Do Vitamins Expire?

Do vitamins expire?  This is a question we get from clients all the time. Most don’t ‘go bad’, with the exception of some liquids, fish oil in any form, and gelcaps.  Expiration dates are supposed to show how long the manufacturer can guarantee the full potency and safety, and keeps them from selling items kept in warehouses for years, and is likely a conservative calculation. Over time potency can wane, and become less effective as they oxidize, especially depending on where you keep them –a controlled temperature area is ideal, not on a windowsill or a steamy bathroom. One of the shifts seen in professional supplements more recently is dating items by manufacture date, and a safe assumption is that they may start to lose some efficacy after two years. We love this option as we can assure that we provide the freshest possible supplements. We like to order often and in small quantities so nothing sits on our shelves for more than a few months and some of the popular products are not older than just a few weeks.