If you just realized that daily vitamin you’ve been taking actually expired months ago, there’s no need to panic. The expiration date listed on vitamins is based on potency, not safety.

 As long as there is no mold growing on your vitamins, you can breathe easy. You might not reap the same benefit from those pills, but you also likely haven’t been putting your health at risk.

 
Overview

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require expiration dates on dietary supplements, including vitamins and minerals.1 Manufacturers may choose to print them on products—and if so, they may be phrased as “expires on”, “best by”, or “use by”.

In any case, if a manufacturer does choose to include a date, the FDA requires they have “valid data demonstrating that it is not false or misleading.” In other words, manufacturers should have internal research verifying that potency is maintained through that date.

 Safety

Expired vitamins are safe to take, but may not be as effective. At the expiration date, the product should still contain 100 percent of the added dietary supplement ingredients listed on the label,2 as long as it was stored under correct conditions.

 After such date, those amounts can progressively decline. It’s no cause for concern over potential harm or side effects, but it does mean you may not get the specified dosage. You’re better off tossing them and grabbing a new package at the store.

Pregnancy is one time when it’s particularly important to discard expired vitamins. Prenatal vitamins contain folic acid, which is essential for reducing the risk of neural tube defects in the developing fetus.3

 

How quickly a vitamin expires depends on several factors—some of which are related to manufacturing and others related to your own habits:4

 Individual Vitamins

The shelf life of your vitamins may also depend on the type of vitamin you’re taking. For example, some research has suggested the following individual vitamins may break down more quickly:5

 

Take some time to do an inventory of your vitamin stash. If you do discover any expired bottles, dispose of them properly.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends the following steps to dispose of expired vitamins or other supplements:6

Remove the pills from the original container.Place the vitamins in a disposable container or bag with coffee grinds, cat litter, or another undesirable substance. When they’re mixed with these, curious children or pets are less likely to find them in the trash. Close the container or seal the bag.Place the entire container/bag in the trash.

The EPA does not recommend flushing expired vitamins down the toilet. The substances may pass through wastewater treatment plants and end up in lakes, rivers, or other sources of drinking water.

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By Susan Perry | 08:38 am

Photo by ja ma on Unsplash

A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of vegetables — dark green, red, and orange, fiber-rich legumes (beans and peas), and others.

The American Cancer Society released on Tuesday its updated â€œDiet and Physical Activity Guideline” for cancer prevention. It raises the recommended amount of weekly physical activity from a minimum of 150 minutes a week to 150-300 minutes — with an emphasis on the upper number. It also now suggests that people reduce their consumption of certain foods: processed and red meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, processed foods and alcohol.

Notably, the new guideline’s statement about alcohol consumption is firmer and more direct than in the past. “It is best not to drink alcohol,” it says.

Using the latest scientific evidence, the ACS has also updated its recommended strategies for how public, private and community organizations can reduce barriers to healthy eating and active living. As the new guideline points out, such barriers disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities, people of low socioeconomic status, people with disabilities and people living in rural areas.

Here is the ACS’s summary of the recommendations for individuals (with abbreviations spelled out):

– Foods that are high in nutrients in amounts that help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

– A variety of vegetables — dark green, red, and orange, fiber-rich legumes (beans and peas), and others.

– Fruits, especially whole fruits with a variety of colors; and

– Whole grains.

– Red and processed meats;

– Sugar-sweetened beverages; or

– Highly processed foods and refined grain products.

“The guideline continues to reflect the current science that dietary patterns, not specific foods, are important to reduce the risk of cancer and improve overall health,” says Laura Makaroff, the ACS’ senior vice president for prevention and early detection, in a released statement. â€œThere is no one food or even food group that is adequate to achieve a significant reduction in cancer risk.”

The guidelines also state that the ACS does not recommend vitamin and mineral supplements — or any other kind of dietary supplements — for the prevention of cancer. In fact, it points out that some high-dose supplements have been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers.

“Current and evolving scientific evidence supports a shift away from a nutrient-centric approach to a more holistic concept of dietary patterns,” says Makaroff. “People eat whole foods — not nutrients — and evidence continues to suggest that it is healthy dietary patterns that are associated with reduced risk for cancer, especially colorectal and breast cancer.”

The updated guideline makes this recommendation for community action:

Public, private, and community organizations should work collaboratively at national, state, and local levels to develop, advocate for, and implement policy and environmental changes that increase access to affordable, nutritious foods; provide safe, enjoyable, and accessible opportunities for physical activity; and limit access to alcoholic beverages for all.

Some of the strategies for community action outlined in the guideline include:

FMI:  The guideline was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, where it can be read in full. The journal is published by the ACS.