Revealed: vitamin supplements that don’t contain what they say
Revealed vitamin supplements that don't contain what they say
Revealed: Vitamin Supplements That Don’t Contain What They Claim
Vitamins and supplements are a booming industry. In the UK alone, we spend around £442 million annually on these products. However, you might be wasting your money.
Our investigation uncovered several supplements that don’t contain the advertised ingredients and brands making misleading or unproven health claims.
Don’t Trust the Label
We discovered three popular supplements where the vitamin content in the bottle did not match the packaging claims.
Legally, supplements can contain up to 50% more or 20% less vitamin and 45% more or 20% less mineral than stated on the label. However, of the eight supplements we tested, three fell outside these broad parameters:
- Vitabiotics Wellwoman Original: Contained only 65% of the declared vitamin D: 3.2mcg instead of the 5mcg listed on the label.
- Holland & Barrett ABC Plus Multivitamins: Had 362mcg of vitamin A instead of the advertised 692mcg (only 52% of what’s stated).
- Nature’s Best Multiguard Balance: Claimed to contain 10mg of vitamin B6 per tablet, but our tests found negligible amounts.
The manufacturers disputed our results, questioning our testing methodologies and the representativeness of the batch. However, we are confident in our lab’s recognized testing standards and reliable, accurate results.
Misleading Benefits
Our investigation also revealed that some supplement companies use unauthorized and exaggerated claims on their websites.
All health claims must be assessed and authorized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). If the evidence doesn’t support the claim, it is unauthorized and rejected. Despite this, we found the following:
- Nature’s Best Fish Oil: Claimed Omega 3 oils are used by the body for joint mobility and brain development. Reality: No authorized health claims for joint health, and DHA in Omega 3 oils contributes to normal brain function, not development.
- Healthspan Replenish Day-Night Skin Nutrition Supplement: Claimed vitamin C boosts collagen levels and hyaluronic acid provides more hydrated skin. Reality: Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen function but doesn’t boost it. No authorized claims for hyaluronic acid or lycopene. Vitamin E contributes to cell protection but doesn’t repair skin.
- MyVitamins Joint Effort: Claimed MSM reduces joint pain and arthritis symptoms, turmeric extract reduces joint inflammation, and flaxseed oil eases arthritis symptoms. Reality: No authorized claims for any of these ingredients.
We contacted the companies with our findings. Nature’s Best and Healthspan have amended their websites, but MyVitamins did not respond and has not changed its website.
Conclusion
Don’t blindly trust supplement claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. To determine which supplements are necessary and which are a waste of money, read the full article in the April edition of Which? magazine.
