Brands of vitamins - alternatives to IP

  • Somebody posted a question on what brands of vitamins to get as a cheaper alternative to IP. can't remember the thread...sorry

    Anyway, beyond checking the listed amounts of the various vitamins and minerals, the quality control is an issue. I was a chemical engineer and I know that manufacturers may or may not test for the actual amounts in the pill. We do not have regulations requiring it, so few companies will do it.

    I googled this and found that 'Consumer labs' actually ran tests and half of them failed, with one brand containing high levels of lead! There was also a Doctor Oz show on it.

    Bottom line, for me, is to use the bigger brands like Centrum, that are more likely to have the resources to test, or I use a brand that I 'think' is reliable. Still, few, if any guarantees, though.

    That's my 2cents worth.
  • My understanding is the IP vitamins are pharmaceutical grade, I used to get supplements from my Naturopath that were also pharmaceutical grade.....the ones I have came with my welcome bag so I don't know the price, but I may also be looking for something else if they are too costly
  • Keep in mind that even big brands are not always good...GNC has been sued twice for their supplement contents not matching the labels.

    I like ourhealthcoop.com. They 3rd party test every supplement to make sure it says what it does before they put their brand on it, and the test scores are on their website. They are also extremely affordable.

    From a top quality standpoint on supplements, you can't go wrong with Pure Encapsulations or Metagenics....they are very high quality, and the price usally reflects that.