{"id":330792,"date":"2025-10-25T04:52:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T04:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/330792\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T04:52:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T04:52:14","slug":"brands-withdraw-vitamins-d-a-b6-and-zinc-in-new-health-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/330792\/","title":{"rendered":"Brands withdraw vitamins D, A, B6 and Zinc in new health warning"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new investigation has prompted retailers to pull a number of products over health fearsNeil Shaw<\/strong><\/a> Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)<\/p>\n

06:22, 24 Oct 2025Updated 08:50, 24 Oct 2025<\/p>\n

\"AA woman taking vitamins and supplements<\/p>\n

Big name brands, retailers and social media platforms have withdrawn a number of supplements after an ijnvestigation into safety. Supplements containing as much as 12.5 times the recommended safe upper limit of popular vitamins and minerals are being sold on online marketplaces, according to Which?.<\/p>\n

The consumer safety experts looked at Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and Zinc supplements listed for sale on popular marketplaces including AliExpress, Amazon, eBay<\/a>, Superdrug, Temu and TikTok Shop.<\/p>\n

The NHS<\/a> recommends a daily intake of Vitamin D is 10 micrograms (\u00b5g) each day but adults can safely take up to 100\u00b5g, including from food sources. But Superdrug Marketplace, TikTok shop and eBay all listed Nuke Nutrition 10,000 IU (250\u00b5g) vitamin D3 supplements for sale.<\/p>\n

Nuke Nutrition has immediately withdrawn the product from sale while they investigated. On AliExpress, Which? found vitamin D3 supplements in 50,000 IU, or 1,250\u00b5g doses \u2013 12.5 times the recommended daily dose.<\/p>\n

\"MillionsMillions of people take supplements every day<\/p>\n

According to the NHS, a dose as high as 10,000 IU can put users at greater risk of hypercalcaemia \u2013 too much calcium in the blood \u2013 which can have consequences from vomiting and confusion, to weakening bones and kidney failure. This type of dose should only happen under a doctor\u2019s supervision to correct specific problems.<\/p>\n

Which? also found Vitamin D supplements for children for sale which contained far more than the recommended dose of 2,000 IU or 50\u00b5g for those aged between one and 10. Temu had \u201cGrowth\u201d and \u201cHeight Growth Maximiser\u201d supplements from the brand Pslalae described as \u201cperfect for kids, teens and adults\u201d, containing 2,500 IU (62.5\u00b5g) of vitamin D3.<\/p>\n

Vitamin A is crucial for vision, supporting the immune system and maintaining healthy skin. The NHS advises no more than 1500\u00b5g of Vitamin A a day, and in 2024 the European Food Safety Authority advised no more than 3000\u00b5g, to support vision, the immune system and healthy skin.<\/p>\n

Etsy, TikTok shop and eBay all sold 25,000 IU or 7,500\u00b5g vitamin A supplements from the brand Mother Nature. Consumers are recommended to consume no more than 10mg of Vitamin B6, but Which? found the supplement at a dose of 100mg on Temu as well as Solgar and Holland & Barrett.<\/p>\n

Holland & Barrett withdrew the product from sale after being alerted by Which?. Amazon\u2019s most popular zinc supplement \u2013 which the NHS recommends should be taken at no more than 25mg \u2013 was from the brand WeightWorld and contained 50mg.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe pills come in multiple formats<\/p>\n

The 50mg Now Foods zinc supplement, also for sale on eBay and TikTok shop, was labelled as \u201cAmazon\u2019s Choice\u201d. Both Amazon and Superdrug Marketplace also offered a 50mg zinc supplement from the brand New Leaf. The NHS warns that having more than 25mg of zinc a day is more likely to lead to a copper deficiency, which can cause fatigue and anaemia.<\/p>\n

Which? head of food policy Sue Davies said: \u201cIt\u2019s shocking that supplements containing potentially dangerous doses of popular vitamins and minerals are so readily available online. Taking more than the recommended dose of these vitamins and minerals has been linked to some really harmful side effects such as liver damage and weakened bones.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter regulation and oversight of the supplements industry is desperately needed so that consumers are not put at risk by regularly consuming products which contain more than the advised safe upper levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

AliExpress said: \u201cThe platform has effective prevention and control strategies in place, and we noticed that this non-compliance product had already been taken down by corresponding monitoring rule early this month before receiving this enquiry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amazon said: \u201cWe require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations, and the products flagged by Which? meet the current government mandated regulatory guidance in relation to upper levels for vitamins and minerals. However, we are aware there is continued debate around what the right guidance should be and we look forward to continuing to work with industry experts and government agencies in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SupplementsSupplements are easily bought online<\/p>\n

Ebay said: \u201cThe limits published by the NHS and the Food Standards Agency\u2019s Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals are advisory levels only. We continue to review our policies in line with evolving guidance from health authorities to help ensure Ebay remains a safe and trusted marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holland & Barrett said: \u201cAs a responsible retailer, we regularly carry our detailed reviews led by our science and regulatory teams and we took the proactive decision earlier this year to bring our vitamin B6 range in line with the EFSA advisory limit. As a result, newly reformulated products will be available to customers this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cH&B products not in line with the EFSA guidelines are already being withdrawn, with this process due to be complete by end of October 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mother Nature said: \u201cOur product is not marketed for long-term daily use, and we actively encourage customers to consult with their doctor before starting high-dose supplementation especially in cases of pregnancy<\/a> or pre-existing medical conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe pills have been linked to multiple health problems<\/p>\n

The brand said a \u201ccautionary statement\u201d had now been added directly to its product labels. New Leaf said: \u201cOur zinc supplement provides 50mg per serving to offer flexibility in dosage, as many customers prefer to take one tablet (25 mg) rather than the full serving.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe higher dosage accommodates individuals who choose to consume 40-50 mg daily to help reduce the duration or severity of colds and flu, and to support skin health (acne, eczema<\/a>, wound healing) as well as athletic performance and recovery, levels comparable to typical ZMA formulations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Superdrug said: \u201cOur customers\u2019 health and wellbeing are always our priority. Our marketplace platform sellers must follow the guidance provided and we have therefore removed all the products that have been highlighted by Which?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nestle Health Science, on behalf of Solgar, said its supplement levels fell within recommended guidance, adding: \u201cThe levels of vitamin B6 found within our products are consistent with other B vitamin supplements found on the UK market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Temu said: \u201cTemu complies with all applicable UK laws and regulations governing the sale of food supplements. We expect all sellers to follow local laws and regulations, and listings found to contravene these are subject to prompt review and removal.\u201d<\/p>\n

TikTok shop said: \u201cWe have removed all of the flagged listings from our platform and we consistently align our policies with regulatory and national guidance, including from the NHS.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new investigation has prompted retailers to pull a number of products over health fearsNeil Shaw Assistant Editor…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":330793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[78306,47180,210,40513,565,1182,11164,67,132,68,2797],"class_list":{"0":"post-330792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-ebay","9":"tag-flu","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-immune-system","12":"tag-nhs","13":"tag-nutrition","14":"tag-pregnancy","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-vitamins"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115433016551350327","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}