Health and Wellness is all the rage in today’s retail environment. Go down to your local supermarket and you’ll be able to find supplements ranging all the way from Iron tablets to Vitamin C. Choosing the right supplement can be tricky given the range of goods available. Fortunately for us, the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research has come up with a list of things to watch for when buying a supplement.

1. Check the supplement label. Read labels carefully. Product labels can tell you what the active ingredient or ingredients are, which nutrients are included, the serving size — for example, capsule, packet or teaspoonful — and the amount of nutrients in each serving.
2. Avoid supplements that provide ‘megadoses.‘ In general, choose a multivitamin-mineral supplement — for example, Centrum, One-A-Day, others — that provides about 100 percent of the Daily Value (DV) of all the vitamins and minerals, rather than one which has, for example, 500 percent of the DV for one vitamin and only 20 percent of the DV for another. The exception to this is calcium. You may notice that calcium-containing supplements don’t provide 100 percent of the DV. If they did, the tablets would be too large to swallow.
3. Look for ‘USP’ on the label. This ensures that the supplement meets the standards for strength, purity, disintegration and dissolution established by the testing organization U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP).
4. Beware of gimmicks. Synthetic vitamins are usually the same as so-called “natural” vitamins, but “natural” vitamins usually cost more. And don’t give in to the temptation of added herbs, enzymes or amino acids — they add mostly cost. Note that some herbs can interact negatively with certain medications.
5. Look for expiration dates. Dietary supplements can lose potency over time, especially in hot and humid climates. If a supplement doesn’t have an expiration date, don’t buy it. If your supplements have expired, discard them.
6. Store all vitamin and mineral supplements safely. Store dietary supplements in a dry, cool place. Avoid hot, humid storage locations, such as the bathroom. Also, store supplements out of sight and away from children. Put supplements in a locked cabinet or other secure location. Don’t leave them on the counter or rely on child-resistant packaging.