Category
Supplement culture
How to read a label, what titrations and enzyme units mean, why the pharmaceutical form matters. The tools to make an informed choice.
How to store food supplements: where, how and until when
Food supplements should be stored in their original, tightly closed packaging, in a cool, dry place, away from light and heat. The packaging does the other half of the work: that's why our jars are made of tempered amber glass. And the most dangerous place of all is outside the house: a car parked in the sun.
Excipients in food supplements: what they're for and which ones matter
Excipients are the substances that make a tablet or capsule exist: they hold it together and govern its disintegration. They also lubricate the machines that produce it. On the label, each one has its function written before its name. Which substance fulfills that function is a formulation choice, and it can be read there, item by item.
Bioavailability of food supplements: what it really depends on
The bioavailability of a food supplement is determined by the chemical form of the active ingredient and the form of the product that contains it, along with the time it is taken. This information is all on the label. Knowing how to read it allows for comparing two products that declare the same milligrams.
Capsules or tablets: how to choose the form of a food supplement
The active ingredient determines the form of a food supplement: how much is needed per dose and how much it resists stomach acidity. An enzyme needs a capsule that remains closed in the stomach; a high-dose mineral salt is comfortable in a tablet.
Food supplements morning or evening, on a full or empty stomach: practical guide
The correct time for a food supplement is that indicated on its label, product by product. The general rules about meals explain where that indication comes from and help organize the day.
How to read a food supplement label: practical guide in six steps
A food supplement label is read starting from the table of daily dose contents. Six blocks of information and three numbers to know how to compare, in the order in which they are looked at with the jar in hand.
What a titrated extract means: titration and extraction ratio
Titration, extraction ratio, and standardization answer three different questions about a plant extract. Titration indicates how much characteristic molecule the extract contains, the ratio indicates how much plant was needed to obtain it. "Standardized" indicates an extract adjusted to a constant content.
How to choose a quality food supplement: the complete guide
A quality food supplement is recognized by its label: it states where the raw material comes from and how much active ingredient is taken daily. For plant extracts, titration matters, for other ingredients, the chemical form. Ten criteria in order of importance and a checklist to use in front of the shelf.
What nutraceuticals are and why they work: the NUTRALAB guide
A nutraceutical is an isolated and concentrated food component, brought to dosages that an ordinary diet does not reach. Under European law, it remains a food supplement. What changes is the chemical form chosen for the ingredient, and with it, the bioavailability.
