How to Evaluate Quality in a Nutritional Health Supplement

At the most basic level a nutritional health supplement will top up any nutrient deficiencies you may have. Elite health supplements however do far more! They use expensive, specialized ingredients to address, reverse and guard against degenerative disease and debilitating health conditions (targeting every organ/system in your body). Then there's the issue of anti aging benefits. Since most of the population in developed countries is suffering from premature aging, anti aging benefits translate into slowing down and normalizing your aging process........... But 99% of supplements including most of the market leaders don't have the ingredients to achieve this complex task. But some can! ............So, how do you find them? Evaluating the quality of a nutritional health supplement means firstly knowing which ingredients should be there! We can judge how comprehensive a formula is by firstly looking at which categories of nutrients are there/missing and then whether the key specialty nutrients for each category are present and in the best molecular forms.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Free time to study and compare supplement labels
• Money - the best nutritional health supplements cost between $40-$50 a bottle. If your health is a high life priority this is a sound investment if you can afford it.

1. 

   A nutritional health supplement formula MUST BE GENDER SPECIFIC. If you're MALE check for this crucial nutrient category:
   
   'Men's Health Support' (or similar wording)
   
   
   Mens health support refers to prostate health including enlarged prostate (BHP) and protection against prostate cancer. It also encompasses enhancement of sexual vigor/activity and finally the promotion and maintenance of a healthy level of testosterone (including inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to estrogen to tackle 'Man Boobs' and decreased masculinity! )
   
   To qualify as a super supplement any nutritional health supplement or multi nutrient vitamin supplement, (same thing but different terminology), must contain ALL or MOST of these specialized, male specific nutrients:
   
   
   Zinc: The MOST effective form is 'Zinc Acetate' - which uses a metabolic pathway to travel DIRECTLY to the prostate. (prostate health)
   
   Beta Sitosterol: Potency 90% up. (prostate health and sexual vigor)
   
   Lycopene: (prostate health)
   
   Nettle Root Extract: (urination disorders associated with BHP)
   
   Saw Palmetto: (prostate health)
   
   Chrysin: Potency 90% up. (inhibits aromatization of androstenedione and testosterone to estrogen and estradiol)
   
   Red Clover Extract: (prostate health)
   
   Resveratrol: Natural form only ('Trans'. High potency is about 30-50% (prostate health/cancer)
   
   Isoflavones: (prostate health/cancer)

2. 

   If you're a women check the label of a nutritional health supplement for this absolutely necessary nutrient category:
   
   'Women's Health Support' (or similar wording)
   
   
   Women's health support refers to nutrients called pre-cursors which are specifically for women to help balance their hormones naturally without the need for dangerous pharmaceutical drugs.
   
   These important ingredients have a long and impressive track-record for safety and effectiveness.
   
   By balancing the hormonal cascade you create a reduction in PMS and menopausal symptoms (where applicable) and improved sexual satisfaction. Here are the most recognized hormone balancing herbs for women:
   
   (NOTE: the extracts must be standardized and showing percentage of active ingredient(s). I've listed the actives next to each one:
   
   Chaste Berry Extract: (Agnuside)
   
   Dong Quai Extract: (Ligustilide)
   
   FeverFew Extract: (Parthenolide)
   
   Red Clover Extract: (Isoflavones)
   
   Wild Yam Extract: (Diosgenin)
   
   Isoflavones: A good potency is around 40-50%

3. 

   Check for the nutrient category: 'Immunity'
   
   For a nutritional health supplement to be capable of improving, let alone optimizing your health, it must target your immune system (which is your first line of dense against disease).
   
   The most powerful immunity enhancing ingredients are:
   
   
   Polysaccharides: (Sourced from Aloe vera)
   
   Beta 1,3 Glucan
   
   Tea Polysaccharides

4. 

   Check for the nutrient category: 'Herbal Extracts'
   
   The more herbal extracts in a nutritional health supplement then the higher it's quality and effectiveness.
   
   We're after 'proven' pharmacological benefits and these come from certain active ingredients which have been identified.
   
   These come from herbal EXTRACTS and to guarantee batch to batch consistency of active ingredient amounts all extracts MUST BE STANDARDIZED!
   
   The following are probably the most recognized herbs, with well established broad spectrum medicinal properties. Once again, the more of these in a nutritional health supplement formula the higher its quality and effectiveness:
   
   Green Tea
   
   Gingko Biloba
   
   Gotu Kola
   
   Bilberry
   
   Turmeric
   
   Milk Thistle
   
   Olive Leaf
   
   Grape Seed
   
   Pine Bark
   
   Ginger
   
   Bacopa
   
   Black Cumin
   
   Alfalfa
   
   Hawthorne
   
   Myrrh

5. 

