Ask Gerda: How do you rate supplements and wellness products?

Gerda Endemann, our senior director of science and research, has a degree in nutrition from UC Berkeley, a doctorate in nutritional biochemistry from MIT and a passion for picking cherries from our wellness store. He spends a lot of time interpreting research – established and new. You will find some of her deep dives into health issues in our growing library of articles called goop PhD. You can send your questions to Gerda [email protected]

Dear goo, I am a bit cautious in buying supplements and other wellness products because I don’t know how to tell if they are well made. What should I know and how do you rate products on goop? -Madison

Hi, Madison. You can look for some red flags, and I’ll work it out a bit, but it’s not easy to check out wellness products.

I have a long history with supplements and studying health requirements, but even for me it can be a difficult and time consuming process of deciding whether a product will be effective and safe. When I was a kid, my father sold Nutrilite, one of the first brands of “natural” supplements. Back then, while I was a student studying nutrition, I was taught to watch out for supplements. (At this point, my father accused me of brainwashing the facility.) I have since concluded that supplements can change lives, but they need to be chosen carefully.

For a while after college, I worked as a scientist in a lab. And for my second career, I was a nutrition educator. My clients had a lot of questions about supplements and wanted me to recommend certain products to them. Determining the amounts of nutrients was simple, but estimating brands was not.

Before I started working, in 2018, I spent seven years in the dietary supplement industry, working on product research and development. And that inside information helped a lot. Contrary to what you may have heard, dietary supplements i wellness facilities are regulated by the FDA. However, the FDA does not have the resources to ensure that all manufacturers comply. And some are not.

If an ad or label says a product is effective or organic, the FDA and FTC require that there be evidence that the claim is true. For example, consumer products labeled as “organic” must be certified by the USDA, which does not allow the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. If the product is said to affect the body, scientific research should be conducted to substantiate this claim. Unfortunately, products regularly appear on the market that are promoted with unfounded claims. Regulatory agencies may not take measures for years, if they do not take them at all. In goop we do not claim that supplements are effective, organic or anything else unless we have evidence.

Scientists from our wellness team ensure that the claims about goop brand and third-party supplements we sell are backed up by scientific research or, in some cases, an ancient medical tradition. goopova director of science and research, dr. Jennifer Kovacs-Nolan spends most of her working day researching. To give you an idea of her way of thinking, I asked her about several products she helped evaluate from different categories: “The products we keep from wooden spoon plants are deliberately formulated with traditionally used herbal plants and are certified as organic foods,” she explains. “And the sugar control mints in Sweetkick’s 14-day sugar reset are supported clinical study about the product, as well as information about the key ingredient, hymnamic acid. “

The VFit device is another good example. It uses heat, red light and vibrations to stimulate blood flow and promote pelvic floor health. We say that because clinical study has shown benefits for healthy bladder and sexual function. And the brand has worked with the FDA classify vFit as a wellness device.

EVALUATION OF WELLNESS PRODUCTS: RECEIVABLES

Do the claims seem too good to be true?
Does the product claim to cure cancer or cause sudden weight loss?
Has the company shown that it doesn’t care about following FDA guidelines and not worrying about deceiving you?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it is a red flag.

If the claims look right, the next thing to look at is the list of ingredients. Are there any chemicals you don’t recognize? There is a good chance that Working group for environmental protection has information about their safety. And as part of our goop verification process, we will take care of this for you. We check things like endocrine disruptors, such as phthalates and parabens and other potentially harmful ingredients. We also check for artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners.

WELLNESS PRODUCT EVALUATION: INGREDIENTS

See if you recognize the names of the ingredients. (Note: Some chemicals are completely safe, so an unknown name is not necessarily a cause for alarm, but just maybe a little investigation.)
Products may contain compounds associated with potentially harmful effects on health or the environment. EWG One is a source you can look for for information on ingredients.

goop reviews all products for a constantly evolving long list of undesirable ingredients.

The evaluation process becomes more complex when it is time to determine whether the product contains the active ingredients listed on the label and does not contain harmful contaminants. If produced using current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) as defined by the FDA, should be fine. The accessories we produce and the accessories we sell of other brands are manufactured in plants that use CGMP. Many go above and beyond and seek CGMP certification by an independent auditor, including, for example, Gaia and a manufacturing facility used by The Nue Co.

However, adherence to CGMP requires extensive expensive testing to confirm the presence of active ingredients and the absence of heavy metals and harmful microbes. It may take years for the FDA to catch up with non-compliant manufacturers. “We review test results for heavy metals – lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic – and for bacterial contamination to make sure the products are safe,” says Kovacs-Nolan.

WELLNESS PRODUCT EVALUATION: QUALITY CONTROL

The focus in quality control is to determine if the product contains the desired ingredients and if it contains harmful contaminants.
The FDA requires that CGMP be used in the manufacture of dietary supplements. CGMP requires testing for identity (is this ingredient what the manufacturer says?), Purity (is this ingredient as strong as it should be) and contamination (is there in this ingredient adults, which occur naturally or not?), Among others parameters.
The implementation of CGMP by the manufacturer can be confirmed by the certification of an independent auditor, such as NSF or USP.

An important part of CGMP is clear labeling when allergens such as peanuts are present. All five goop vitamin protocols are made without the usual allergens of wheat, soy, eggs, dairy, nuts and peanuts. And they are
gluten free.

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. To the extent that this article contains the advice of a physician or physicians, the views expressed are those of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views of the goop.