Sometimes, thyroid support dietary supplements sold online contain thyroid hormones that are not listed on the label.
While some contain glandulars (powdered bovine thyroid, for instance) and would be expected to contain some T4 and T3, some contain more than would be expected. And some supplements that list only botanicals (herbal) as ingredients contain T4 or T3, which may mean they have been “spiked”, since plants do not contain thyroid hormones. Such products are adulterated and are breaking labeling laws. The FDA is constantly enforcing those laws and shutting down companies that make adulterated products.
Here are some things you can consider when looking for a dietary supplement company you can trust.
1. Make sure it is GMP-certified. GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practices. For nutritional supplements, certification means the product meets established quality standards for dietary supplements to help ensure their identity, purity, strength, and composition. These standards are designed to prevent the inclusion of the wrong ingredient, the addition of too much or too little of an ingredient, the possibility of contamination, and the improper packaging and labeling of a product. GMP certification is not easy to get. (There are 400 pages of compliance forms and requirements.) And companies that work hard to get it will often let you know on their products and websites that they have achieved it by displaying a certification seal on their products.
2. If you are buying a plant product, buy only certified organic products. The “certified” part is important. It means the product is 100 % organic. Most importantly, it means that potentially harmful solvents like toluene have not been used to extract the active ingredients in the plants. Look for the Certified Organic seal. (show picture of the seal?
3. Note if the manufacturer states that it has independent laboratory testing done on its products. ConsumerLab is the best known of these, but US Pharmacopeia, NSF International and some others also test nutritional supplements. Independent testing means the manufacturer is willing to spend money to maintain the quality of its products. The people who own the companies that make reliable, trustworthy supplements and who plan to stay in business a long time do these things because they know that consumer trust is invaluable to their business in the supplements market , and must be earned every day.
For more information on how to buy a trustworthy nutritional supplement, see the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements http://ods.od.nih.gov
REFERENCES
Kang GY, Parks JR, Fileta B, et al. Thyroxine and triiodothyronine content in commercially available thyroid health supplements. Thyroid. 2013
Leave A Comment