You can ask them to prove it.  Ask them for outside verification that their products have produced better results than other products.  Ask them to give you a list, a bibliography, of the studies that either they themselves have conducted or that they have had commissioned to have conducted.

You’ll want to be sure that these studies were published in what is called a Peer Reviewed or Refereed journal.  Examples of these are the Journal of the American Medical Association, The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, the most prestigious of them all and The Journal of Clinical Nutrition to mention a few.

These journals require a supplement company to submit their research papers to be evaluated by the top scientists in whatever the field of research.  This is to insure that the research is done correctly and that it can also be done by others who can expect the same outcome if they do the research the same way.

If you write a letter to the company asking for that list, the most likely response you will get is some brochures and flyer telling how good the product is.   If they are honest, they may tell you that since that kind of study is not required for nutrition products, only for pharmaceuticals, and that it is very costly to do, they simply rely on published research and formulate their products based on that.

I personally want more than just their say so. Occasionally a company will actually have done one or two of those studies and had them published in that level of journals.  I require that the company can produce many such studies in order for me to be certain that they really do have good science that my body can benefit from.

You can inquire as to the number and kinds of quality testing they do on their products at each step along the way so that you can compare them intelligently.

• I’m looking at a vitamin in the health food store that says it is natural.”

• “I’ve been told that a vitamin is a vitamin and to just get the cheapest brand.”

• What should I look for when selecting a multi-vitamin product?

• How can I know that the vitamin I take or am looking at meets the minimum standards but also insures that it is in a form that can be used by the body, and that the nutrients are all bio-available?

• I’ve been told that I should use a liquid vitamin in order to get the best absorption.  Is this true?

• How much difference is there really in what nutrients are needed for women vs for men?

• Why do I care if my multi or other vitamins are natural 100% or partially  synthetic?