Vitamin Brands - Expensive Vs Cheap - Is There Really a Difference?

MementoMori on 10/11/2017 - 18:22

Hi all,

I've been recommended by a health professional to buy some Vitamin D and Zinc.

So, at my local Chemist Warehouse I can get 'Ethical Nutrients' 90 soft gels of Vitamin D3 1000IU for about $15. I'm told this is an excellent brand (in fact, the 'retail' brand of the very expensive 'Naturopath only' Metagenics).

Or, on iHerb I can buy 360 soft gels of Vitamin D3 5000IU for $15 USD + shipping with a bunch of high ratings. And there are some other options in between obviously.

I understand, when it comes to herbs (let's say, Ginko Biloba) you can have high quality and low quality. But when it comes to things like Vitamin C, isn't 1000mg = 1000mg (in the same form, of course)?

Has anyone done any testing actually know if it's worth paying the extra?

Poll Options

  • 2
    Worth it
  • 16
    Not worth it
  • 11
    I don't know
Health & Beauty

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 10/11/2017 - 18:32
    +5

    Couldn't you ask the healthcare professional?

    My understanding is that it is all the same stuff. It has to actually have the active ingredients it lists by law. If it says it contains those vitamins or minerals it has to have them.

    Just make sure you actually needs to be taking supplements. Some people do need them and are prescribed by a doctor but most people are just wasting their money producing expensive urine.

    • MementoMori on 10/11/2017 - 18:34
      -2

      The healthcare professional is a Naturopath who also sells said 'top quality' vitamins and herbs.

      Another Doctor said the quality stuff is good for initially treating an issue, and then the cheaper stuff is good for maintenance.

      • [Deactivated] on 10/11/2017 - 19:02
        +16

        I don't want to get into a whole argument about this but I will just say Naturopathy is not evidence-based medicine. You are free to spend your money as you see fit and seeing as you are visiting people who employ therapies and treatments that aren't evidence-based you may as well also spend your money on the more expensive vitamins.

        I don't want to pry, but how do you know you needs those vitamins? Did you have blood work done? Because I am pretty sure you need to have blood work done to determine vitamin and mineral deficiencies. If you just have a naturopath saying "you need these, also, I sell these." that should be a huge red flag.

        • PrimalNuke on 10/11/2017 - 19:17
          +2

          Absolutely listen to this, OP.

        • SBOB on 10/11/2017 - 20:09
          +2

          Naturopathy is not evidence-based medicine

          this….

      • ninetyNineCents on 10/11/2017 - 20:47

        Anyone can call themselves a Naturopath, there is no formal license or qualification. Theres nothing stopping anyone including you or me opening up a practice and calling ourselves a Naturopath if we wish.

        Naturopaths arent doctors, only people who actually have a university degree or better in medicine are "doctors".

      • Diji1 on 10/11/2017 - 22:21
        +1

        The healthcare professional is a Naturopath

        You are either seeing a well meaning idiot, a self-delusional idiot or an outright charlatan. Wake up.

      • afoveht on 10/11/2017 - 23:15

        https://imgflip.com/i/1z4yti

    • ninetyNineCents on 11/11/2017 - 17:09

      There is no law requiring anything such as your claims for vitamins or minerals as they arent recognised in any special category. In fact the requirements for chewing gum are also the same as any vitamin.

  • KaTst3R on 10/11/2017 - 18:34
    +1

    I dont think anyone can tell you with certainty that there is no difference. There is also no long term study done to prove that there is a benefit (if any) in buying either. The only information you can rely on is the amount of active ingredient in the pill.

    • SharedSugar on 11/11/2017 - 10:52

      Many vitamins aren't tested in Australia by a regulatory agency. The brand becomes more important because when they have been tested it is often found they contain far too much, too little or sometimes none of the labelled ingredient. If it is really important to get vitamins that contain the ingredients they claim you could import vitamins from a regulated market.

  • barbarella on 10/11/2017 - 19:12
    -3

    Yes Ethical Nutrients is an excellent brand - go with them for sure! (I have a medical background and a Naturopath in my family)

    • PVA on 10/11/2017 - 19:15

      So you would know that it's simply not worth paying extra for the exact same thing, then.

  • Islund on 10/11/2017 - 19:15

    Best one is Usana - the rest are not worth it

    • Banana on 10/11/2017 - 21:58

      No

    • johninmelb on 11/11/2017 - 14:48

      Ah, but Usana is a pyramid, sorry I meant Multi-Level selling organisation. I'd trust Chemist Warehouse long before Usana!

      • Islund on 11/11/2017 - 18:45

        Complementary medicines i.e. are not regulated by TGA as per my understanding.

        Working for a,company that supplies the actives to a lot of vitamin manufacturers I see most of the local manufacturers driving down their costs.

        The efficacy of those actives is why stay away from them.

  • OtG on 10/11/2017 - 19:32
    +1

    Testing, no. But I have been taking the 5000IU Vitamin D (Now Foods) from iHerb and anecdotally, feel better and sleep better since I’ve been taking it.

