Product Review:B Vitamin Supplements (B Complexes, Energy Shots, Thiamin, Niacin, B-6, Biotin, Folic Acid, and B-12)
HOW PRODUCTS WERE EVALUATED:
How Products were Selected: Products tested represent those commonly sold and/or available nationally in the U.S. and Canada. ConsumerLab.com purchased products on the open market through retail stores, on-line retailers, and direct sales or multi-level marketing companies. Products were not accepted directly from manufacturers.
Testing Methods: B Vitamin products were tested for amounts of the B vitamins thiamin, (thiamin HCl or thiamin mononitrate), total vitamin B-2 (riboflavin and derivatives), total B3 (niacin and niacinamide), total B5 (pantothenic acid), total B6 (pyridoxine HCl and derivatives), total folate and derivatives, biotin and total B12. The products were also tested for their ability to disintegrate in solution (excluding chewable and time-release products).
Products were analyzed for B vitamin elements using the USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) or AOAC methods for Water-soluble Vitamin Tablets in independent laboratories.
Disintegration of non-chewable and non-time release formulations was analyzed utilizing USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) <2040> recommendations entitled "Disintegration and Dissolution of Nutritional Supplements."
All products listing "caffeine" as an ingredient were analyzed for xanthine alkaloid content (caffeine, theophylline and theobromine) by HPLC.
Products not having passing levels of key ingredients or contaminants were re-tested in a second independent laboratory using similar methods and instrumentation. All testing was conducted by independent laboratories to which the identities of the products were not disclosed.
Contain at least 100% and no more than 150% of its claimed amount of the B vitamins included in the testing (see above).
Meet the State of California's Prop 65 limits for lead in supplements: 0.5 mcg of lead per daily serving with an additional allowance of 1.0 mcg for supplements containing 1,000 mg/day or more of elemental calcium and 0.5 mcg for supplements containing specific other minerals. For supplements not marketed for use by children, ConsumerLab.com provides an additional allowance of 0.5 mcg if containing 250 to 499 mg/day of elemental calcium or 1.0 mcg if containing 500 to 999 mg/day of elemental calcium and an allowance of 0.5 mcg for if containing one whole herb (not extract) ingredient or 1.0 mcg for two or more whole herb ingredients. If a maximum recommended daily serving is not defined, a daily serving size will be determined and applied by CL.
Meet recommended USP parameters for disintegration for vitamin supplements (excluding chewable and time-release products).
Clearly and accurately state the amount of minerals and vitamins (oil-and water-soluble) expected to be in the product.
Meet all FDA labeling requirements.
A "Pass" was based on meeting the above criteria in either the first or second rounds of testing.
A product that passed the above criteria but exceeds any Tolerable Upper Intake Level (ULs) established by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies for any ingredients for the product's intended population was indicated with an explanatory footnote of precautions.
* Passing scores allow for specific margins of technical error associated with each analysis. ConsumerLab.com reserves the right to disqualify a product at any time from passing its testing if it considers such product to present a safety risk or to provide misleading or inaccurate information in its labeling.
