How to Read Supplement Labels Like a Pro

How to Read Supplement Labels Like a Pro

Have you ever bought a supplement knowing the daily dose you want only to discover that it takes five pills to reach that dose? Frustrating and literally a lot to swallow!

Practitioners tell us that people don’t stick with supplement plans because we won’t take too many pills. That’s why understanding and comparing supplement labels is key to getting the most for your money in the fewest servings. This article helps you decipher labels, compare products, and get the best value!

What Supplement Labels Must Tell You

Whether your practitioner recommended a supplement, or you’re doing the research yourself, you likely have a daily dose amount in mind. It seems like comparing labels would be easy, since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all labels to list the same facts. However, the way facts are listed – especially the daily dose – can be problematic.

First, a few basics. The FDA requires five elements on the label:

  1. Supplement name,
  2. Supplement amount,
  3. Nutritional facts,
  4. Ingredients, and
  5. Manufacturer, packer, or distributor.

The front label typically lists the amount of the supplement in milligrams (mg) or International Unit (IU). IU is used to measure fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, and E. IU measures bioactivity and is different for each substance.

The front label usually also states how many tablets, capsules or soft gels are in the bottle. Under Supplement Facts, you see the serving size and the percent of recommended daily value in each serving.

Calculating the Servings, Rather than Dose

Here’s where supplement labels get tricky and some math is required to get the most for your money. You might be fooled if you try to compare the number of pills in a bottle, or the cost-per-pill. Instead, look at the cost-per-serving.

The serving size is ideally one or two tablets, capsules, or soft gels daily. Yet, we find supplements labels showing a huge discrepancy between daily dose and dose-per-pill.

A good example is Taxifolin (dihydroquercetin). We see products showing a 50 mg daily dose the front, but the back label shows that each serving only has 10 mg of Taxifolin. The product looks like a great deal at $29 for 100 servings. Each pill costs you 29 cents. However, you need five pills a day to reach 50 mg. So, really, your daily cost is $1.45 for 50 mg of Taxifolin.

Comparatively, our Taxifolin Complex SR, shows 50 mg of Lavitol® dihydroquercetin in each tablet. A bottle of 60 is $60. So, a comparable daily dose costs you $1 a day. Over a month, you pay $13.50 less for the same Taxifolin dose. Plus, that serving is in one pill!

Additionally, our Taxifolin Complex SR is combined with 500 mg of high-potency vitamin C and 10 mg of highly bioavailable zinc bisglycinate. So, if you are taking vitamin C and zinc separately, you can add that to your cost savings as well.

It’s Not How Much You Take, But How Much Your Body Absorbs

Instant-release supplements can dissolve too quickly for your body to absorb the nutrients. So, you eliminate most of the supplement though your urine. That’s why you may see bright orange urine after taking a traditional, possibly cheaper supplement. 

When a supplement releases so quickly that your body only assimilates 30% of it, you literally flush away 70% of your money.

Our proprietary controlled-release technology offers further value that can’t be compared to regular supplements. This novel process features a vegetable wax matrix tablet core that releases nutrients slowly over hours rather than minutes like traditional tablets. 

This sustained-release technology delivers high doses of water-soluble nutrients over 4-8 hours, depending on the product. It’s more expensive to produce supplements with this technology, but it ensures you don’t quickly expel a huge portion of the nutrients in urine. 

The Taxifolin Complex SR in the above example is formulated for steady release over 5-7 hours, mimicing how our bodies naturally process food. Health care providers appreciate this technology because you get optimal absorption and tissue retention. We earnestly want to provide the most value and nutrient benefit for your money!

Reviewing the “Other Ingredients” on Labels

Reviewing “other ingredients” on a supplement label is also crucial, especially if you are vegan or have food sensitivities. Other ingredients are typically lubricants and binders that help ingredients stick together and in our case, provide the proprietary controlled-release technology. 

All our ingredients come from vegetables, even our wax. They are free of common allergens like milk, egg, fish, shellfish, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat. Additionally, none of our products have salt, sugar, artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, or preservatives. However, some brands use binders and fillers that are unhealthy or even dangerous, according to this article from the American College of Healthcare Sciences.

