Is Your Vitamin Pill Working? Here’s How to Test It

Nearly half of all Americans take a daily vitamin or supplement. But is your body absorbing all of the vitamins that you paid for and see on the label?

Before a vitamin can be absorbed in your small intestines, it has to be adequately broken down in the stomach. Here’s a simple test to check it out:

All you will need is a glass and some white vinegar.

Pour a little vinegar in a glass and drop your vitamin pill in. The vinegar mimics the digestive juices of the stomach.

If the vitamin is giving up its nutrients at the proper speed, the vitamin tablet will be fully dissolved in about 35 minutes. If it isn’t fully dissolved – you can still see a lump of vitamin pill — then it’s probably time to think about changing your vitamin.

By the way, if there’s foamy-like stuff floating on the top of the liquid after the test…the vitamin manufacturer is probably using sawdust as a filler. If there’s a grit-like substance on the bottom of the glass…the vitamin manufacturer is probably using sand as a filler.

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Dr Ken Romeo is a forensic scientist and board-certified physician. His research interests are in the fields of experimental criminology, crimes of drug diversion, fraud and financial crimes. He has conducted field experiments on finding ways to reduce drug diversion by health care workers and detect financial crimes in the US health care system. In conjunction with governmental authorities, Dr Romeo is currently developing new methods and tools for detecting physician and pharmacy driven drug diversion at the earliest stages.

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7 Comments

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7 Responses to Is Your Vitamin Pill Working? Here’s How to Test It

  1. I am going to try this as soon as I get home from work. Thank you!

  2. this is awesome – if you don’t mind I will use this in my training—I will be sure to give you the credit

  3. Great to know doc! I’ll get my fiber a different way :)

  4. Thanks. I will try that. Ian

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