Are Your Supplements Authentic?

Are Your Supplements Delivering What They Promise? NOW’s Latest SAMe Testing Shares Insight

Today we provide yet another example of the importance of buying your products from retailers who get their products directly from a top quality manufacturer or trusted supplier. While today's focus is on one ingredient, we've sadly seen this issue come up countless times. 

When you pick up a supplement, you trust that the label accurately reflects what’s inside. After all, transparency is key when it comes to health products. But occasionally, things might not align perfectly. That’s what NOW, a well-known supplement company based in Illinois, discovered in their latest round of SAMe supplement testing.

What Is SAMe, and Why Does It Need Special Attention?

SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) is a popular supplement often praised for supporting mood and joint health. However, it’s a bit of a high-maintenance nutrient. It’s expensive to produce and can degrade quickly if not handled or stored correctly, especially in formats like gummies that are more susceptible to moisture and heat.

Given SAMe’s delicate nature, NOW decided to revisit this product category. The company has tested SAMe products before, including an investigation in 2020, where all 11 tested products were found to have lower potency than claimed. This time, they wanted to see if things had improved.

How the Testing Was Done

For this round of testing in October 2024, NOW purchased two bottles each of 24 SAMe products from Amazon, focusing on brands they considered “suspicious” due to high potency claims or past issues. The products were tested using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a reliable and precise method to measure supplement potency.

To ensure objectivity, the testing was conducted both in-house and externally at the Eurofins laboratory.

The Findings

The results highlighted some ongoing challenges with SAMe products:

• 20 of the 23 tested brands (excluding NOW’s) didn’t meet their labeled potency.
• 16 brands had less than 20% of the claimed potency.
• 6 products, including all tested gummy formats, contained no detectable SAMe at all.

Interestingly, five brands that had been flagged in 2020 were tested again, but they showed little improvement.

Why These Results Matter

While these findings might seem concerning, they’re also a reminder of how important it is to buy from trusted retailers and supplement brands. SAMe is an inherently tricky ingredient to work with, and maintaining its potency requires careful manufacturing and storage practices.

The takeaway here isn’t to panic—it’s to be an informed consumer. Most supplements are well-made and deliver on their promises, but every industry has room for improvement.

How to Choose High-Quality Supplements

Here are a few simple steps to help you feel confident about your supplements:

1. Stick with Reputable Brands
   Brands like NOW, which invest in testing their own products and others, are a good place to start. Look for companies that are transparent about their manufacturing processes and offer third-party testing certifications.

2. Consider the Delivery Format
   Some supplements, like SAMe, aren’t ideal in certain formats. For example, gummies might be convenient, but they’re not the best option for ingredients sensitive to moisture or heat.

3. Research and Read Reviews
   Check out independent testing reports and customer feedback. This can provide valuable insight into a product’s quality and consistency.

4. Be Skeptical of Over-the-Top Claims
   If a product’s label or price seems too good to be true, it’s worth doing some extra homework. High-quality supplements often reflect the care and cost involved in making them.

The Upside

NOW’s testing is a great reminder of the value of transparency and accountability in the supplement industry. While some products didn’t measure up, the bright side is that efforts like these encourage brands to improve their practices. As consumers become more informed and demand higher standards, the industry will continue to evolve.

Your Health, Your Choice

Choosing supplements doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By staying informed and choosing brands that prioritize quality, you can feel confident in your selections.

Here at HealthWay, we view product authenticity and quality as our top responsibility to our customers. We have and will continue to thoroughly vet any brand that we work with, ensuring you can shop freely from our selection without quality concerns. This is why when we first start working with Now, we personally make the trek from Oregon to Illinois to inspect their manufacturing facilities for ourselves.

If you’d like to dive deeper into NOW’s findings or learn more about their testing process, visit www.nowfoods.com. Remember, knowledge is power—and in this case, it’s also the key to better health!