We hope being a pro at understanding supplement labels helps you pick the best options for your budget and your health. Curious about how our controlled-release technology mimics the way our bodies naturally process food? Visit us and learn more.

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Taxifolin Complex SR

Taxifolin Complex SR

Sustained Release

From $65.99

A powerful antioxidant, consisting of dihydroquercetin and high-potency vitamin C and zinc, it promotes heart and blood vessel health and healthy endothelial function (membrane that lines the heart and blood vessels). 

At-a-Glance

  • Supports the body’s antioxidant defenses*
  • Helps maintain immune health*
  • Promotes heart health & healthy circulation*
  • Formulated for steady release over 5-7 hours
  • With GRAS-affirmed Lavitol® dihydroquercetin (taxifolin), a premier brand backed by an extensive safety evaluation 

Product Description

Taxifolin Complex SR is ideal for adults who want to take antioxidant protection and immune defense to the next level without compromising convenience.

Taxifolin Complex SR features high-potency vitamin C, highly bioavailable zinc bisglycinate, and Lavitol® a patented bioflavonoid extract dihydroquercetin (taxifolin). Lavitol® dihydroquercetin is a prized plant antioxidant sourced from Dahurian larch trees native to Siberia, backed by an extensive safety evaluation, and affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) for use in foods and dietary supplements.*

By using our proprietary vegetable wax-matrix tablet core, each sustained-release tablet slowly dissolves for a steady release of this powerful antioxidant trio over a period of 5 to 7 hours to promote optimal absorption and tissue retention.*

Taxifolin Complex SR exerts its key health benefits in a variety of ways, including:

  • Vitamin C helps neutralize free radicals that can harm cells, including cells that line your blood vessels (endothelial cells). In the blood, vitamin C helps recycle and reactivate another antioxidant, vitamin E. Vitamin C helps maintain the protective membranes that line the nose, mouth, throat and intestinal tract. It also plays a role in the production or activation of key immune cells, helps ensure a healthy inflammatory response, and helps protect the integrity of the skin and underlying capillaries.*
  • Zinc protects cells from oxidative damage primarily as a component of the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD). Zinc plays a key role in the optimal function of several immune cells — neutrophils, natural killer cells and T-lymphocytes — that help maintain a healthy immune function. Like vitamin C, zinc also helps maintain the integrity of skin and the protective membranes that line the nose, mouth, throat and intestinal tract.*
  • Taxifolin may exert its antioxidant effects by helping to recycle and reactivate vitamin C, based on pre-clinical research. Emerging research also shows that taxifolin, also known as dihydroquercetin, may be better able to protect capillary function compared to regular quercetin, thanks to its special chemical configuration.*

Lavitol® is a registered trademark of  Ametis Co. Ltd.

Features

  • Easy-to-swallow tablets
  • NO salt, sugar, starch, artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives
  • Gluten-free
  • Vegan/Vegetarian
  • Free of common allergens (milk, egg, fish, shellfish, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat)
  • Sustained release (5-7 hours)

Also available from your licensed healthcare practitioner at Natural Partners/Fullscript™ and WholeScripts™ online dispensaries.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you expect?

Taxifolin Complex SR works to fortify your body’s antioxidant defenses and promote whole body health, including immune defense, heart health and healthy circulation.*

How does it work?

Each sustained-release tablet slowly releases vitamin C, zinc and taxifolin over a period of 5 to 7 hours. This steady release helps ensure optimal absorption and retention of these key antioxidants in cells, tissues, and organs where they can exert their protective benefits.*

How do you take it?

As a dietary supplement for adults, take one (1) tablet, twice daily with food, or as directed by a healthcare professional.

What are the inactive ingredients?

The inactive ingredients include: Vegetable wax (rice bran and/or carnauba), stearic acid (vegetable), magnesium stearate (vegetable), and silica.

Are there any precautions?

Consult your healthcare professional prior to use if you have or suspect a medical condition, are taking any medication or are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or nursing.

What product quality control tests are performed?

Taxifolin Complex SR is manufactured in the United States (Oregon) in a state-of-the-art, FDA-registered facility that meets or exceeds current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). Quality control tests are performed at every stage of the manufacturing process from rigorous raw material testing to finished product testing.

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