Vitamins

[itsybitsy]

Is it safe to take vitamin tablets if they are out of date?

[the-gnole]

Is it safe to take vitamin tablets if they are out of date?

I very much doubt that they will be as good as they were the day they were made, but "safe" they are likely to be, as they are not made of anything that is really "unsafe".

They won't be as "full" as when new, but I don't think they will cause any harm long-term.

Microcrystalline cellulose, lactose, calcium, or malto-dextrin are added to many vitamins as a filler, to give the vitamin the proper bulk. Magnesium stearate or stearic acid is usually added to vitamin tablets as a lubricant, and silicon dioxide as a flow agent. These additives help the vitamin powder run smoothly through the tablet-making or encapsulating machine. Modified cellulose gum or starch is often added to vitamins as a disintegration agent. That is, it helps the vitamin compound break up once it is ingested. Vitamin tablets are also usually coated, to give the tablets a particular color or flavor, or to determine how the tablet is absorbed (in the stomach versus in the intestine, slowly versus all at once, etc.). Many coatings are made from a cellulose base. An additional coating of carnauba wax is often put on as well, to give the tablet a polished appearance.

Read more: How vitamin is made - ingredients of, making, history, used, processing, components, steps, product, machine, History, Raw Materials, The Manufacturing Process, Quality Control http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Vitamin ... z1FI0tz8BH

[bommerpaul]

I have taken many supplements including vits and mins over two years after the sell by date, they have been okay, they did not do me any harm but think they would loose effectiveness, i would stay clear of fish oils, you would be better off getting things like wheat grass seeds they only take ten days to grow and is one of the best things to take on a daily basis, plus lots of healthy fruit and veg

[the-gnole]

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updat ... 103a.shtml

So the expiration date doesn't really indicate a point at which the medication is no longer effective or has become unsafe to use. Medical authorities state expired drugs are safe to take, even those that expired years ago. A rare exception to this may be tetracycline, but the report on this is controversial among researchers. It's true the effectiveness of a drug may decrease over time, but much of the original potency still remains even a decade after the expiration date. Excluding nitroglycerin, insulin, and liquid antibiotics, most medications are as long-lasting as the ones tested by the military. Placing a medication in a cool place, such as a refrigerator, will help a drug remain potent for many years.

[Bladerunner]

I was looking to buy some vitamins a couple of weeks ago and read the label, YIKES.

They are now putting Aspartame in vitamins. That's like putting mercury in Calpol.

For those of you unfamiliar with Aspartame, google "Aspartame side effects".

Call me picky, but I tend to stear clear of products when one of the 94 side effects is DEATH!

Even ASDA have wised up and you can buy some products from them that have a label on them saying NO ASPARTAME. Looks like Sainsbury's are jumping on the band wagon too.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -cola.html

Aspartame is completely banned in at least one US state.