Vitamin D problems from Consumer Lab.com

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*Incorrect amount of vitamin D or other ingredients*

- *DEVA Vegan Vitamin D 800 IU* contained only 664 IU of its listed 800

IU of vitamin D2 per tablet.

- *Kirkman Calcium/Magnesium Liquid* contained its listed amount of

calcium but only 18 IU of its listed 41 IU of vitamin D3 per 10 mL

serving.

- *vitafusion Vitamin D3* contained only 317 IU of vitamin D3 per 2 gummy

bear serving – 31.7% of the listed 1,000 IU.

- *Li'l Critters Calcium Gummy Bears with Vitamin D*, a children’s

product, contained much more vitamin D2than listed. A two gummy suggested

serving contained 501 IU of vitamin D2, 251% of the claimed 200 IU of

vitamin D.

- *DaVinci Laboratories of Vermont Vitamin K2 Plus *contained its listed

amount of vitamin D but only 36.8 mcg of its listed 50 mcg of

vitamin K2per capsule. (A similar deficiency was found in this

product when tested in

2009 when ConsumerLab.com reported finding only 63.4% of the claimed amount

of vitamin K2.)

*Lead contamination*

- *AlgaeCal Plus* contained 3.9 mcg and 5.2 mcg of lead, respectively, in

suggested servings of 3 and 4 capsules.

- *Pure Essence Labs Ionic-Fizz Super D-K Calcium Plus* contained 2.1 to

4.1 mcg of lead, respectively, in suggested servings of 1 to 2 scoops of

powder per day.

Lead contamination is a known potential issue with dietary supplements,

particularly those containing minerals or herbal ingredients. AlgaeCal

included algae-based calcium and magnesium, while Pure Essence included many

minerals and botanical ingredients. Children are most sensitive to lead

poisoning and may be affected by total daily exposure to as little as 6 mcg

(including all food and drink, as well as supplements). Adults can tolerate

higher levels of lead (25 to 75 mcg of lead per day). Lead is stored in the

body and unnecessary exposure should be avoided. The FDA permits supplement

manufacturers to set their own limits on lead in their products, but one

state, California, requires a warning label on supplements that contain more

than 0.5 mcg of lead per daily serving (or 1.0 mcg of lead in supplements

that contain 1,000 mg or more of calcium). Neither of the two products with

lead contamination had this warning label.

*Labeling infractions*

- *Nature's Life® D-2* listed potential benefits of vitamin D but did not

provide the required FDA disclaimer for such claims. The disclaimer should

read: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug

Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or

prevent any disease.” This product did, however, meet the other quality

criteria of this Review.

- *AlgaeCal Plus*, *Pure Essence Labs Ionic-Fizz Super D-K Calcium Plus*,

and *DaVinci Laboratories of Vermont Vitamin K2 Plus* (all of which are

noted above for other problems) did not provide the required food allergen

disclosure for people with sensitivity to soy. The vitamin K in these

products is MK-7, which is produced from natto, a fermented soybean. Neither

product stated that they contained soy. Other products with MK-7 provided

the proper disclosure of their soy content.

All standard (non-chewable) tablets were able to break apart (disintegrate)

properly. In one product, the levels of vitamins D and K could not be

accurately measured due to interference from other ingredients.

--

Ortiz, MS, RD

*The FRUGAL Dietitian* <http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com>

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