For those of you who might still be following this topic, here is a web address of the book some people have been speaking about. The book is "the comparative guide to nutritional supplements". Edit

Forgot to mention that the book is by lyle macwilliam. Might be a little easier to find that way.

Looks like rampagesr has some of his "facts" wrong.

1. Yes, it is true that lyle macwilliam is on the usana medical advisory board. But he wasn't when he wrote the book. He did so at the request of the canadian gov't.

2. Can't argue that one.

3. Half true. Yes, it's true that he wrote the comparative guide; however, the ratings of the 500 supplements in the book were conducted by 7 doctors and nutritionalists. All of their recommendations were used to rate the products, not just mr. Macwilliam's.

4. Not sure on this one, but don't see it relevant seeing how the actual study used other doctors opinions and recommendations.

5. The pdr might not "endorse" usana products, but they do have usana products listed in the book (p.3260-3262 - 59th edition). 6 of them to be exact.

6&7. This is true. Usana has been instructed to remove all referrences to the pdr from their promotional information. However, as I said above, it is not because they are not in the book. It is because of copyright law. The statement given to usana by the publisher of the book was just because they are listed in the pdr does not mean they can use it as a promotional tool. Nothing more.

8. True.

9. Unsure. Hey, at least i'm honest.

10. Basically, fda approval is a joke. How many "fda approved" over the counter medicine has been recalled because foreign substances have been found in the bottle? Or it has been labeled wrong? Usana produces pharmaceutical grade supplements, meaning they must pass a much more rigorous test to be allowed into the public. They also back their products with a 100% potency guarantee, meaning they guarantee what is on the label is in the bottle. It is estimated that 40-60% of supplements you buy in the store do not have in the bottle what they claim to have on the label.

11. Not true. Several doctors feel it would be a conflict of interest to be in the business, but they do recommend the products to patients.

12. Absolutely not true. I have several friends and family members who endorse usana products and they are not in the business. Usana also has several athletes who endorse the product and are not associates. Jennifer azzi, the u.S. Women's olympic tennis team, and derek parra to name a few.

If anyone else has questions, let me know.

Some more info that I found:

"lyle macwilliam joined usana's medical advisory board in 2003 but is not an associate or employee of usana. The guide to nutritional supplements was written from lyle macwilliam's perspective without the persuasion of usana."

and remember, the evaluations were conducted by 7 seperate doctors. Lyle did not participate in the supplement ratings, he only wrote the 1st half of the book which contains information on supplements and why it's important to use a pharmaceutical grade supplement.

In fact, here is his checklist for supplements. These are things you should consider before purchasing any supplement:

- is the product delivered in a single dose? A "one-a-day" tablet simply cannot provide the levels of potency needed for optimal nutrition without being too large to swallow.

- are the potency levels of the ingredients hig enough to provide optimal daily nutritional intake without compromising safety?

- are the ingredients provided in their most bioavailable form? (mineral salts re not as well absorbed as chelated minerals or minerals bound to an organic carrier).

- does the company meet u.S. And canadian pharmaceutical guidelines -- not food-grade guidelines (fda)-- for good manufacturing processes (gmps)?

- is the product formulated to meet pharmaceutical standards for full distintegration and dissolution?

- is the product potency guaranteed for a specified shelf life?

- is the product independently tested and guaranteed for potency and safety?

- is the product manufactured in-house? (or is it contracted out to the lowest bidder?

As for the only requirement to being listed in the pdr as just having to pay an advertising fee, I have not been able to find any evidence of this. So if rampagesr could post his source I may take that claim more seriously.

I have more information and links to medical and scientific studies regarding supplements on my webpage. Just click on my screen name and go to the site located under occupation.

Okay ask yourself these questions.....Do you take a multivitamin now? Do you lead an active lifestyle? Bad habits? Overall diet?. I work in the health profession and have seen too many people try to change things dramatically and it never happens! My suggestion.... If usana is your first shot at a multivitamin...Don't bother. Try and get used to taking a general multivitamin before you spend the big dollars. I use usana myself and that is by choice. I find it to be a great product and have seen many people benifit from taking them. The difference (forget fda stuff) is that the more expensive vitamins garantee that the dose in the bottle is in every vitamin. The over the counter vitamins can't so they are always a little different. Something is better than nothing and no product is worth breaking the bank over. If you can afford usana definatly give it a try for 6 months or so and find out for yourself, it's not something you are locked in to.

Forget the ladder thing (i don't bother with it), I just buy the product because I see personal benifit from it.

Like all multi level companies their products are overpriced for what you get. I have looked at all their literature and they do have good products, but they are over priced. I own a health store in canada, and can tell you, you are paying for all the people above your retailer too. Buy from a local independent store!

Want a good quality supplement - call us at the store speak to steve or shauna.

Panacea is a awesome product - here's the webpage..

Edit

First, I want to comment on the "dissolves in water" trick. If you like seeing neat experiments, try this. Put a piece a broccoli in water for half an hour. It doesn't dissolve! Does that mean my body doesn't digest food???

Second, I felt a little nervous about my generic vitamins I get at the store. So, I started reading the bottle. I found a note on a mid-priced bottle that referenced www.Uspverified.Org.

Usp is a third-party that validates vitamins for several companies. They seem very thorough in auditing vitamin content and manufacturing processes. Save your money and look for the usp logo on your bottles.

This brochure may explain more.
Http://www.Usp.Org/pdf/en/uspverified/dsvp 033b_hcpbrochure.Pdf

i don't work for usp. I just don't want the hype machines of crooked vitamin companies stealing your money and polluting the internet with fear, uncertainty and doubt. Usp is not some puppet created by a single manufacturer. It has a list of several reputable companies that it validates.

