Label dictionary: the real meaning of what's written on the box

The percentage you see next to vitamins and minerals. It refers to a fixed value set at European level: 80 mg for vitamin C, 10 mg for zinc, 5 µg for vitamin D, to give three examples.

What it isn't: the optimal dose. The NRV is the level below which deficiency appears in an average adult, not the level at which a nutrient has been studied for a particular effect. That is why a product can say “625% NRV” without meaning it is six times better.

The nutrition table refers to the serving, and the serving is chosen by the manufacturer. Two gummies, one capsule, one level scoop. When you compare two products, the first thing to line up is the serving, otherwise you are comparing apples with oranges.

A unit of measurement for fat-soluble vitamins. For vitamin D the conversion is fixed: 1 µg equals 40 IU. So 1,000 IU means 25 µg, and 4,000 IU means 100 µg.

It means that ten or twenty-five kilograms of dried plant, respectively, produced one kilogram of extract. It is a measure of concentration, not of quality.

What it doesn't tell you: how much of the active compound you are getting. Two 10:1 extracts of the same plant can have very different contents, depending on the solvent, the part of the plant used and the harvest.

An extract guaranteed to contain a fixed percentage of a measurable compound. Example: KSM-66®, an ashwagandha extract standardised to 5% withanolides. This means every batch is checked to reach that percentage, not that it is “stronger”.

A list of ingredients followed by a single total figure. “Energy complex 850 mg” can mean 840 mg of one cheap ingredient and 10 mg shared among the rest.

It is legal, because the total amount is declared. But it means you can't check any dose, so you can't compare the product with any study.

Cholecalciferol is vitamin D3, the form your skin produces in the sun and the one used in most studies. Ergocalciferol is D2, of plant origin, and used less often. When a label just says “vitamin D”, turn the box over and look for the form.

The same letters on the label, different behaviour in the body. Oxide has the most elemental magnesium per gram and the poorest absorption. Citrate and glycinate are absorbed better. Most importantly: look for elemental magnesium, not the weight of the salt.

Protein broken down into smaller fragments so it is absorbed more easily. It is used for collagen and some proteins. It is not a guarantee of effectiveness, it is a description of the processing.

Withania somnifera, root. Matricaria recutita, flowers. The plant and the part used completely change the composition. A serious label states both.

Magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide. They are there so the powder doesn't stick to the machinery. They are approved and used in very small amounts. The panic around them is bigger than the subject, but a formula with fewer of them is a cleaner formula.

The two bases for gummies. Pectin comes from citrus fruit or apples and is suitable for vegetarians. Gelatine comes from animal collagen. It doesn't change the active dose, it changes the texture and who the product suits.

With gummies, this is where the real difference between products hides. Glucose syrup and sugar, or sugar alcohols such as maltitol and xylitol, or steviol glycosides. All of them are permitted. Read the “of which sugars” line in the nutrition table: it is mandatory and can't lie.

An E number simply means the additive has been through a European assessment and has a code. It is not an insult and it is not a guarantee. Ascorbic acid, in other words vitamin C, is E300.

In the European Union, what a manufacturer is allowed to say about the effect of a nutrient is set by a closed list, under Regulation 1924/2006 and Regulation 432/2012. If a wording is not on the list, nobody is allowed to use it, however many studies exist.

Claims are used word for word. “Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue” is authorised. “Vitamin C gives you energy” is not.

By law, a food supplement may not claim to treat, cure or prevent a disease. Nor may it name the disease in the context of a benefit. If you see this on a label or in an advert, the product is being sold over the line.

A category of food, not of medicine. Everything else follows from this: the labelling rules, what can and can't be promised, and the obligation to state that it is not a substitute for a varied diet.

In Romania, a supplement is notified to the competent authority before it is placed on the market. The notification confirms that the dossier has been submitted and that the product complies with the composition and labelling rules. It is not a confirmation of effectiveness and it is not comparable to the authorisation of a medicine.

The batch number and the date are mandatory. The certificate of analysis, meaning an independent laboratory's report for that batch, is not. A manufacturer who makes it available to you is giving you the only verifiable proof that what is in the pouch is what is written on the pouch.

There is no legal definition of “natural” for supplements. The word says nothing about dose, purity or absorption. Arsenic is natural.

There is no authorised claim for detoxification. Your liver and kidneys do this job continuously, for free. The word “detox” on a label is, at best, poetry.

Adjectives. They can't be checked and they can't be compared. A manufacturer who has numbers uses the numbers, because they are more convincing.

A marketing expression for a short ingredient list. It is not regulated and guarantees nothing. It may be true. Check it by reading the list, not the front of the pack.

Which specialists, how many, on what basis. Without names and without a study, the sentence has no content. And in supplement advertising, suggesting a medical recommendation is itself problematic.