How to Compare Vitamin Brands

Vitamins are available from many different brands in an array of forms.

Vitamins, or dietary supplements, can help ensure that you meet your nutritional requirements. There are many different brands on the market, so consumers will need to decide which is best for them.

Advertisements

Don't rely on information from advertising or emails for vitamin brands. According to the Federal Trade Commission, vitamin advertisers must back up the claims made in advertisements with available research studies. The Food and Drug Administration warns that reputable vitamin brands won't send you emails with claims that sound too good to be true.

Quality Research

A good vitamin brand will refer to quality research studies including clinical trials; look for these. Quality research studies will be published in peer reviewed medical journals and can be found in the International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) Database.

Ingredients

Check the vitamin and mineral levels on the label against those recommended for you by the Institute of Medicine's dietary reference intakes. The best vitamin brand for you will meet your dietary supplement needs.

References

• Food and Drug Administration: Tips on Searching the Web for Information on Dietary Supplements
• National Institutes of Health : International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) Database
• Federal Trade Commission : Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for Industry
• Institute of Medicine : Dietary Reference Intakes Tables and Application

Resources

• Food and Drug Administration : Consumer Information on Dietary Supplements