Google it yourself and learn more. Even try "usp verified scam" to dig up some dirt. Chances are you'll see the "whistle blower" policy of usp. Then, you'll probably see the people that wish they knew about the good news of the usp logo before spending a small fortune on a scam vitamin.

Melvyn,
ive done the research for you.

I spent 1 year researching the best multi ingredient, science based supplements in the market and usana essentials was one of the final four.

Ive done in-depth evaluations and reviews of these 4 products based around 6 criteria: formula, ingredient quality, bioavailability, synergy, manufacturing standards and protocols, and value for money.

Usana was not the winner.

If you would like to see my work please follow this link

best vitamin supplements

cheers

brett

Melvyn,

the link in my post just above didn't work. If you want to take a look please copy and paste this url into your browser window;


http://www.Nutritional-supplement-truths.C om/best_vitamin_supplements.Html


cheers

brett :d

A friend of mine ordered from http://discount.Usana.Com and was very pleased with his order. He aparently ordered the usana essentials and has been raving to me about them ever since. In this world you get what you pay for. A lamborghini is expensive for a reason. I recommend checking them out because the increase in performance and everyday feel is so superior to anything else out there. This is a whole new way of life that you gotta try to believe.

I had never heard about GNC only delivering 25% of the nutrients labeled, according to consumer reports ???

I read this forum and had to become a member just to comment. I am RELIEVED someone pointed out that the book everyone pushes to promote USANA is not necessarily objective and that it also refers to the Canadian supplements and not the USA ones.

I was given USANA as a gift - for me and my children. Initially I was incredibly thankful because I couldn't afford good supplements on my own. I was given the story of how they changed the donors health and the health of his family, and warned that there may be some detox symptoms that would pass if I would just hang on.

I recently, after several months, stopped taking them. I work around computers so I need my eyes functioning and I have had increased incidents of fuzzy vision, which leads to eye fatigue and headaches, and this has not passed.

My mother, who reads a lot on these subjects, mentioned that in her opinion Vitamins are becoming too strong and with the antioxidants that people are rushing ahead of the research in deciding on amounts. (There is admittedly some mixed research about antioxidant supplements but nothing that makes me panic.)

I went and took a closer look at the USANA labels (something I should maybe have done before). One thing that stuck out immediately was the amount of daily IUs for Vitamin A. I remember an interview with Linus Pauling, himself a great advocate for mega-dosing with supplements, but he warned about too much of certain vitamins, Vitamin A included. Further research led me to some mentions of too much supplemental Vitamin A leading to blurred vision.

I'm not saying the Vitamin A is for certain the the problem... this is just a guess. I only know that since stopping my intake a week ago I have had no more problem with my eyes or my head. An argument could be made that every time I use a computer I am damaging my eyes so I continue to detox, but I really don't think that's the answer. I don't spend THAT much time in front of the computer.

I'm going back to what I did before... a good supplement, but not one really packing in the amounts, and an increased amount of juicing and cleaning up the areas in my diet that got sloppy... in the all and all, it's still the healthiest answer.

Not all vitamins are the same,please do some research before you post.Like some contain red and yellow dye that are a known cancer causers.It really does matter how they are made.Some don't digest in your system and therefore can't be absorbed.

I wish I could. My doc recommended the One-A-Day Multi for Women and I bought a nice big 'ol bottle at Sam's, however after taking them for about 3 days, I became so constipated I didn't want to move. So I stopped taking them and a few days later everything returned to normal. I called my doc and told him about the results and he recommended going back on the vitamin and adding a fiber supplement. So I tried that. Same results. I gave up on the One-A-Days and gave the rest of the bottle to my mom - they work fine for her.
A friend of mine works for Premier Nutraceuticals, who manufacture supplements from high-quality raw materials. She got me some of the basic supplements to try and they're working great. Their calcium is from coral sources so it is easily absorbed by my body. I have found that taking the individual supplements that I need rather than the all-in-one makes me feel a lot better.
I guess my point is that I personally would rather pay more for a product that actually works than go the cheap route and get a product that is ineffective/counterproductive for my body. Whether it's Usana, Premier Nutraceuticals, some other higher priced alternative, or a store brand, only you can determine if it's worth the cost.

anneonthego,

I found this on about.com:
"The recommended safe upper limit of retinol is 3000 mcg (9900 IU) per day. This includes all sources of retinol, including foods such as liver, dietary supplements such as cod liver oil and vitamin A supplements, fortified foods such as cereals, and multivitamins."

I have USANA supplements as well, and one USANA serving of vitamin A is 9,000 IU. I don't know if this helps solve anything...

Here is the link: altmedicine.about.com/cs/govtregulation/a/ VitaminAToxic.htm

I just found some more info on vitamin a daily intake:
it's recommended that women take 4000IU daily and men 5000IU, children 6000-8000IU.

http://www.healthvitaminsguide.com/vitamin s/vitamin-a.htm

Considering the foods we eat with vitamin a, it's concerning me that USANA's essentials are so high in vitamin a...only 900IU below the safe upper limit (accoring to about.com).

Yeah right. If not paying the people above the line, just pay the store owner who gets hefty commissions of every products sold in the store plus advertisers and promoters and salesmen. Your choice.

Of course a piece of brocoli won't dissolve in water! What you think the water is a blender?

That's why you have teeth and you chew the brocoli first before you swallow it and get digested in your tummy!! hahaha

Of course a piece of brocoli won't dissolve in water! What you think the water is a blender?

That's why you have teeth and you chew the brocoli first before you swallow it and get digested in your tummy!! hahaha