Contents
- How do you choose a good dietary supplement and what should you pay attention to?
- Composition – the form of the supplement
- Supplement of plant origin
- Composition – Additives
- Daily intake
- RWS – Reference Intake Value
- Insert form and packaging
- Quality certificates
- Market position and price of the company
- A few words about probiotics
- Multiple dietary supplements at the same time, medications and dietary supplements – interactions
- Summary
In modern times and the high level of industrialization, it is difficult, but not impossible, to supply the body with the right ingredients. Therefore, more and more people are turning to dietary supplements. However, before choosing a supplement, we should first ask ourselves: Do we really need a particular supplement? Sometimes supplementation is necessary, but you shouldn't overdo it. Swallowing a pill is easier than maintaining a balanced diet, and this is where we should start. Only after implementing a healthy lifestyle can you consider supporting the body with ready-made supplements. It is also worthwhile to undergo laboratory tests before taking any supplement. These can be prescribed by a doctor or done privately. Afterward, we will learn about the content of iron, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B7, B12, C, E, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, or sodium. But what if we consider the indications and want to take supplements: How do we choose a high-quality supplement that is both safe and effective?
Before we begin, however, it's worth highlighting the difference between a drug, a dietary supplement, and a medical device. The distinctions between the two are often blurred in the media, and this shouldn't be the case.
In summary:
- The medication can be prescription or over-the-counter. To be marketed, it must have a proven preventive or curative effect. Its quality and efficacy are constantly monitored.
- Medicinal component. It has no healing effect, but rather a supportive effect on the body. It acts mechanically, that is, it moisturizes, warms, and protects the mucous membranes. It is less controlled before and after administration than a medication, but better than a dietary supplement.
- Food supplements. Market entry is extremely simple, as submission of the relevant documentation to the Central Statistical Office is sufficient. No efficacy tests are required. Information in advertising or on the packaging itself must not mislead consumers, but quality control is limited. Its purpose is to supplement the daily diet. It has no curative effect. It is not a substitute for medication, a healthy diet, or a healthy lifestyle.
How do you choose a good dietary supplement and what should you pay attention to?
Source of the supplement – status in the GIS entry
Although registering dietary supplements is extremely simple and doesn't require such complex clinical trials as pharmaceuticals, there are still many supplements of questionable origin. This is especially common online. In such situations, a special list maintained by the Supreme Sanitary Inspectorate is helpful. Access to it is free and widely available. This register primarily concerns products of Polish origin. Some of its counterparts include NSF International, US Pharmacopeia, Consumer Lab, and Informed Choice. If the supplement isn't listed on any of the lists, its effectiveness is highly praised, and it also has no ingredients, it's definitely not worth investing in this type of preparation.
Composition – the form of the supplement
Everything is accepted on paper, but reality is another matter. Dietary supplements are subject to dietary regulations and therefore are not as frequently or carefully controlled as pharmaceuticals. Therefore, it's worth checking whether a particular company conducts internal quality control of the supplied preparations. It's also worth paying attention to the chemical form of the active ingredient when reading the ingredients. Not all chemical forms are equally effective. For example, magnesium citrate is the most absorbable form of magnesium, but some manufacturers offer other forms. As long as it's magnesium chelate, magnesium malate is fine, as it's only slightly less absorbed. It's even worse if magnesium oxide is present, which is practically unabsorbed by the human body but is inexpensive and can be packaged, for example, in a capsule (high dose). If you're unsure about the most effective chemical form of the supplement, it's worth asking a pharmacist, nutritionist, or doctor.
The composition of dietary supplements should be developed based on research/recommendations from experts. However, beware of companies whose only confirmation of the supplement's quality is testing conducted on their behalf—such testing can be arranged specifically. The most reliable supplements are those from companies that present both their own and independent research results.
When selecting dietary supplements, it's important to pay attention to the standardization of the substances contained in the product, which is especially important for dietary supplements of plant origin. Thanks to this certificate, we can be sure that each serving of the product contains the same amount of product.
Many people who don't know which vitamins and minerals they are deficient in opt for complex supplements. This is a convenient solution, but one should remember that both a deficiency and an excess can be harmful. Therefore, such supplements should not be taken chronically, but only periodically.