    • bobkin on 12/11/2017 - 20:40
      +1

      That is a very high dose and taking daily doses that high is not without risk. If you have not already done so I suggest you speak with your doctor to make sure it is appropriate for you

    • Mamajo on 22/11/2017 - 08:37

      Agree with Bobkin, that is a very high dose to be taking daily.

  • oscargamer on 10/11/2017 - 19:42
    +2

    check how many pills you are supposed to take a day

    some are 1 a day, some 3

    you need to convert brain to "how much does it cost per day for this brand of pill?"

    but generally, what's in the pill is important, what brand it is, is not important IMO

    • ninetyNineCents on 10/11/2017 - 20:49

      Who do you check how many you should have ? Given no alternative medicine manufacturer does any testing and never has any medical literature that supports their claims how exactly do they "know: what to tell anyone as a recommendation ?

      • oscargamer on 10/11/2017 - 20:58
        +1

        it'll say on the container………………..really? don't read much?

        • ninetyNineCents on 10/11/2017 - 21:51

          You havent grasp the concept they are not quoting any independent professional run studies on double blinded people. In fact they arent quoting anyone with any medical authority with backing evidence for their claims.

          Of course if im wrong feel free to provide a link as found on the side of a bottle that refers to not one but dozens of different studies from all the world with all confirming the same results.

        • oscargamer on 11/11/2017 - 08:04
          +1

          @ninetyNineCents:

          I was talking about comparing the cost of one brand against another.

          I was not talking about efficacy, that's a whole other topic, that we probably agree on.

        • ninetyNineCents on 11/11/2017 - 17:07

          @oscargamer:

          Well the ingredients they claim often make dubious claims that their X is equivalent to Y of something else, which is unproven and basically made up bullshit.

          The whole thing is a sad joke and should be made illegal.

        • oscargamer on 11/11/2017 - 18:01
          +1

          @ninetyNineCents:

          like i said, we agree

          i was catering to the OP who was asking about comparing A with B

          i was trying to help in a comparison of things that are basically useless…….

  • ripesashimi on 10/11/2017 - 20:39

    It's because a vitamin pill has other components besides vitamin. These components aid absorption and help prevent adverse reaction like stomach irritation and each company has their own formula. A lot of vitamin brands on iHerb has titanium dioxide as a colorant. It's not fully proven to be a carcinogen but a lot of people dont want this shit in their vitamin pills.

    Also, people who fine tunes their vitamin intake like pregnant women for example want to get enough vitamin A without having birth defects. That's where having a good idea of absorbability, or more precisely bioavailablity, is important.

    • ninetyNineCents on 10/11/2017 - 20:48

      Lots of things have titanium dioxide its often used to make things "white" including sunscreen (read the ingredients).

      Then again given that alternative medicine have absolutely zero honour will sell anything for .a dollar its hardly surprising.

  • icejester on 10/11/2017 - 21:47

    Not much difference with Vitamin D

    But cant speak for multivitamins and herbal/plant extracts

  • Banana on 10/11/2017 - 21:59

    Vitamin D pills are dirt-cheap to make.

  • CheapskateQueen on 11/11/2017 - 00:08

    Why not go outside a little more in lieu of tablets for the vitamin D?

    Not sure about your specific vitamins but i do know that there is a hhuuuuggee difference in the quality of Iron tablets on the shelf. Some well known brands are just BS. So I'd personally apply the same logic to all vitamins.

  • shortblack9 on 11/11/2017 - 11:30
    +3

    Ex-industry insider here (I now work in Pharma). Stick to Blackmores and Swisse. Their manufacturing and formulating are above board and they have excellent quality processes, and the accountability is there (Blackmores via ASX listing, Swisse via Chinese consumer perception - they have to protect the China market or their products get withdrawn/recalled by the Chinese regulator)

    Retail cost of vitamin supplements is NOT a reflection of quality as a general rule in the vitamin space. The most expensive brands are not necessarily better quality.

    (My role was in regulatory, formulation, manufacturing and quality for export… I had to assess local manufacturing standards and ensure they were better than or equal to other countries).

    • franek on 12/11/2017 - 01:09

      Hi shortblack9, any second tier brands that you would feel as confident about as Swisse or Blackmores? Also any more insider revelations :)

      • shortblack9 on 13/11/2017 - 09:20

        It really depends upon the quality systems of the company and where they do their manufacturing. I do not have any real knowledge of other companies, so I couldn't provide any insights into other companies, and it wouldn't fair for me to make any detrimental comments on companies to avoid.

        Generally speaking, if a company is ASX listed, then it is like to have better accountability (of course, this all dependent on the people).

        Keep an eye out for industry news on the TGA website - i.e. recalls, actions against companies. Also the ACCC Product Safety website is good for recalls also. Recalls can be as a result of an accidental oversight, but if they are consistent, they demonstrate systemic problems.

        • franek on 13/11/2017 - 19:47

          Thanks, good idea to check those sites.

        • shortblack9 on 13/11/2017 - 20:10

          @franek: No problem :-)

  • spersephone on 11/11/2017 - 20:00
    +1

    I was diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency and was experiencing some really awful symptoms, along with my iron deficiency. I'm now taking a Vitamin D tablet and simply bought the cheapest version - feeling much better.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join