How To Read Supplement Labels

Eating a balanced diet that includes a variety of nutritious foods is always the best way to ensure we meet our nutrient requirements.

And although supplements cannot replace the benefits we get from whole foods, sometimes taking a supplement may be necessary to fill nutritional gaps.

When we decide to include a supplement in our diet, it is important to choose one that is good quality and suited to our needs.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate the safety or efficacy of supplements in the same way that it monitors medicines and drugs. In fact, many dietary supplements can be marketed without even notifying the FDA.

This means there’s no guarantee that a supplement has been produced to a specific quality standard or will remain consistent between batches.

This makes deciphering supplement labels key to making an informed choice when purchasing supplements and ensuring you’re getting a safe and high-quality product. Learn how to read supplement labels and make informed choices about what you’re putting in your body.

Reading Supplement Labels

The supplement facts label has standard sections that list a lot of the important information you need to understand your supplement. Getting familiar with this will be of huge benefit when shopping for supplements.

The FDA labeling standards require companies to list serving size, active ingredients, and measurable amounts of ingredients on the supplement facts panel. (Source)

Serving Size

The serving size is typically located at the top of a supplement label. This is the amount of the product you take at a time, such as 1 tablet or 1 scoop.

Pay close attention to the serving size – all of the information listed on the label is based on it, displayed as amount per serving.

This indicates the amount of each ingredient you get in a single serving.

This may be listed in grams (g), milligrams (mg), or micrograms (mcg).

Listing the amounts per serving allows you to:

• Know exactly the amount of each nutrient you’re getting in a serving
• Justify the products’ health claims
• Compare nutrient levels between brands
• Ensure you’re taking a product as directed and don’t unintentionally overdose on a particular nutrient

However, some brands get around providing this information by using proprietary blends.

A proprietary blend is a specially formulated mixture of ingredients in a product where only the combined amount of all the blend’s ingredients are labeled, and the actual dose of each substance is not disclosed.

By using proprietary blends, manufacturers can easily underdose on key ingredients and mask the fact that the mixture may contain cheap fillers and other ingredients consumers may want to avoid, making it almost impossible to trust a product’s claims or potential health benefits.

This is why choosing a product that lists the individual amount of each ingredient on their label is so important.

Percentage Of Daily Value (%DV)

The percentage of the daily value, which appears as %DV on supplement labels, is the percentage of the daily recommended amount of the given nutrient or ingredient in each serving.

It’s important to note that these recommended daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet for ease of standardization, and so may not apply exactly to your diet, depending on your caloric intake.

Including %DV makes it easier to tell whether a product contains adequate amounts of nutrients instead of having to figure it out yourself in grams, milligrams, or micrograms.

In general, 5% DV or less is considered low in that nutrient and 20% DV or more, is considered high. (Source)

You might notice that some supplements contain over 100% of the DV for certain nutrients. This is because DVs relate to the amount of a specific nutrient needed to prevent disease and avoid malnutrition, rather than the amount for optimal health.

In many cases, it is safe and possibly beneficial to exceed the DV. For example, one cup of guava provides 377 mg of vitamin C – more than 400% of the DV.

On the other hand, it is important not to exceed the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) either. This is the maximum daily intake that’s unlikely to cause adverse symptoms or side effects. (Source)

To make sure you’re not taking too much of a nutrient, you can refer to the UL before buying a new supplement.

You can also discuss supplement use with your healthcare provider, which is particularly important if you have any underlying medical conditions.

Some ingredients will not have a number listed in the %DV column. This is because an official recommendation has not been established by the FDA for this nutrient.

However, this doesn’t mean these nutrients aren’t good or even necessary to include in your diet.

Ingredients

The supplements facts panel will also list all the active ingredients in a supplement. 

Vitamins and minerals will usually be listed as their common nutrient name as well as the form that the nutrient is in. Take zinc, for example. It will be listed as zinc first, and then in parentheses, zinc oxide.

This should be done for every nutrient listed on a supplement, but not all supplement companies do this.

Including the form of the nutrients on the label allows consumers to choose a supplement with active, bioavailable ingredients, which are more easily absorbed, rather than cheaper alternatives. For example, selenomethionine is the most bioavailable source of selenium. (Source)

Likewise, vitamin B12 in the form of methylcobalamin is considered a superior form compared to the more common form, cyanocobalamin. (Source)

Additional Ingredients

Towards the bottom of the label, some supplement labels will have additional ingredients listed.

These are ingredients that are not key to a supplement’s nutritional benefits, such as fillers, binders, emulsifiers, lubricants, capsules, sweeteners, preservatives, etc.

These additives are often used to increase the supplements’ shelf life, help bind ingredients together, or improve the texture, color, taste, or consistency, while fillers can be included to help cut costs or add substance to tablets and capsules.

Although these ingredients may be necessary in some cases, it’s best to steer clear of supplements that contain a long list of additives.

They offer no nutritional benefit and some may be harmful or include allergens such as corn, gluten, or soy.

