Vitamins and herbs are often recommended as part of lifestyle advice.
If you purchase best quality vitamins and supplements it is highly recommended that you check the ‘best before’ and ‘use by dates’. If none is stated then it is best to seek out other brands.
Unlike pharmaceuticals, it is not compulsory to state the date for vitamins and supplements products. The shelf-life of supplements depends on:
- Temperature
- Moisture
- Oxygen
- Exposure to Light
- pH of the product
- Oxidising and reducing agents
- Presence of metallic ions (e.g. iron and copper)
- Presence of other ingredients
- Other components of food, such as sulphur dioxide
- Combinations of the above
It is likely that Vitamins B,D will have shorter half lives so they will disintegrate quicker. The same will apply to probiotics, which often require refrigeration.
The best advice is to consult with a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioner who should be able to offer you advice on purchasing the best over-the –counter remedies or preferably they can provide you with ‘practitioner line’ best quality vitamins and supplements which will be specific for your needs.
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