Dietary supplements are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they reach the market. This means the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring products are properly labeled and safe. Unfortunately, mislabeled and contaminated (or adulterated) products are not uncommon. Some contain substances not allowed in dietary supplements or substances prohibited for use by Service Members. Consuming such products could pose risks, such as:

  • Positive drug tests
  • Adverse health effects
  • Negative effects on performance
  • Consequences to your military career

Knowing what is actually in a product before you consider buying or using a dietary supplement should reduce these risks.

The only way to know the actual ingredients (or their amounts) in a dietary supplement product is through laboratory testing.  Ensure a product has been tested by a well-vetted, independent, third-party organization.

What is third-party certification?

Third-party certification means an independent organization with no ties to the manufacturing company has evaluated a dietary supplement and verified its quality and manufacturing process. Once the product is verified, a manufacturer can put the third-party program certification or verification seal on their product. Third-party certification does not mean the product has been evaluated for safety (whether it could cause an adverse event) or effectiveness (whether it works the way it is claimed to). It means the product content and label match.

What do third-party organizations test for?

A number of organizations offer third-party certification, but each has its own approach and list of substances they test for in dietary supplements. The only published standard for third-party certification is NSF/ANSI 173-2021, so it is likely not all organizations meet these certification guidelines.

This article specifically highlights 6 well-vetted third-party certification programs. Of these programs, 4 test for substances prohibited for use in sport, such as anabolic agents, beta-2 agonists, hormone modulators, narcotics, SARMs, stimulants, and more (see specific websites below for additional information). The other 2 programs do not test for substances banned in sport, but they do verify the ingredients and their amounts found in the product and ensure it is free from contaminants. This table highlights additional information about these third-party certification programs:

Do they test for substances prohibited in sport? Yes: BSCG Certified Drug Free, Informed Choice, Informed Sport, NSF Certified Sport. No: NSF, USP Verified Do they test for contaminants? Manufacturers can pay extra, but not included automatically: BSCG Certified Drug Free. Yes: NSF, NSF Certified Sport, USP Verified. No: Informed Choice, Informed Sport How often do they test a product? BSCG Certified Drug Free: Every Lot, Informed Choice: Monthly, Informed Sport: Every Batch, NSF: Lots listed on NSF website

Bottom line

It’s important to look for third-party certified dietary supplement products. Look for these seals:  

In addition, always check to make sure none of the ingredients listed on the product label are included on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List. You can also use the OPSS Scorecard to help minimize the risk of an adverse event or positive drug test.

Related Reading

Consensus statement from the Uniformed Services University, United States Anti-Doping Agency, UFC, Major League Baseball, and the Major League Baseball Players Association

 

Posted 14 March 2024

ate Icon Ask the Expert Don’t see what you’re looking for? A brand-name product? A different ingredient? More details? Ask us!
References

Attipoe, S., Manganello, C., Scott, J. M., & Deuster, P. A. (2017). Usefulness of a risk assessment tool to risk stratify dietary supplements. Military Medicine, 182(11), e2086–e2091. doi:10.7205/milmed-d-17-00021

Banned Substances Control Group. BSCG seals and marks.   from https://www.bscg.org/seals-and-marks-high-quality-supplements-natural-products

Banned Substances Control Group. BSCG certified drug free - program details.  Retrieved from https://www.bscg.org/certified-drug-free-certification-and-testing-for-banned-substances

Banned Substances Control Group. BSCG certified drug free - the process.   from https://www.bscg.org/certified-drug-free-supplement-certification-process

Banned Substances Control Group. Additional dietary supplement testing services.  Retrieved from https://www.bscg.org/dietary-supplement-testing-services

Cohen, P. A., Avula, B., Katragunta, K., & Khan, I. (2022). Recalls, availability, and content of dietary supplements following FDA warning letters. JAMA, 328(4). doi:10.1001/jama.2022.9734

Cohen, P. A., Wen, A., & Gerona, R. (2018). Prohibited stimulants in dietary supplements after enforcement action by the US Food and Drug Administration. JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(12). doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4846

Crawford, C., Boyd, C., Avula, B., Wang, Y., Khan, I. A., & Deuster, P. A. (2020). A public health issue: Dietary supplements promoted for brain health and cognitive performance. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 26(4), 265–272. doi:10.1089/acm.2019.0447

Crawford, C., Walter, A. R., Avula, B., Lindsey, A. T., Hunter, A. M., Ikhlas, A. K., & Deuster, P. A. (2022). Relative safety and quality of various dietary supplement products U.S. Service Members ask about. Clinical Toxicology, 60(6), 737–744. doi:10.1080/15563650.2022.2036751

Deuster, P. A. (2020). Dietary supplements and adverse events. Military Medicine, 185(9-10), e1381–e1382. doi:10.1093/milmed/usaa044

Deuster, P. A., & Lieberman, H. R. (2015). Protecting military personnel from high risk dietary supplements. Drug Testing and Analysis, 8(3-4), 431–433. doi:10.1002/dta.1866

Deuster, P. A., Lindsey, A. T., & Scott, J. M. (2018). Dietary supplements: Regulatory challenges and issues in the Department of Defense. Military Medicine, 183(3-4), 53–55. doi:10.1093/milmed/usx067

Eichner, A. K., Coyles, J., Fedoruk, M., Maxey, T. D., Lenaghan, R. A., Novitzky, J., . . . Deuster, P. A. (2019). Essential features of third-party certification programs for dietary supplements: A consensus statement. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 18(5), 178–182. doi:10.1249/jsr.0000000000000595

Informed Choice. Informed choice: Four steps to certification.   from https://choice.wetestyoutrust.com/about/certification-process

Informed Choice. Frequently asked questions.   from https://choice.wetestyoutrust.com/about/frequently-asked-questions

Informed Sport. Informed sport & informed choice: What is the difference?   from https://sport.wetestyoutrust.com/news/informed-sport-informed-choice-what-difference

Informed Sport. Informed sport supplement certification process.   from https://sport.wetestyoutrust.com/about/certification-process

Jones, D. R., Kasper, K. B., & Deuster, P. A. (2015). Third-party evaluation: A review of dietary supplements dispensed by military treatment facilities from 2007 to 2011. Military Medicine, 180(7), 737–741. doi:10.7205/milmed-d-14-00500

NSF International. Supplement and vitamin certification.   from https://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/articles/supplement-vitamin-certification

NSF International. Product and ingredient certification.  Retrieved from https://www.nsf.org/nutrition-personal-care/product-and-ingredient-certification?serviceType=certification

NSF International. Dietary supplement services. In N. International (Ed.).

NSF International. What our mark means.   from https://www.nsfsport.com/our-mark.php

NSF International. How to get certified.   from https://www.nsfsport.com/get-certified.php

Rittenhouse, M., Scott, J., & Deuster, P. A. (2020). Dietary supplements: Knowledge and adverse event reporting practices of Department of Defense health care providers. Military Medicine, 185(11-12), 2076–2081. doi:10.1093/milmed/usaa157

U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2020). Current good manufacturing practices (CGMPs) for food and dietary supplements.   from https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements/current-good-manufacturing-practices-cgmps-food-and-dietary-supplements

U.S. Pharmacopeia. USP verified mark.   from https://www.usp.org/verification-services/verified-mark

U.S. Pharmacopeia. Benefits of USP verification services.   from https://www.usp.org/verification-services/benefits-of-verification

Whaley, D., Sylvester, J. E., & Deuster, P. A. (2021). A threat to military combat power: Dietary supplements. The American Journal of Medicine, 134(12), 1560–1563. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.07.026