Some common additives found in supplements include:

• cellulose
• stearic acid
• soybean oil
• maltodextrin
• potassium sorbate
• silicon dioxide
• titanium dioxide
• magnesium stearate

Other Things To Look Out For

Dietary Restrictions Information

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 requires that labels must disclose the presence of any major food allergens, such as milk, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, and soy. (Source)

However, take care if you have a severe allergy as supplements can become cross-contaminated if processed in facilities that handle common food allergens and manufacturers do not have to disclose this on their label.

If you are vegan or vegetarian, it is important to also look out for the presence of animal-derived ingredients like gelatin, carmine, magnesium stearate, collagen, and lanolin.

Some products are certified vegan, so opt for these if you want to be sure that the product is made without the use of animal products and not tested on animals.

Third-Party Testing

Supplement manufacturers are required to adhere to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) put in place by the FDA.

These guidelines ensure that companies adhere to approved processes for the manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and storing of supplements.

However, to ensure the products you’re taking have been tested and checked for things like purity, potency, stability, and safety, look for third-party verification.

These verifications are certified by organizations such as:

• NSF International
• United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
• Eurofins
• ConsumerLab

And are a good indicator of quality as these organizations set strict standards for the purity and potency of supplements.

If your product has a third-party certification, it should have a verification seal on the label. 

When choosing a greens powder it is important to look for third-party testing to ensure no heavy metals are present in the supplement.

Terminology

Supplement brands will also often use certain wording in their labeling in order to create a particular perception of their product. This terminology is often vague and unsubstantiated.

Some common terms you might come across:

Natural

The FDA defines the term “natural” to mean a product that doesn’t contain any artificial or synthetic ingredients, including artificial flavors or colors. (Source)

However, the term “natural” is not strictly regulated in the United States and so even if a product claims that it is “natural”, it is still important to check for synthetic sweeteners, flavors, and colors.

Whole Food

Although some brands will label their supplements as “whole food” supplements, there is really no such thing.

This usually means that the supplement is made up of a blend of food substances and will often also include additives. The only way to get the benefit of whole food is to eat the whole food!

Organic

The FDA does not regulate the use of the term “organic” on food labels. It is instead regulated by the National Organic Program. For a supplement to be marketed as organic, it must only contain ingredients derived from organic plants or animals. (Source)

Certified organic products typically have a green seal with the USDA logo on the packaging.

Claims

From combating aging to fighting cancer, supplement brands are notorious for making extravagant health claims. Such claims are illegal in the U.S.

The FDA will only approve claims that :

• Are  based on significant scientific evidence that shows a strong link between a supplement and a disease or health condition
• State that a supplement reduces the risk of certain health problems — not that it can treat or cure a disease

E.g. Calcium may reduce the risk of the bone disease osteoporosis. (Source)

Avoid supplements that may be making fraudulent claims.

These can sound like:

• Claiming the product cures a wide variety of health problems
• Claiming the product can treat or cure diseases
• Words like “scientific breakthrough”, “miraculous cure”, “revolutionary technology”, “secret ingredient”, or “ancient remedy”
• Misleading use of scientific-sounding terms
• Undocumented testimonials by patients or doctors claiming miraculous results

Supergreen Tonik

You can tell Human Tonik’s Supergreen Tonik is a high-quality supplement by looking at its label.

It includes:

• A clear serving size
• All ingredients are listed separately with their individual amounts
• Percentage daily values
• The forms of some vitamins alongside their common names
• No additional ingredients
• Third-party testing

By listing all ingredients separately with their individual amounts, consumers have full transparency and can tell exactly what they’re getting with each serving.

Supergreen Tonik contains no additional additives or fillers and is third-party tested by Eurofin, meaning it has safety and quality verification.

Conclusion

Although it is always best to get our nutrients from whole foods, supplements can be helpful for filling nutritional gaps.

With so many choices when it comes to supplements, choosing one can be overwhelming.

Having the skills to decipher supplement labels allows you to see through the nonsense and pick a high-quality product that is safe and suits your needs. 

Always read the supplement facts label and go for products with all ingredients listed alongside their amounts per serving, very few additional ingredients, third-party testing, and genuine reviews.

Avoid products that include proprietary blends, make extravagant claims, have a long list of additives, or contain allergens you’re sensitive to.

If you ever have questions when it comes to supplement use, the best person to ask is your healthcare provider.

Lucy Brennan, ANur, BSc

Lucy Brennan is a registered associate nutritionist (ANutr) and freelance writer specializing in health, nutrition and wellness content.  She holds a BSc. (First Class Hons) in Public Health Nutrition and has over 4 years’ experience working in health communication, which is where her passion lies.

She has worked in roles with The Irish Food Board and FleishmanHillard PR, on their healthcare team, working with national and international health companies. Using this experience, Lucy now writes content in a freelance capacity. Lucy is dedicated to providing evidence-based content that is both engaging and accessible and inspires readers to make informed choices regarding their health.