The goal of the following guide is to help you choose the best vitamin & mineral supplements possible.
And not just from Australian supplement brands.
But from any brand across the planet.
Key definitions (important)
Active ingredient:
The key nutrient or compound in a supplement that provides the intended health benefit (vitamins, minerals, herbs, or amino acids).
It is the component responsible for the supplement’s effectiveness.
Excipients:
Ingredients that are added to ALL supplements to support manufacturing, shelf-life & delivery, but do not provide nutritional or therapeutic benefits.
They are generally detailed as ‘Excipients or Other Ingredients’ on the label of a supplement bottle.
And they include binders, fillers, coatings, preservatives & other additives that help shape tablets, enhance shelf life, ensure ingredients don’t stick together or improve taste.
1 – Choosing the right active ingredient is crucial.
There is often a significant difference in absorption & quality between different active ingredients.
For example, there are more than 11 different types of magnesium.
Some with high absorption. And unfortunately, many with low absorption.
If you’re going to spend your hard earned $ on a supplement.
It’s worth spending, at least a little bit of time, researching the best active ingredient for your needs.
Action: use social media & the internet to research quality active ingredients.
Look for brands & individuals online who you trust & who are creating content on vitamins, minerals & supplement quality.
2 – Capsules over tablets.
Supplements in capsule form generally contain fewer excipients / other ingredients, than hard tablets.
Making them a cleaner, more natural choice.
Action: always choose capsule supplements over tablets.
3 – Powders shouldn’t taste that sweet!
Most vitamins & minerals have a natural, earthy taste, that’s often, not the most pleasant when taken on its own.
If a powdered supplement tastes overly sweet, it likely contains lots of artificial flavours & sweeteners.
Action: look for powder supplements that use whole fruit powders (e.g. lemon powder) & natural sweeteners (e.g. stevia & monk fruit) to support their taste.
4 – What’s on the label isn’t always what’s inside (Australian brands).
In Australia, supplement brands are not required to disclose the excipients / other ingredients, in their formulations to customers.
But they are required to list these with the TGA (Australia’s Regulatory Body).
Action: check the TGA’s website to see all the ingredients going inside a brand’s formulation & buy from brands that choose to disclose active ingredients & excipients.
Even better if you find a brand that discloses incidental minor excipients in their formulations.
5 – Choose the cleanest excipients possible.
A good brand will always choose to use the cleanest excipients / other ingredients possible, in their formulations.
Action: choose brands that wherever possible, use excipients / other ingredients, from the below table.
Acceptable Excipients / Other Ingredients
Rice extracts (rice bran, rice hulls, oryza sativa)
MCT (medium chain triglycerides) from coconut oil
L – leucine
Acacia gum
Tapioca starch
Glycine
Silica (natural silicon dioxide)
Avoid
Magnesium stearate
Titanium dioxide
Talc / talcum powder / purified talc
Macrogol
Iron oxides
Vegetable oils (soybean, soya, sunflower oil)
Dl-alpha-tocopherol (synthetic vitamin E)
6 – The less active ingredients, the better.
Supplements with only 1 or 2 active ingredients generally allow for better absorption & dosing control.
And also help reduce the risk of certain vitamins & minerals competing for absorption, when their included in the same formulation.
Action: choose supplements that include 1 to 2 active ingredients in their formulation (unless there is a clearly defined reason why the brand includes more).
7 – Avoid multivitamins.
Multivitamins often contain competing micronutrients – like calcium & magnesium or zinc & copper – that compete for absorption when taken together.
And they also tend to have low doses of key nutrients, making it difficult to achieve meaningful health benefits from a single daily tablet.
Action: Choose specific vitamin & mineral supplements (like standalone magnesium, zinc & vitamin D supplements) instead of multivitamins.
8 – Small doses over large doses.
As the body can only process a limited amount of certain nutrients at once, most vitamins & mineral supplements are absorbed better when you take smaller doses at multiple different times.
For example, when comparing between two different magnesium supplements.
One has 250mg of magnesium per dose & the other has 90mg per dose.
Go with the 90mg (the lower dose).
That way you can take it at different times throughout the day / night, for maximum effectiveness.
Action: choose supplements with lower milligram (mg) quantities per dose.
9 – Third-party testing.
Third Party Testing means an independent laboratory has tested the quality & efficacy of a brands supplements.
This is a compulsory requirement in Australia.
But unfortunately, not required in the US, Europe & the UK.
Action: check the brands website to ensure they are Third Party Testing all of their supplements.
10 – People behind the brand.
You want a supplement brand you can trust.
Look for brands that openly share who they are through their website & social media.
Get a sense of who’s behind the brand, their expertise, values & commitment to quality.
Action: check to see if the brand is active on social media & their website communicates trust & expertise.
This content is by Honour Health
The information provided above is for general informational purposes only & should not be considered as professional medical advice or a substitute for consulting with a healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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