Make sure your vitamins don't have brown spots on them.
Humidity and temperature extremes can degrade your vitamins, a process known as deliquescence, according to Purdue University. Demand the vitamins you order online or by phone be shipped based upon each vitamin's safe minimum and maximum humidity and temperature levels. This will prevent your vitamins from losing their effectiveness. The safest shipping methods will include transportation means that are dry and do not place your vitamins in contact with water or humidity and temperature extremes.
Waterproof Containers
Prevent the vitamin-damaging process of deliquescence by ordering vitamins packaged in waterproof containers and shipped via trucks or railroad cars that will not be traveling near water or areas with very extreme humidity levels. Order from vitamin companies which use transportation means designed to prevent moisture and water problems during transit. After all, you don't want to pay to purchase vitamins that will not benefit you when you get them, due to deterioration experienced while in transit.
Return vitamins that arrive in wet or damaged containers. The vitamins in them are now damaged. And vitamin effectiveness cannot be revived by putting vitamins in a dry container after they have come into contact with moisture.
Expedite Shipping
Buy from a vitamin company that produces and ships as ordered. Otherwise, vitamins stored in adverse conditions, such as in warehouses with high humidity or temperatures for days on end, can lose their effectiveness, potentially making some of them dangerous to take. This is because vitamins that have lost their effectiveness provide a false assurance that you don't have to get needed nutrients from your diet. In addition, supplements containing fatty acids can become rancid when they expire, producing the free radicals you are trying to avoid.
Request your vitamins be delivered by faster shipping methods, such as next day, second day or other expedited delivery. This will prevent long storage times in less than ideal conditions while in transit. According to the Vitamin Shoppe, shipping via expedited delivery isn't enough, though; you should also request your vitamins be shipped only during the early part of the workweek--Monday through Wednesday. further ensure your vitamins are moving quickly and at your home instead of a freight storage site during the weekend or holidays.
Significance
Look for brown spots on vitamins, especially those for children, which is a sign your vitamin order has begun to degrade during shipment. Water or other liquid found in your vitamin bottle is also a sign of degradation. If these problems exist upon receipt of your vitamin shipment, you should return the vitamins for a refund, and do not use.
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