and others in the production process chain. Furthermore, dietary supplements are not required by federal law to be tested for safety or effectiveness before they are marketed or sold. Therefore, there is no set standard, just recommendations and guidelines that may or may not be followed. For example, the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) issued by the FDA. The GMPs help guarantee the identity, purity, strength, and composition of dietary supplements by regulating the amount of and types of ingredients included in the formula, the possibility of contamination, and the improper packaging and labeling of a product.

So, how can you as the consumer know which products are legitimate, safe and composed of quality standardized ingredients? There are a few quality control measures that manufacturers can implement to all but ensure that the end product that the consumers receives is of premium quality and passes industry standards for safety.

  • Third Party Monitoring and Testing
  • Risk-Free Money Back Guarantee
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Third party monitoring and testing performed by independent monitoring companies is a great way to guarantee that QA is in place. These organizations evaluate each company by first tracking its reputation and customer satisfaction. Then by verifying the quality of the company's products by checking its standardization process. This can be an expensive step for manufacturers, since if any contaminants or irregularities are found, then all of that batch of products must be disqualified and disposed of. That is why, many companies skip this step, hoping to skid by. In this case, the consumer is in jeopardy and at risk for poisoning or other adverse effects. Although dietary supplements are not required to be standardized in the United States, we think it is a good idea to buy from a company that implements this important step. An additional popular measure that goes a long way to show the vested interest of a manufacturer and how confident it is with its production is, whether or not, it offers a risk free money back guarantee. This type of promise is a good indication that the manufacturer stands by its products and its quality. If a supplement you are buying from does not offer this, take this as a warning sign and select another company. Choosing wisely can safeguard your health. Companies can also evaluate dietary supplements for their potential health benefits and risks by reviewing existing clinical trials, investigating consumers' feedback, conducting in-house laboratory studies or observational studies. All of these approaches serve as good indicators for patterns of use and the extent of their effects upon health.

Does Our Review Recommend Approved Science

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Approved Science is a dedicated retailer and manufacturer of dietary supplements that are sold online and backed by scientific research. We found their products to be of excellent quality, their formulas to be inclusive of the recommended serving size, list of dietary ingredients, amount per serving size, and percent of Daily Value. We also consulted many of their customers in order to find out why they started buying from them and why they stayed on as long-term clients. We discovered that not only do they do their due diligence prior to producing their supplements in terms of R&D, review of clinical studies and trials, consumer reviews and quality testing. Their labels are clear, truthful and meet the FDA requirements by providing all the necessary general information, directions for use, supplement facts panel with a full disclosed list of all active and inactive ingredients. We liked that these were all natural and did not include any fillers, artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, or binders. It also contained a cautionary statement advising potential consumers to consult their doctor prior to using any kind of supplements. We thought that this showed genuine concern. We did our own research and were very pleased to find out about all of the QA ordinances they follow. All of their products are produced in the USA in an FDA registered facility and manufactured under the guidelines of GMP, making sure that they are both safe and effective in terms of production, preparation, storage and purity, strength, and composition. Their formulas include the correct proportion and combination of ingredients as indicated in clinical trials and studies, there are no pesticides, heavy metals, bacteria or other contaminants. Approved Science comply with the US Pharmacopeia's standards regarding the quality and purity of all their ingredients, and follow a strict standardization process to ensure batch-to-batch consistency. On top of all the in-house testing they do to consistently measure and maintain quality control, they are third party monitored and tested by various independent organizations. These organizations have awarded Approved Science an A+ on all the categories they were tested for. Moreover, all of their products are also properly packaged and sealed to avoid post-production contamination and tampering.

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Everything manufactured by Approved Science is guaranteed to contain the best dosage based on the recommendations of a team of doctors that have done their due diligence and selected the highest quality ingredients and obtained from the purest sources. On top of that, they provide a 60 day risk-free money back satisfaction guarantee.

To Summarise Our Approved Science Review

After thorough evaluation and consideration, we have reached the conclusion that Approved Science is a company worth buying from. They offer excellent high quality products that can significantly improve your health if taken in the correct dosages in accordance with a healthy diet and exercise regime. We hope, we have made the selection process a bit easier and less stressful and that you are now on your way to better health!

Brought to you by our expert team at Authority Health.

Being born to nomadic parents, Evelyn's love of travel developed early as did her need to better understand food allergies. She was diagnosed as ‘gluten intolerant’ at the age of 12 and her relationship with gluten-free foods began. It took some time to perfect but Evelyn's gluten-free chocolate cake has a reputation for high standards.

After settling in London with her life partner, Anna, she earned her BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics from King's College over ten years ago. Since then, she has developed a successful home-based practice specializing in food-related allergies but works closely as a freelance consultant in several clinics treating eating disorders.  

Always one to challenge herself, she started studying Chinese Herbal Medicine after visiting Beijing recently and is well on her way to becoming a qualified herbal practitioner specializing in gastrointestinal problems.

She is currently busy planning a 6-month clinically funded trip to India with her partner to research the role of various types of turmeric (rich in curcuminoids) for improving digestion and health in general. She's looking forward to putting her backpack on as that’s where she feels like home!