Are Vitamins Measured in Units?

Vitamins are measured using the International System of Units system of grams, milligrams and micrograms. Grams refer to the mass of an object and not its weight; in science and technology, weight is considered a force. Vitamins can also be expressed as an IU or International Unit, which is a standardization manufactures can elect to use and is set by the U.S. Pharmacopeia.

Significance

• Vitamins are considered to be a dietary supplement and are therefore regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Both federal agencies work in tandem to ensure the safety and truthfulness of product labeling to ensure that the manufacturer delivers the product as advertised.

Considerations

• Dietary supplements, including vitamins, do not have standardized ingredient regulations. The FDA leaves it up to the manufacturer to determine the amount of ingredients that the supplement will contain. There is no guarantee, however, that you will receive the same quality of ingredients from manufacturer to manufacturer, since standardization of dietary supplements is not defined by law.

Standards

• The U.S. Pharmacopeia, a nonprofit organization, does, however, set standards and provide recommendations for the drug and vitamin industry. Manufacturers can elect whether or not to adhere to such standards.