Supplement guides
Supplement guides, page 8
Plain-English guides on labels, doses, real prices, free trials and refunds. Written to help you check a product, not to sell you one.
Guides on this page
What is a new dietary ingredient and who checks it?
What an NDI notification is, who really checks a new supplement ingredient, and what a shopper can verify before buying.
RegulationWhat does the FDA disclaimer on supplements actually mean?
The exact wording, which claims need it, what a company must file with the FDA, and why a small disclaimer cannot rescue a misleading claim.
ResearchHow do I search the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database?
How to look up a supplement label in the NIH DSLD, what a record shows, how to compare it with a sales page, and where the database falls short.
ResearchHow to use NIH ODS fact sheets to check a supplement dose
What RDA, AI, EAR and UL mean, which ODS fact sheet sections matter, and a five-step way to check a label dose.
ResearchIs one study enough to prove a supplement works?
Why one study is not proof, how a systematic review differs, and a checklist for the studies a supplement seller quotes.
EvidenceHow supplement ads inflate results with percentages
Relative vs absolute risk, the missing control group and other percentage tricks in supplement ads, with a six-question check.
EvidenceWhy a lab marker change does not prove a health benefit
Why a drop in blood sugar or cholesterol on a sales page does not prove a benefit, with two real trials where better numbers meant worse results.
EvidenceWhat if the study on a sales page tested a different ingredient?
A real study can still be the wrong evidence. How ingredient, dose and strain mismatches show up on sales pages, and a five-minute way to check.
EvidenceDoes a scientists discovered claim mean a human trial exists?
What a scientists discovered claim usually hides, how findings get stretched before they reach a sales page, and how to tell a real human trial.
EvidenceAre 8-week supplement trials long enough to judge a product?
Why trial length, the marker measured and what happens after stopping decide whether a supplement study proves anything.
Guides are general information, not medical advice. Read how we review and our medical disclaimer.