Reading supplement labels without the marketing

Serving size first. Every amount on the panel refers to the serving, not the capsule. A "1000 mg" claim can mean three capsules.

Elemental versus compound weight. For minerals, the number that matters is the elemental amount. 500 mg of magnesium citrate is not 500 mg of magnesium.

%NRV. Nutrient Reference Values are adult, general-population reference points. They are useful for orientation and useless as a personal target — especially for children.

Words with no legal definition. "Clinically proven", "natural", "pharmaceutical grade", "doctor formulated" and "advanced" carry no standardised meaning. Ignore them and read the panel.

Excipient list. Capsule material (gelatine versus HPMC), bulking agent, flow agent and coating all appear here. This is where you find out whether a product is genuinely vegan or genuinely free of a specific allergen.