How to buy vitamins

You don't always get what you expect in vitamins and supplements, and you have to be careful. So how do you know which brand is best? I've been frustrated in trying to answer that question. I have found one answer at Consumer Reports. Here's what it has to say:

With all the choices, it's no wonder half of multivitamin users in a new, nationally representative Consumer Reports telephone survey expressed some doubt that they were taking the right product for their needs. Our survey, which included 2,002 adults and took place in April 2010, uncovered some other concerns, too: Fifty-six percent of respondents who took a multivitamin worried that it contained harmful ingredients, for example, and 47 percent expressed concern that their multivitamin didn't contain the levels of nutrients listed on the bottle. 

Here's one solution.

USP verified indicates that a product has been verified for purity, strength, safety, dissolvability, and manufacturing quality by the USP, an independent standards-setting authority for the drug and dietary supplement industries. USP claim indicates that the manufacturer claims the product was made to one or more of the USP's quality standards or specifications, but the claim is not vetted by the USP. The verification seal holds more weight than a USP claim on the label, which several of the other products we tested had. 

USP is, no, not the post office, but rather U.S. Pharmacopeia. Here's a database it recommends, and you can check their approved list here. Here's one of its symbols:

I've also read about ConsumerLab, which charges a fee to read its reports. I haven't tried it. And the FDA has information here. And the National Institutes of Health here.

By the way, Consumer Reports checked out 21 multivitamins. All but one of the products we tested met their label claims for key essential vitamins and minerals, and none contained worrisome levels of contaminants such as arsenic or heavy metals. Most of the pills we tested also passed the U.S. Pharmacopeia's dissolution test, which involves immersing them in a simulated stomach-acid solution to determine whether they'll dissolve properly in your body.

Their research shows that the best of the bunch can save you money: Kirkland, the Costco brand, topped the list of multivitamins.