Breaking Down Supplement Nutrition: How To Read A Supplement Label

To reach your fitness goals, it’s important to read and understand the supplement nutrition label of what you’re taking. Supplement facts panels should tell us exactly what substances we are putting in our body. They do not just give a generalized idea of what we are taking. They should also include specifics about purity/potency, standardization, and plant parts of herbs. Learn how to read the nutrition labels of workout supplements for better results here.

Learn How to Read Supplement Nutrition on Labels

In this article:

• The Importance of Understanding Dietary Supplement Labels
• Supplement Facts
• Nutrition Facts
• Active Vitamin
• Elemental Percentage
• Adaptogens
• Tips on Reading Supplement Nutrition Labels

The Importance of Understanding Dietary Supplement Labels

Supplement facts are not always factual, you must research dietary supplements you put in your body.  Some nutrition labels indicate wrong information due to lack of education, lack of understanding, and in certain cases, blatant greed. That’s why it’s important to know what ingredients you’ll be introducing to your body before actually taking them.

Here are the terms you need to understand as you check the supplement nutrition labels:

Supplement Facts

These are panels that fall under 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 111 for dietary supplement products. These are not food products. There is also no requirement to include caloric information. However, there is a requirement to list individual ingredients and their dosages whether it’s individually or as a proprietary blend.

Nutrition Facts

These are panels that fall under 21 CFR Part 110 for food products. They are subject to newer initiatives as well such as the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA). These are not dietary supplements. Also, there is a requirement for caloric information but not a requirement to list individual dosages of ingredients.

Active Vitamin

Vitamins come in numerous forms and factors, which often confuses consumers. There are active and inactive forms of the vitamins. It would be best to avoid inactive forms as they still need to be converted to active forms in our body. Using an already active form of vitamins will help your body utilize them faster.

Also, the kind of vitamins and minerals used is actually more important than the daily value percentage on the supplements facts label.

Elemental Percentage

Minerals are never taken in their pure form. Pure sodium could decimate an entire room if it came into contact with water. To prevent this they are sold as bonded elements such as calcium carbonate or magnesium citrate. In the latter example, it’s part magnesium and part citric acid. This means if you take 100 mg of magnesium citrate you’re not getting 100 mg of magnesium. It differs depending on what the combination is. In this case, it’s typically about 16% elemental magnesium. Thus the 16 mg of magnesium in this example.

Adaptogens

Adaptogens allows people to survive in times of excessive fight, flight, or famine. The most popular herbal adaptogens include:

• Ginseng
• Ashwagandha
• Rhodiola
• Bacopa
• Holy basil
• Numerous mushroom varieties

Adaptogens can help you cope with environmental stressors. They not only help decrease stress-related hormones, they also often come with other benefits. Some of these benefits include increased muscle mass and better blood sugar management.

Choose an adaptogen that fits your end goal whether that be more energy or something with a more calming effect.

Tips on Reading Supplement Nutrition Labels

Here are some tips to help you pick the best supplement for your fitness needs:

• Make sure you know what kind of vitamins you need. Seeing “Vitamin B12” doesn’t tell you much. You need to know whether it is methylcobalamin or cyanocobalamin. In Evertrain BASE, for example, it clearly states whether a particular vitamin in the supplement’s ingredient is active or inactive.
• Don’t rely on daily value percentages, they often trick you into thinking you’re getting more than you actually will. 100% of an inactive or poorly absorbed form of a vitamin or mineral is not as good as 50% of an active or highly absorbed form.
• Don’t be overwhelmed by exhaustive multivitamin panels. Simply pick a few and look for higher quality forms, if the few that you check don’t have them then choose a different supplement.
• Trademarked ingredients may be beneficial. Anytime you research a trademarked ingredient such as KSM-66 Ashwagandha,  be sure to browse the site for reference literature. Anyone can buy a trademark but research is expensive. Be sure it links to a national database such as NCBI.

To follow along Sean Runyan, Evertrain Fitness Director, and Dustin DePanicis, Evertrain Doctor of Pharmacy discuss the “Other Ingredients” section of a supplement fact label, check out the video below:

Should everyone who works out take supplements for better performance? It depends on the situation. However, doing so will help you achieve your goals better. Most especially if you lack vitamins and minerals. Make sure to read the supplements fact label properly.

Does the supplement you’re taking have a comprehensive supplement facts label? Share what it has in the comments section below.

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