Supplements come in many shapes and sizes. The choice in the supplement market is truly enormous, and each provider praises the benefits of their own products. Therefore, sometimes it can be difficult to judge which supplements are the best choice for you.

An important measure of the efficacy of a supplement is the quality of the ingredients used. But there are several other factors that are important to distinguish the good supplements from the bad ones. Below you can read everything you need to know!

Buying supplements: 7 tips to watch out for

Supplements have had my interest for quite some time. Because of setting up my own supplement line, I have been researching it even more over the past few years. In doing so, I was really shocked by the low standards of quality that many manufacturers maintain. In fact, many products do not meet the following 7 quality requirements that I set for myself when choosing supplements:

1). The supplement should contain organic compounds

Organic (endogenous) compounds are better absorbed by your cells than inorganic (foreign) compounds. With a magnesium supplement, for example, organic compounds such as taurate, malate or bisglycinate are better absorbed than inorganic varieties such as oxide, hydroxide, nitrate, phosphate and carbonate. Due to the poorer absorption, they can also be laxative. Does the packaging of a supplement not list a specific compound form? Then assume that the supplement contains an inorganic form.

2). The supplement must have been extensively tested and developed

Compiling and producing a good supplement is more than just coming up with a nice product formula. Without extensive rounds of testing, efficacy is never 100% certain and a product cannot be further developed and improved. However, this testing process is very costly and time-consuming, which is why some manufacturers hardly spend any time or attention on it. Often these are the supplements that are on the store shelf at low prices at the local supermarket.

3). The supplement must be in the correct capsule

A supplement can be produced in the form of a capsule, tablet, powder or liquid, among others. You make a choice of one of these variants not only based on personal preference or convenience, but also affects efficacy. For example, the good bacteria in a probiotic supplement only reach your intestines if they are in an acid-resistant capsule. Therefore, it is a sweeping sign if a supplement brand has not taken these issues into account.

4). The supplement should be free of harmful substances

Obviously, a supplement must be manufactured in a hygienic environment that meets the strictest quality criteria. Also, the origin of the ingredients must be clear, so you can be sure you are not ingesting contaminants. An underserved child in this context is often the packaging. In fact, many supplements come in plastic packaging, which can put you in contact with toxic substances such as Bisphenol A (BPA). Therefore, the products in my own supplement line are packaged in dark glass to avoid exposure to BPA and optimally preserve the ingredients.

5). The supplement should contain the appropriate forms of ingredients

The ingredients in a supplement can be natural or synthetic. Natural ingredients occur in nature, while synthetic varieties are manufactured in a laboratory. Although natural substances are almost always better for your health, supplements are occasionally an exception to this rule. This is because some ingredients are easier for your body to absorb in the synthetic form. Vitamin C, for example, is more absorbable in synthetic form and vitamin E in natural form.

6). The supplement should contain supporting cofactors

This is not a rock-solid requirement, but it does show whether a supplement brand has thought carefully about optimal formula efficacy. In fact, cofactors are supporting substances that improve the absorption of the main ingredient. The addition of these may mean that a supplement is a bit more expensive, but the efficacy in some cases is then also extremely much better! Zinc is a good example of a cofactor that is regularly added to supplements to improve the absorption of other substances.

7). The supplement should contain natural sweeteners and bulking agents

A supplement contains not only main ingredients and cofactors, but also so-called excipients. These include sweeteners to enhance the taste or bulking agents needed to make the supplement. Some sweeteners are harmful to health, while others are excellent additives. For example, a sweetener such as erythritol is even suitable in diabetes. Examples of good bulking products include microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), a natural polysaccharide from plants, and Nu-FLOW®, a natural ingredient from rice extract.

Are there a lot of excipients in a supplement? Then there is often less of the active ingredient present. For example, a supplement containing 1 milligram of turmeric may already be sold as a turmeric supplement. The remaining 99 milligrams may then consist of fillers. Therefore, always read the label carefully!

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