Don’t throw away those expired vitamins just yet

Ever taken your daily vitamins and looked at the date on the bottle and realized they were expired? If you’ve ever wondered if that’s a problem, we have an answer for you here. Most vitamin and supplement bottles have an expiration date listed on them, but what does that actually mean? Is it bad to take vitamins after that date? It turns out vitamins don’t expire, but that doesn’t mean you should just ignore the dates on the bottles.

Here’s everything you need to know about vitamin expiration dates and their efficacy as that date comes and goes.

Do vitamins expire?

Your vitamin bottles most likely have a date on them, but that’s not technically an expiration date. That’s because your vitamins don’t expire the way you might think. Because vitamins do not become unsafe when they ‘expire’, the vitamins do not become less safe Food and Drug Administration doesn’t even require putting a date on the bottles – most manufacturers still do that, though, because there is a point at which vitamins lose their potency. This just means that your vitamins and minerals won’t give you the full nutritional value you expect once their expiration date has passed.

Depending on your vitamins and supplements and what form they are in, they lose their potency different rates. Tablets and capsules tend to stay potent longer than something like a chewable gummy vitamin.

The best way to store your vitamins is in a cool, dry place. Two of the worst places – and two of the most common – are the bathroom and the kitchen. Both rooms become warm and humid, which allows your vitamins to break down faster. Keeping your vitamins in a cupboard, or in an area of ​​your bedroom away from direct sunlight, can prolong their effectiveness.

How did it go ‘to go’?

Although vitamins don’t expire and become unsafe, they lose their potency, which means they don’t do you any good. Manufacturers put dates on the bottle that indicate when the vitamins reach that point, so if you’ve gone past the expiration date on a bottle, throw them away because while they won’t make you sick, you can throw them away. doesn’t add any value either.

Although not common, vitamins can become moldy or smelly, especially if not stored properly. If your vitamins are in this condition, throw them away immediately and buy a new bottle. This is a situation where it may be unsafe to consume your vitamins because of the contamination that occurs with them.

That said, there are currently no documented cases of “expired” vitamins becoming toxic or dangerous to humans. Expired vitamins are really just a waste of time and not much else.

How to throw away expired vitamins

Once you’ve determined that your vitamins are past the point of no return, it’s important to get rid of them safely. Simply throwing them in the trash can pose a risk as children or even pets can get their hands on them. And while you may be tempted to flush them down the toilet, that’s not the best idea either, as old vitamins can still potentially contaminate the water.

The FDA recommends dumping the vitamins out of the bottle and into a plastic bag and mixing them with an “unwanted substance” like coffee grounds or kitty litter. Seal the mixture in the bag and throw that bag in the trash.

You can also take your vitamins to a drug take-back center near you, if you have one. Although these are more commonly used for prescription drugs, this is also where you can put your vitamins so you can handle them safely.

In short

Although your vitamins technically won’t expire, they will become useless over time. Pay attention to the dates the manufacturers put on the bottles so you know when your vitamins and supplements will no longer work for you. As long as you store them properly, they will last as long as they are intended – and contribute to your overall health.