When you reach into your medicine cabinet to take your daily vitamin, the expiration date on vitamins and minerals may not be a hard-and-fast rule. Several other factors can influence if your vitamin has truly expired. Because vitamins and minerals can lose their strength over time, it's important to understand what you can do to prolong the life of your supplements.
Significance
From the moment they are manufactured, vitamin and mineral supplements begin to lose their potency. Exposure to the elements can cause the vitamins to break down, but this does not mean they lose their potency entirely. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require manufacturers to use expiration date labeling on their vitamin and mineral supplements, many manufacturers do because they are obligated to meet truth-in-labeling requirements, according to Jigsaw Health. For this reason, supplement expiration dates tend to be conservative to allow for aspects like packaging and shelf time. In general, the expiration date refers to the general time the vitamins will be potent. After this date, it may begin to lose strength.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an example of a vitamin that loses its strength quickly. When stored in optimal conditions, the amount of vitamin C on your supplement level can maintain its strength for about three months, according to Rodale News. After this, vitamin C can start to break down, rendering your supplement less potent. If you are taking vitamins to meet a certain daily intake, loss of potency can be a concern.
Storage Tips
Environmental factors like air, sunlight and temperature can affect the breakdown of vitamins and minerals contained within your supplements. If you store your medications improperly, it's possible the vitamins and minerals could lose their strength before their listed expiration date. To prevent this, store your supplements in a cool, dry place. Rodale News recommends a pantry over a bathroom or kitchen, which can add steam and heat to break down supplements. If you choose an economy-size pill bottle, freeze half the supplements. This can suspend their potency, preventing the vitamins from breaking down.
Disposal Considerations
Because the FDA does not require supplements to carry an expiration date, you may find your supplement does not have a date labeled. In this instance, Drugstore.com recommends assuming your supplement will expire within a year. While supplements may not always have signs they have expired, look at your pills for discoloration, damage or any changes to the pills that cause them to look different from when you initially purchased them. Whenever possible, dispose of supplements and other prescription medications at community-wide or pharmacy-sponsored medication disposal event. Do not flush supplements down the toilet.
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