Do Vitamins Really Expire?

cyclops

Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
1,636
For example, I have allot of niacinamide powder thatI bought about 3 years ago and the package says it expired last month.

I'm guessing it is still good and lasts longer then the expiration date says, but how would I really know? And when does it really go bad... a few more years, a decade?

Next time I'll buy a smaller amount so I don't have to think about this, but this is what I got right now.
 
Last edited:

tankasnowgod

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
8,131
For example, I have allot of niacinamide powder thatI bought about 3 years ago and the package says it expired last month.

I'm guessing it is still good and lasts longer then the expiration date says, but how would I really know? And when does it really go bad? a few more years, a decade?

I think next time I will buy a smaller amount so I don't have to think about this, but this is what I got right now.

Well, it depends on the condition and such. For most powders, if you kept them dry and out of light, and mostly sealed, they probably last far longer than their expiration date.
 
OP
cyclops

cyclops

Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
1,636
Well, it depends on the condition and such. For most powders, if you kept them dry and out of light, and mostly sealed, they probably last far longer than their expiration date.

Yea, conditions were good, but I'm guessing these supplement companies are expecting the conditions to be decent or the product could go bad quite quickly. I mean three years is a pretty long time...but how do they even come up with such an exact date? I'm wondering how arbitrary it is.
 

tankasnowgod

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
8,131
Yea, conditions were good, but I'm guessing these supplement companies are expecting the conditions to be decent or the product could go bad quite quickly. I mean three years is a pretty long time...but how do they even come up with such an exact date? I'm wondering how arbitrary it is.

Haidut has mentioned some dates are mandated by the FDA. So even if that supplement would last 10 years and retain 95% of it's effectiveness, they might not be able to recommend past three.
 
OP
cyclops

cyclops

Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
1,636
Haidut has mentioned some dates are mandated by the FDA. So even if that supplement would last 10 years and retain 95% of it's effectiveness, they might not be able to recommend past three.

That makes sense. I'm thinking this B3 should Bgood for another few years at least. I should finish it by then.
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
1,237
Decomposition of chemical compound is a tricky thing some of them last forever some will decompose rapidly even in perfect storage conditions. I used to think that expired drugs are ok and expiration date is only a mandatory precaution and we can estimate real shelf-life to be at least 5+ years longer. Tetracycline antibiotics are what made me change my mind and discard the whole box of free samples of different drugs, I got from a friend of mine happen to be an owner of drugstore. Expired tetracyclines are know to cause Fanconi Syndrome, since learning this Im very strict about expiration dates.
 
Last edited:

Literally

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2018
Messages
300
From previous research I found that B vitamins degrade reliably over time, although the rate is determined by storage conditions.
If you can find the charts that I found earlier, you can just increase the dose to account for the expected decrease in potency. For example if you expect that potency has degraded by 25% you can increase the dosage by 1/(1-25%) - 100% = 33%. I think as a rule of thumb assuming a 30-50% loss in potency per year for the B vitamins is in the ballpark.

Oh by the way, I believe manufacturers are already THEMSELVES playing this game to a degree in some cases... not sure though.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom