If you come across a vitamin pack that has passed its expiration date, it is best to discard it. While expired vitamins are not dangerous, they are not as effective as they once were.
Vitamin supplements
lose their potency over time. However, taking them after their expiration date is usually not dangerous.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require expiration dates on dietary supplements, including vitamins and minerals. Manufacturers can choose to print them on products and, if so, they can be worded as “expires on”, “better to expire” or “use sooner”. Yes, supplements do expire, but it has more to do with their potency and quality than with safety issues. The date stamped on the bottle is important.
This expiration date should be your guide, and there's science that explains how it got there. Regulatory bodies require Nature's Way laboratory teams to validate any expiration date they give to a product, which means that they carry out studies on raw materials and test the product throughout its useful life to ensure its 100% potency regardless of the expiration date on the bottle or box.
While many liquid formulas contain added preservatives to help keep the product as fresh as possible, drinking straight from the bottle is one of the main ways to introduce bacteria into the supplement.
It's worth noting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't require supplement manufacturers to provide expiration dates on vitamin or mineral supplements. Just keep in mind that certain groups of people may be at greater risk than others if they take expired vitamins.Even so, taking expired supplements can cause deficiencies if people think they are taking in more nutrients than they are actually taking in. For example, a person can freeze some fish oil supplements to reduce their aftertaste, but other fish oil products should not be stored below 59°F. You can store multivitamin supplements on the kitchen counter or in the bathroom cabinet. Military-funded research has shown that 90% of prescription and over-the-counter drugs tested were still suitable for use even 15 years after their expiration date.
For instance, vegans may need to take a vitamin B-12 supplement regularly to stay healthy. Vitamins and other supplements lose potency over time, and the expiration date can indicate when these supplements have lost a significant amount of potency. To be safe, you should always check with your healthcare provider to see if you can take expired vitamins if you need supplements regularly. In any case, check the bottle of any supplement for recommendations on how to store it and follow them.
Additionally, it is best to choose those that have undergone independent third-party testing. Lynn often trains her employees on various nutrition topics, in addition to educating retail partners on vitamins, minerals and supplements. Because the FDA doesn't require it, each company will make its own decision as to whether and how to label expiration dates on vitamins.
