Vitamins Expiry Date

I was curious to know whether vitamins bought online or in your local health store still retained their vitamin strength after their expiry date. I found this helpful article at www.jigsawhealth.com which also gives advice on the optimal ways to store vitamins.

Tips for Storing Your Vitamins
    The way you store your vitamins has a significant impact on how long your vitamins will retain their potency. Vitamins can lose their strength before their expiration date if they’re stored improperly.

    Refrigeration is not always best. Contrary to common perception, it’s not a good idea to store vitamins in your refrigerator (unless the bottle specifically instructs refrigeration). The logic for this is that every time you open a cold bottle to get your vitamin, you’re allowing condensation inside the bottle that can lead to vitamin deterioration.

    If you prefer storing your vitamins in your refrigerator, then stash them in refrigeration for long-term use. You can store vitamins in bulk in your refrigerator, take out a one-month supply to store in your cabinet, and then close the refrigerated container until next month. This will minimize the number of times you’re opening the vitamin container and allowing condensation. Overall, it’s a much better idea to store your vitamins in a cool, dry, dark place. They will last significantly longer.

    Keep vitamins in their original containers. Some vitamins come in dark glass bottles or opaque containers. They are packaged this way to minimize vitamin breakdown due to light. Some people like to transfer their vitamins from a dark bottle to a clear baggie or some other clear storage container for easy access. Generally, if a bottle is designed to reduce light exposure, then it’s better to take these vitamins directly from their original container in order to minimize their deterioration.

    Keep vitamins away from humidity and heat. Commonly, there’s a tendency to store vitamins in either the bathroom or the kitchen for easy access. These are actually not ideal locations because these rooms have higher humidity and heat levels than other rooms in the house. A bedroom drawer or linen closet would be a better location to preserve vitamin strength.

Beyond the Expiration Date
    Stored properly, vitamins can last four or five years, although the conservative recommendation is that they can easily last two years. Taking vitamins beyond their expiration date is generally safe. The only difference is that you may lose potency over time, so taking extremely old vitamins may not give you the desired results that you’re trying to achieve. But in case you have doubts, some vitamins have been known to last 10 years or longer without losing their label strength.