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Do you believe that there is a difference in vitamin supplements? I can tell you that I STRONGLY believe there is a difference. The companies I use only sell their products to health care professionals. But instead of weaving a made-up story about synthetic vs. whole food supplements, or liquid vs. tablets, or store-bought vs. high quality, I want to give you the FACTS and let you decide for yourself. If you have not done so yet, I urge you download and to listen to the Vitamin Answer Book (its FREE) as a starting point.
You will find some very interesting FACTS about store-bought vitamins, herbs, and information about the RDA/DV (Recommended Daily Allowance/Daily Values). You will find out the truth as to whether you are simply creating expensive urine by taking higher doses of certain vitamins.
Most companies buy the cheapest raw materials in order to make the highest profit. For most natural products there are different “grades” of products available for purchase. Highest grades contain the purest forms of the supplement while lower grades can contain many impurities and sometimes may not even contain the claimed product.
Here is an outtake from a recent study from The Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association looking at the label claim for Chondroitin Sulfate (taken for arthritis symptoms) which they bought from internet sources and stores:
"Twenty-six out of 32 products were found to contain less than 90% of the chondroitin sulfate stated on the label. Only five out of 32 products contained the labeled amount of chondroitin sulfate in the product. This would suggest that in many cases 84% of brands that were tested are inferior products." Abedowale A, et al. JANA 2000 Vol.3, No. 1 Spring.
Logic dictates that the higher grade products will be more expensive and this is true. But how do you know whether or not a company is actually buying the more expensive form? You do not, as they could be less than honest for the sake of profit! Thus, you have to look at how the company manufactures its products to make any determination of quality.
It makes sense that any company concerned solely with profit will not employ costly procedures in the making of the supplement to ensure quality.
The companies I use to supply the supplements for ZimmerNutrition.com employ costly procedures to ensure quality. Not just one procedure, but a number of them. These are listed below:
GMP compliance (Good Manufacturing Practices)
This program is based upon third party inspections of member suppliers and comprehensive audits of their GMP practices. This program ensures that all elements of the manufacturing process are reviewed to provide reasonable assurance that processes are sufficiently controlled so that products meet their purported quality.
The problem is that the GMP certification DOESN’T govern the quality of raw materials. So, a company may be GMP certified but still buy the cheapest raw materials. More than the GMP is needed and this is where you will find the difference in our product manufacturers.
In-House Laboratory Analysis
Our companies analyze EACH & EVERY lot of incoming raw materials and outgoing products against strict standards and specifications. Almost none of the other companies do this due to cost and because it would prove their product’s inferior status. Thorne Research, for example, has a state-of-the-art laboratory to test their supplements that includes:
- Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometer (ICP)
- High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) with series 200 Diode Array Detector and series 200 Fluorescence Detector
- Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) with Flame Fluorescence Detector and Electron Capture Detector
- Near Infrared Spectrophotometer
Inspection By Independent Auditors
Our companies pay for independent audits to evaluate some of their procedures and products. This is an additional level of cost for these companies, which well illustrates their true commitment towards manufacturing quality products.
Obviously, the manufacturers we use are in business to make a profit and they accomplish this by charging more for their products. This is why you will generally pay more for quality, but this is not always the case. (Listen to or read the Vitamin Answer Book for some eye-opening information.)
The main point is that you should not have to hope or guess whether the products you buy are actually what you paid for in the first place. You should not have to put up with crafty advertising or fantastic testimonials. When you buy from ZimmerNutrition.com you do not have to worry whether you have just been duped into buying worthless junk. This is the real ZimmerNutrition.com difference. Click on our Supplements link to visit our online store.
My hope is that you will soon realize that ZimmerNutrition.com is here to help you advance your all around personal health in an individualized and caring manner that has been lost in today's health care system.
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