The expiration dates on vitamins and dietary supplements are extremely conservative to ensure that consumers receive quality products. For best results, it is recommended to avoid using vitamins that are past their expiration date, as these vitamins may not be as powerful. However, it is important to note that expired vitamins are generally safe to take. Although the potency of the vitamins may have decreased, they will not become toxic after their expiration date.
Vitamin supplements lose potency over time, but after their expiration date, vitamins aren't usually unsafe to take. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require supplement manufacturers to provide expiration dates on vitamin or mineral supplements. However, some manufacturers, such as Nature Made, voluntarily put the expiration date on the vitamin's packaging. On the expiration date, the product must still contain 100% of the dietary supplement ingredients listed on the label, provided that it is stored under the right conditions.
Vitamins don't “spoil” in a way that could harm you; they just lose potency with age. Expired vitamins probably won't harm you, but they may not provide the same benefits as fresh supplements. Solid formulations (such as pills and capsules) degrade more slowly than gummies or liquid formulas. Because the FDA doesn't require that supplements be researched in the same way as prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, there are few studies on the potency of vitamins over time. The expiration (or “expiration”) date on the supplement bottle means that the manufacturer guarantees that the vitamin is fully potent until that date.
After that, it may or may not be as powerful, but it doesn't promise anything. Vitamins and gummy liquids tend to expire more quickly than tablets, capsules and soft capsules. It's unlikely to cause harm, since most expired medications and supplements don't usually become toxic. So, if multivitamins simply degrade over time and don't have any negative impact on health after their expiration date, can you take expired multivitamins? Military-funded research reports that 90% of the more than 100 prescription and over-the-counter drugs tested were still suitable for use even 15 years after their expiration date. When you buy multivitamin supplements, check the expiration dates to make sure they don't expire close to the purchase date. If you pick up a food container or bottle of medicine at home, know that you should immediately check the expiration date of the product to determine if it's still okay to eat food or if it's still safe to take medications. If you discover an expired bottle of multivitamins or the bottle you're using is about to expire, you can decide to simply throw them away and buy a replacement bottle to ensure optimal potency.
Instead, discard prenatal vitamins if they have expired and buy a new pack of prenatal vitamins to ensure the potency of the nutrients. In conclusion, expired vitamins are generally safe to take but may not provide the same benefits as fresh supplements. It is important to check expiration dates when buying multivitamin supplements and discard prenatal vitamins if they have expired.
