You’re standing there with a bottle of supplements in your hand, staring at the label with doubts and questions racing through your mind . . .
You’ve read articles, listened to friends, asked your doctor . . . but you’re still not sure.
Do supplements work?
The short answer is “yes.”
- Literally thousands of published peer-reviewed scientific studies demonstrate supplements work.
- From professional athletes to moms, more and more people are enjoying the benefits of including nutritional supplements in their daily routine.
- An increasing number of health professionals recommend them as part of the growing field of integrative medicine.
However – that being said – in order for supplements to work the way we hope they will, supplements need to meet four specific criteria . . .
Criteria #1: Supplements That Work Usually Have Evidence Behind Their Ingredients
When it comes to being certain about whether a supplement works, clinical research is your best reference. Some supplement ingredients, like glucosamine for joint support, for example, have hundreds of studies behind them, including dozens of clinical trials.
- Some of this research reveals certain ingredients do not work as well as we expected for specific areas of health.
- On the flip side, much of this research shows nutritional supplement ingredients work exceptionally well in helping you stay healthy.
Of course, this research is just the beginning. Many supplements with a long history of traditional use have not been studied enough by science. This doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t work. It simply means the data confirming their reported benefits has not been collected yet through laboratory or clinical research.
You can find out more about the science behind NOW products here.
Criteria #2: The Supplement Ingredients Have Been Tested for Purity, Potency and Identity
It doesn’t matter how much scientific evidence shows an ingredient works. If you mix up ingredients, use the wrong potency, or use contaminated ingredients, your product won’t work as you expect it to.
For this reason we pay particular attention to testing our ingredients using our world class labs. While the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) require all companies to test their ingredients, they still don’t cover the level of testing we maintain. Few companies match our meticulousness.
- To find out more about how our in-house laboratories make such a difference, just go here.
- To find out more about how NOW goes beyond compliance with GMPs, go here.
- To see what we mean when we say, “What’s on the label is in the bottle,” go here.
Criteria #3: Supplements That Work Are Formulated, Developed and Manufactured By People Who Understand the Science
Good research and lab equipment don’t do much good if we don’t have qualified staff. With a tremendous depth of qualifications and experience our staff can tap into the best research out there. Better yet, they set the standards! NOW’s team has developed lab techniques that have become industry standards.
- Find out more about our exceptional staff right here.
Criteria #4: The Ingredients In Supplements That Work Match What’s Promised On The Label
You may be a savvy consumer, researching and reading labels carefully. But if the label misrepresents ingredient identity or the concentration of certain ingredients . . . or leaves out ingredients entirely . . . you won’t get the results you’re expecting.
Plenty of consumers have been disappointed when they take supplements that don’t match what’s on the label.
That’s why we take so much care when we create our labels. If you’re expecting 200 mg of resveratrol as natural trans resveratrol, for example, that’s what you should get in the bottle.