A few more words about the “magical” statements in advertising or on the packaging of dietary supplements.
– Heavy metals – According to food law, no product may contain heavy metals and additional labelling is simply unnecessary
– antifungal, cleansing, antiparasitic, deacidifying – the presence of microorganisms in the body or the pH disturbance of the body is often a life-threatening condition and such people must therefore be hospitalized, if we feel well and this is also indicated by the results of tests, e.g. blood, we do not need to take this type of supplements and their effectiveness is questioned by scientific research
– ionized, electrolyzed – all minerals do not exist individually; they are bound together in compounds. It is almost impossible to keep elements in a free state. Therefore, when assessing the effectiveness of dietary supplements, they are taken into account based on the analysis of the compound in which they occur.
– For weight loss – there are supplements that boost metabolism, but none that help us lose weight effortlessly. The process of losing weight is complex and relies primarily on dietary changes and physical activity.
The composition of dietary supplements sometimes seems extremely complicated, but, just like with food, it becomes more and more understandable to us over time.
Supplement of plant origin
Herbal preparations should be considered separately due to the dissimilarity and extreme complexity of the elements, which can compromise their effectiveness compared to synthetic preparations. With this type of supplement, the key considerations are the type of herbal preparation used and whether it is the whole herb, a part of it, or perhaps an extract or oil. Extracting the active ingredient from plants requires appropriate treatment. The solvent used for extraction (e.g., water, alcohol, glycerin) is also important, but such information is rarely found on the product packaging. It should be provided by the manufacturer. The method of harvesting, cultivation, and the type of protective measures used are also important. It is the responsibility of manufacturers to include labeling on the packaging such as DER (although not always), country of origin, and fragmentation of the plant. Many herbs also have proven therapeutic effects—they are described in pharmacopoeial monographs or developed by the Committee for Herbal Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency. A dietary supplement is not a medicine, so we will not find any dosages with therapeutic effects in it.
The value of DER (Drug Extract Ratio) – denotes the ratio of the amount of substance used to the amount of product obtained (e.g. DER 8:1 means that 1 gram of extract was obtained from 8 grams of the plant, which means that the higher this ratio, the value of the obtained extract increases).
As I mentioned before, there are top-quality products with a standardized amount of active ingredients in the preparation. However, it's worth remembering that the active ingredients of plants are named slightly differently than the plant itself. Thus, for turmeric, it's curcuminoids; for pepper, it's piperine; for oregano, it's quarticrol; and for ginkgo biloba, it's ginkgoflavonoglycosides. And with regard to these, we should check the dosage of the supplement, not the plant itself.
Composition – Additives
As with food, the best supplements are those with the shortest possible ingredients (unless it's a complex preparation). The easiest way to choose is to follow the rule: the fewer names we don't understand, the better—but pay attention to the active ingredients I wrote about above. Fillers, anti-caking agents, and preservatives are usually unnecessary and only allow manufacturers to save money without having a positive impact on our health.
Daily intake
Make sure you don't exceed the daily value of a particular ingredient. It's helpful to pay attention to the RWS and DER values described above. Nutrient requirements can also be checked using the tables in the Nutritional Standards for the Polish Population – currently, the most recent version is from 2020. If in doubt, consult your pharmacist, doctor, or nutritionist.
Pay attention to details. Example: Formula 1: contains 653 g of magnesium citrate, of which 110 g is magnesium. Formula 2: contains 110 g of magnesium citrate, of which 16 g is magnesium. Consider which of the preparations provides more magnesium... Preparation 2.
RWS – Reference Intake Value
RWS (Reference Intake Value) is an indicator that indicates the percentage of a given ingredient's daily intake that is met. It was developed for minerals and vitamins (not plant extracts) based on nutritional standards for adults developed in the European Union, the United States, and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
This value applies to an average adult and is a guideline. Therefore, it should also be noted that every organism is different and much depends on lifestyle. Therefore, these values should be considered as guidelines rather than specific ones.
Insert form and packaging
The quality of the dietary supplement is also influenced by the quality of the packaging used. Dark glass bottles protect active ingredients, especially in liquid form, better than plastic ones. It's not that plastic packaging doesn't protect the supplement, but its thickness must be appropriate, which, unfortunately, we can't verify with the naked eye and must rely on the manufacturer's assurances.
