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Vitamin Reviews
By The Net Analyst | June 8, 2008
Quality Companies, Quality Pricing
Good quality vitamins and supplements are tough to find at good prices especially since the government puts such lose regulation on the manufacturers. I have looked around the web to bring you some quality vitamin manufacturers that follow GMP (good manufacturing practices), which are well established procedures for quality control. I’ve noticed that the markups at some store retailers like GNC and some drug stores is incredible, but you get the same exact brand name products online for huge discounts!
Who Do We Recommend?
Products such as designer protein, weight loss supplements, ginseng, fish oil, multi-vitamins, and anything else you’re taking are all readily available. Our favorite vitamin shop is Puritan’s Pride.
We are no longer recommending VitaCost because their NSI vitamins are not GMP certified. I personally contacted the manufacturer to find out their manufacturing standards and they did not return any of my e-mails! In spite of this problem the name brand products sold by Vitacost are extremely cheap so the link is still here. Just stay away from the NSI brand!
Puritan’s Pride is a direct to consumer vitamin manufacturer with an outstanding reputation for quality supplements at outstanding prices! They are able to offer the best prices in the industry because they have no retail outlets to deal with and they do follow GMP guidelines.
As mentioned above we are not recommending the VitaCost NSI products although they do charge much less for brand name products like Natrol, Twin Labs, On Whey, Kashi, and Burt’s Bees than you will at retail outlets. Vitamin World is another decent place to look for brand name vitamins on sale.
Where to Learn More About Supplements
You will also get free access to nutritional research and other nutritional product information from the websites below. It’s a good idea to find out if there is any factual information or research regarding the effectiveness of any supplements that you’re interested in taking.
It is also important to check out the safety or natural products in combination with prescription medication. Some natural products like Kava Kava have actually been banned from the market in other countries! You can always call your pharmacy if you’re not sure about a drug interaction. Most pharmacists are well educated about the effects of vitamins and herbal products.
A Few Product Suggestions
Some of the best products with some evidence for use include glucosamine for arthritis, cranberry for possibly preventing UTIs, and garlic for mild reduction of blood pressure. The effects of lowering cholesterol with red yeast rice or fish oil also appear promising.
Although the FDA does not approve nutritional supplements to treat or cure any disease states, if you do your research you will likely find some natural products that may work for you. Just remember that natural does not always mean safe. Educate yourself about the possible side effects that may occur.
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Puritan’s Pride catalogs over 1,000 high quality vitamins, minerals, herbs and other nutritional supplements in their state-of-the-art facilities then ships them directly to your home at manufacturer direct prices. Puritan’s Pride’s has invested over $130 million in their manufacturing and quality control infrastructure and follows strict GMP guidelines (Good Manufacturing Practice) so you can be assured that you’re getting quality products. You’ll also get free shipping on orders over $25 and great prices on their extensive line of products. Puritan’s Pride is a great place to look for quality products at the lowest prices in the industry! |
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The Life Extension Foundation researches and develops anti-aging products and claims to be the "world’s leading anti-aging organization." Much of their research is done to develop therapies to treat degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, stroke, macular degeneration, etc. The website has a variety of anti-aging creams, popular vitamins, and other health related products. The Flordia based company claims to be the leader in anti-aging research and product development. You may currently get a free trial subscription to the popular Life Extension Magazine and you could even sign up to be a test subject in one one of their studies! |
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Vitacost
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** We no longer recommend the Vitacost NSI vitamins because they are not GMP certified. They do still carry major brands at significant discounts. At Vitacost we found excellent prices on brand name vitamins, protein, gluten-free products, and other nutritional items including organics! Some of the brand names featured include Kashi, NSI, Twinlabs, Burts Bees, MetRx, and OnWhey . Examples of the deals that you’ll find includeJim’s organic coffee starting at $5.99/lb (30% off), Nature’s Path organic cereals starting at $3.49 (25% off), and Nature’s Way "Metabolic ReSet" weight loss shake mix for $23.99 (40% off). You can also request a free catalog, subscribe to a free e-newsletter published by Dr. Allen Josephs, and enjoy free access to their nutritional research library. Shipping is only $4.99 for your entire order and all products are backed by Vitacost’s 30 day money back guarantee! |
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Vitamin World is another favorite for natural product information which you can find in their "health notes" section. Health notes includes information from approximately 550 scientific journals on healthy foods, herbal product safety, weight management, and a variety of other useful things. In addition to great information, you can find a huge selection of vitamins and earn bonus points by signing up for their Savings Passport Program. The Passport Program is FREE and is sent to you after you make your first purchase online. It will also work when you shop in over 470 of their retail outlets too! Vitamin World has a user friendly website, competitive pricing, excellent health information, and either cheap or free shipping! |
Topics: Healthcare & Nutrition |
September 9th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
I stumbled upon this website by accident, and its really awesome! Lots of useful information, especially when wanting to try something new or to find the best product. I love this place! Thanks!
October 15th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
BEWARE OF VITACOST’S OWN “NSI” Products!
Do you wonder why Vitacost’s NSI Brand is so cheap? It’s because they are manufactured in China. They are not certified as manufactured under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) guidelines. Many customers emailing or calling Vitacost and NSI about this have been ignored.
It is also rumored that Vitacost does not publish negative reviews on their NSI products or their service.
On the flip side, Vitacost does sell products from other companies that are GMP certified, like Jarrow, Natural Factors, and Doctor’s Best. But until they announce and prove that their own NSI products are GMP-safe, I would not buy them ever.
November 15th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Hey Net Analyst,
Looks like you need to do a little more research.
Let me point out TWO things.
1. Puritans Pride. As you stated they follow GMP guidelines. From their website, “Puritan’s Pride also manufactures products under very stringent GMPs.”
Note however, they are NOT GMP Certified, which brings me to point number 2.
2. VRP - Vitamin Research Products. Their products are actually GMP Certified. GMPs are regulatory requirements that provide guidelines for necessary processes, procedures and documentation to assure the products produced have the identity, strength, composition, quality and purity they are represented to possess.
VRP was rated “Top Products Overall” in the United States and Canada with a score of 93.1%.
* 1,000 American and Canadian multi-vitamin formulas were evaluated
* 508 met the criteria for testing - representing 232 companies
* Less than 1% of the total products compared exceeded a score of 90%
I would highly recommended and add VRP to your website. There prices are reasonable as well.
November 15th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Thank you for the comment DK. You make a great point! I looked into the matter and it is comforting to know that VRF has received NSF certification for “good manufacturing practices”.
For those not aware, NSF is an independent organization that certifies consumer products and manufacturing programs. One of their certificates is specifically available to nutritional supplement manufacturers. You can search though their complete list at http://www.nsf.org/Certified/GMP/.
I would also like to mention that the source for VRP’s “Top Products Overall” award comes from the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. This would be an interesting read for those of you interested in finding out more info on the top supplements.
One another note. I am aware that Puritan’s Pride does not submit to third party testing. They do however still follow GMP guidelines. This is better than most vitamin manufacturers, but clearly not as good as independent certification from NSF.
GMP guidelines are a loose set of rules for quality control published by the FDA. You can find more information on the guidelines at the FDA’s website - http://www.fda.gov/CDRH/DEVADVICE/32.html
VRP likely has some of the best third party GMP certified vitamins on the market at very reasonable prices. I will be sure to add more information about them in the future. Puritan’s Pride sells products that are probably above average at an extreme discount. Depending on your budget and the product quality that you are willing to accept, both of these companies have something good to offer.