Labdoor: Why You Should Check It Out

I’ve been familiar with LabDoor since 2014.  But it’s only last week that I started using it for myself.

I use Labdoor when my client needs me to link a supplement he recommends to his affiliate account on Amazon.

So let’s say he wants to recommend supplementing one’s diet with glucosamine chondroitin, I would go to Amazon and search for that supplement.

Those are big words, by the way, so I just copy and paste from his article to the search box.

The results would show different brands, so I would then go to LabDoor, and see how those brands rank.

Cool, huh?

What is Labdoor?

LabDoor is an independent company that does the hard work for us.  They test supplements to find out if what they claim on their labels are true, and whether or not they have harmful ingredients or contaminants. They grade and rank the supplements, prepare a report and then they publish the information.

And take note, they buy the products that they have selected for testing.  They do not accept samples from manufacturers. That way, they do not form a bias.

How Labdoor helps.

So Labdoor goes through the following process:

• Select the product for testing.
• Purchase the products.
• Collect testing data on those products.
• Convert collected data into scores.
• Generate rankings.
• Publish the result.

And all we have to do as consumers is go to their website and check for ourselves which brand is best.

Their rankings are 2-fold.  There is a ranking for quality and another ranking for value.

My reason for going to LabDoor last week was to find me a good Vitamin D that I can get from Amazon. I had some blood work done, and for today, I’m sharing the results of my 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test.

Why did I get tested in the first place?

Well, if you Google what the 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test is for, you’ll find that it is requested when your doctor believes you are at high risk of having Vitamin D deficiency.

So who are those at high risk?

• people who don’t get much exposure to the sun
• older adults
• people with obesity
• babies who are breastfed only (formula is usually fortified with vitamin D)
• people who have had gastric bypass surgery
• people who have a disease that affects the intestines and makes it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients, such as Crohn’s disease

Notice that I highlighted the one that applies to me.

Come one, people!  I’m not that old!

But anyway, in one of my mother’s regular visits to her internist, it was mentioned in passing that I’m a virtual assistant.  The good doctor asked me how long I’ve been a VA, and I replied, “Going on 13 years.” Right then and there, the doctor wrote me a lab request for 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D test and a bone densitometry test. He told me to get those done and see him when I have the results.

And because I’m stubborn, I never had those tests done.  Until something happened two weeks ago.

I’m not going to delve too much on what it was that happened, but suffice it to say that since October 2009, I’ve been under the care of a nephrologist.

Now back to my hunt for Vitamin D.

My test result showed a level so much lower than the normal range.  A level of 30 to 40 nanograms/milliliter is adequate, and I had 10.5.  So I was prescribed 4000iu of daily intake of Vitamin D for the next 2 months, and a repeat of the test after that period.

I’ve never taken any vitamins in my life.  Well, except for those prescribed when pregnant.  Other than those, I don’t take any meds at all.

Not even for a migraine.

Now, here are some fun facts…

There are doctors here who sell what they prescribe.  Yes, even when you can see on the hospital bulletin board that it is prohibited. There’s a long list of reasons why they cannot and should not sell, but still…

So we buy from the doctors.  Because another fun fact is… we can’t find Vitamin D higher than 1000iu in pharmacies.

And the doctors sell either Kirkland or Healthy Options.

And the price!  While you can buy Kirkland from Amazon at Php1.35 per softgel (at 54 to a dollar exchange rate), we pay Php10.00 per softgel to our good doctor.

Hey, I realize they also need to pay for shipping cost and everything, okay?  So I’m not complaining.  

But if I can get it directly from Amazon without worrying about shipping, why not, right?

So I went to LabDoor to check how Kirkland’s Vitamin D ranks.  It has a score of 81.5 out of 100.  Not good enough, because it only has a score of 66 on Ingredient Safety.

See, LabDoor also shows the ratings based on

• label accuracy,
• product purity,
• nutritional value,
• ingredient safety, and
• projected efficacy.

The ratings are also coded in colors. Dark green is best, light green is good, yellow not so much.

I checked out the other brands that I’m familiar with, like NatureMade, and it has a score of 85.9 out of 100.  It’s twice the cost of Kirkland, but I like that it scored higher with LabDoor. The only concern is that they only tested the 1000iu, and I need the 2000iu.

The top-rated Vitamin D?  It’s called NutriGold. It has a score of 87.4 out of 100.  It’s a no-brainer, I’m going for this one.

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And I’m writing about LabDoor, why?

I mean, other than finally waking my blog up from its deep slumber.

Well, for one, I know that there are parents in my audience.  Parents who buy their kids vitamins on a regular basis. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the information that LabDoor gives away for free.

And two, because I know that there are also freelancers in my audience, who, like me, fall under the category of “people who don’t get much exposure to the sun.”  Guys, if you’re like me, whose only time outside the house is to go for groceries and run errands, please go and see your doctor.  It won’t hurt to get tested for your Vitamin D level.

Like it literally won’t hurt if you find a phlebotomist who draws blood like Iliad.

And then you can plan on working under the sun, like on a beach, or a park…

Now I’m dreaming.

So there you have it, folks!  I hope that you find this post helpful.  Thank you for reading! And feel free to share!

Do you, have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave a comment below, or post them on my Facebook Page.