Which tablet, capsule, or liquid/powder form should I choose? The answer to this question isn't easy. When comparing preparations of the same composition (good composition), it doesn't matter which form we choose. We can then choose the one that is most convenient for us to supplement. However, it's important to note that the liquid/powder form contains the least amount of additives. Capsules contain "something" that makes up the capsule, preferably lanolin, cellulose, or hemicellulose. Tablets, on the other hand, usually need "something" that ensures they retain their compact form; this is often gelatin, starch pulp, or acacia gum.
Quality certificates
Currently, there is no national or international certification of dietary supplement quality, so all quality certificates are issued on a small scale. You can pay attention to them, but they shouldn't be an indicator of whether or not to purchase a particular supplement. It's worth paying particular attention to publications from chemical laboratories that aren't affiliated with the respective manufacturer.
Market position and price of the company
This isn't about the company's reputation, but it can also be an indication of the quality of the products and whether the company tests its supplements and how it presents them. If we hear that a particular supplement is a miracle cure for everything, unfortunately, it won't be true. The main indicator of quality may be whether the manufacturer also sells medications. In such cases, it's more likely that they also care about the quality of the supplements.
When it comes to price, supplements that are either too cheap or exorbitantly expensive aren't worth the price. If a particular manufacturer engages in multi-level marketing, it's known that the price will increase. However, this has nothing to do with the quality of the supplement. Companies that spend more money on the quality of their supplements than on their marketing are valuable.
In addition, when choosing a dietary supplement, it's worth paying attention to the cost, for example, for a monthly supplement, rather than the packaging itself. For example, one package contains 30 tablets—the manufacturer recommends one per day. In the second case, the package contains 50 tablets, but the recommended daily dose is 3 tablets. This ultimately results in a monthly course of treatment, or in the latter case, a 16-day course. Decide for yourself what is more "profitable."
A few words about probiotics
The popularity of these types of preparations on the market is growing, and not without reason. According to recent findings, they can influence not only intestinal motility but also the course of diseases such as diabetes, Hashimoto's disease, and inflammatory bowel disease. However, when choosing, we should not focus on the amount of probiotic bacteria contained, but rather on whether the manufacturer clearly states both the strain and the type of substance used, for example, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052. Such information provides greater certainty regarding effectiveness. However, it remains to choose the strain based on your needs. However, research on this topic is currently rudimentary, and it's worth consulting a specialist rather than choosing one strain.
Multiple dietary supplements at the same time, medications and dietary supplements – interactions
The final point to consider when choosing a dietary supplement is its interaction with other medications you're taking, especially with chronic medications. This information can be found in long-term medication leaflets or on specialized websites dedicated to reviewing such interactions. It's also worth asking a pharmacist, doctor, or nutritionist about possible drug interactions.
Finally, I would like to mention that the effects of a dietary supplement usually only become apparent after at least one month of treatment, and no dietary supplement should be taken permanently. It's worth taking a break from treatment of at least one week from time to time.
Summary
When choosing a dietary supplement, pay attention to the following:
- Is the product a medicinal product, dietary supplement or medical device?
- Is the addition registered in the GIS inventory?
- Does the dietary supplement contain what the manufacturer advertises?
- Is it a combination product or a single-ingredient product?
- What chemical form do the substances they contain exist, and are they well absorbed? – If you are unsure, ask your pharmacist, doctor, or nutritionist.
- Does the dietary supplement contain additives or fillers?
- If it is a herbal preparation, is it an extract or a dried plant? Is the active ingredient concentration in the preparation stated and standardized to the active ingredient DER value?
- At what dose does it occur? Pay attention to details. RWS value.
- Is it a capsule, tablet or powder?
- What is the packaging of the dietary supplement made of?
- Be careful with quality certificates.
- Does the company conduct additional internal quality controls?
- What is the monthly cost for the supplement, not how much does the package cost?
- When choosing a probiotic, make sure it includes the full name of the probiotic bacteria: species and strain.
- Whether the dietary supplement interacts with any other medications or supplements you are taking.
