How to get the nutrients you need: vitamin and mineral supplements help you feel your best and ward off illness. To reap their benefits, you need to take them the right way - Consumer guide: how to be an educated consumer - Cover Story

Natural Health, August, 2002 by Erin O'Donnell

Xiang-Dong Wang, M.D., Ph.D., is associate professor of nutrition and medicine at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tuffs University in Boston.

Quick Tip

Do My Supplements Contain What They Should?

To be sure, you can check www. consumerlab.com, an independent website that tests some supplements and lists the companies that sell products that contain what they promise. You can purchase a single list (of calcium supplements, for example) for $5.25, or pay $15.95 and get access to all the lab's results for a year.

Quick Tip

How Do I Know if I'm Digesting My Supplements?

If you're in doubt, nutrition consultant Phyllis Balch suggests this home test for tablet-form supplements (especially calcium): Add the supplement to 1 cup of vinegar and stir every few minutes. It should dissolve in 30 minutes. "If it doesn't, it won't dissolve in your stomach either and you should choose another supplement," Balch says.

Erin O'Donnell is a Natural Health senior editor. While writing this story she added selenium and chromium to her supplement regimen.