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Product Review: Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplements |
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How Products were Selected:
Products were selected to 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, catalogues, or multi-level marketing companies. Products were not accepted directly from manufacturers.
Testing Methods:
As described below, products were tested for their amount of selected index elements (see below), their ability to disintegrate in solution (excluding chewable and time-release products) and lead contamination.
Each product was tested for at least one index element in each category shown below. The first element within each category was selected unless not claimed in the product, in which case, the next claimed element was selected.
- Oil-soluble vitamins:
- Vitamin A (levels of beta carotene and retinol (retinyl acetate or palmitate) evaluated independently)
- Vitamin E (natural and synthetic forms)
- Vitamin D
- Water-soluble vitamins
- Folic acid (folate)
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
- B Vitamins
- Niacin
- Pyridoxine
- Riboflavin
- Minerals
- Calcium
- Iron
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Manganese
Products were analyzed for their vitamin and mineral index elements using the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) methods for Oil- and Water-soluble Vitamins and Mineral Tablets in an independent laboratory.
Disintegration of non-chewable and non-time release formulations was analyzed utilizing USP (United States Pharmacopeia) <2040> recommendations entitled "Disintegration and Dissolution of Nutritional Supplements."
Analyses for lead were performed using an atomic absorption/graphite furnace method or ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy).
All testing was conducted in independent laboratories which the identities of the products were not disclosed.
ConsumerLab.com may modify or use other appropriate test methods if necessary to test special product formulations.
Passing Score: *
To achieve a "Pass" in the testing, a product had to:
- Contain at least 100% and no more than 150% of its claimed amount of the index elements. Any product claiming vitamin A had to meet its claimed amount for total vitamin A (beta-carotene and retinol combined) as well as meet any claimed ratio of beta-carotene to total vitamin A.
- Meet recommended USP parameters for disintegration for supplements (excluding chewable and time-release products). These parameters include a limit of 30 minutes for uncoated and film-coated vitamin-mineral tablets and a limit of 45 minutes for plain coated vitamin-mineral tablets.
- 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 herb or 1.0 mcg for two or more herbs.
- Meet all FDA labeling requirements.
For a product to fail, confirmation of a failing result was required on at least one of the criteria through repeat testing in a second independent laboratory.
* 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.
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