   Check for specialized ANTI AGING ingredients. The nutrient category will be 'Anti Aging' or 'Specialty Nutrients' or similar.
   
   There are four primary aging components to address :
   
   Free Radicals: (requiring the most powerful antioxidants)
   
   Glycation: (requiring anti-glycating agents)
   
   Methylation: (requiring methylating agents)
   
   Inflammation: (requiring anti inflammation nutrients)
   
   and if uncontrolled lead to premature aging and the onset of degenerative disease.
   
   Specialty ingredients must be included to address ALL FOUR of these (however a number of them are very expensive hence they're missing in most health/vitamin supplements).
   
   Some of most effective of the key anti aging nutrients are destroyed if they come in contact with stomach acid and so a supplement tablet needs to have an ENTERIC COATING if it contains these ingredients (see below).
   
   Since this coating is also quite expensive very few supplements can afford to use it. (see the link in the resource section for exceptions)
   
   SAMe (S-Adenosylmethionine): Methylating Agent(REQUIRES ENTERIC COATING!)
   
   Tri-Methyl-Glycine (TMG): Methylating Agent (Also known as 'Betaine')
   
   B Vitamins: B6 and B12: Methylating Agents
   
   Folic Acid: Methylating Agent
   
   Carnosine: Most effective Anti Glycation Agent and Anti Inflammation. VERY EXPENSIVE!
   
   Resveratrol:( A calorie restriction mimic) Anti Inflammation
   
   Glutathione: Anti Inflammation + most powerful Antioxidant
   (NOTE: Requires Enteric
   Coating and MUST be in the 'Reduced' form ONLY
   (ie. low/small molecular weight!)
   
   Turmeric: Anti Inflammation
   
   Alpha Lipoic Acid: Anti Inflammation
   
   Flavonoids: Anti Inflammation
   
   Omega 3 Fish Oil: ('Ester' form is best) Anti Inflammation
   
   Green Tea Extract: Most powerful Antioxidant for Free Radicals
   
   Gingko Biloba Extract: Most powerful Antioxidant for Free Radicals
   
   Alpha Lipoic Acid: Most powerful Antioxidant for Free Radicals
   
   Lutein: Most powerful Antioxidant for Free Radicals
   
   Bilberry Extract: Most powerful Antioxidant for Free Radicals
   
   Grape Seed Extract: Most powerful Antioxidant for Free Radicals

6. 

   Check for the nutrient category : 'Enzymes'
   
   Enzymes enable digestion! With age your body decreases its manufacture of enzymes. Without an adequate supply of essential enzymes the benefits of taking any of the other nutrients mentioned in this article would be largely negated.
   
   The best nutritional health supplements contain the 3 major groups of digestive enzymes:
   
   Proteolytic' to digest protein (e.g. papain or bromelain)
   
   'Lipases' to digest fat
   
   'Amylases' to digest carbohydrates

7. 

   Check for the nutrient category: 'Amino Acids'
   
   Amino Acids are the principal building blocks of protein and enzymes. This ingredient category including amino acid 'precursors' MUST BE THERE!
   
   They play crucial roles in many metabolic processes involving energy, immune system, nervous system, musculoskeletal system, hormone balancing, balancing blood sugar and brain health.
   
   With twenty first century diets and mindsets most people don't take in necessary daily amounts of protein foods to get the amino acids they need. Here are the key ones- the more the better. The nutritional health supplement I use has them all. (see link in resource area below)
   
   L-Arginine
   
   L-Carnosine
   
   L-Cystein
   
   L-Glutamine
   
   L-Glutathione: Extremely expensive ingredient.('Reduced' form ONLY
   ie.'low/small molecular weight'
   L-Lysine
   
   L-Methionine
   
   L-Ornithine
   
   L-Proline
   
   L-Pryoglutamic Acid
   
   L-Taurine
   
   L-Tyrosine
   
   N-Acetyl Glucosamine
   
   N-Acetyl L-Cysteine

8. 

   Check for the nutrient category: 'Vitamins and Co-factors'
   
   Some vitamins require helpers called co-factors for efficient processing so co-factors are important to a supplement formula. For example the role of all the B vitamins is to provide cofactors for enzymic reactions
   
   Note: vitamins/minerals are the CHEAPEST INGREDIENTS FOR SUPPLEMENTS. You absolutely don't need large doses (eg. 300, 400, 500, 1000mg and up) – you just need a just a top up.
   
   If a large percentage of a nutritional health supplement formula is vitamins/minerals (eg. 60,70 80%) the value for money is EXTREMELY LOW, not to mention effectiveness. In these kinds of supplements many of the nutrient categories listed above will not be there!
   
   Vitamin A
   
   Vitamin B1
   
   Vitamin B2
   
   Vitamin B3
   
   Vitamin B5
   
   Vitamin B6
   
   Vitamin B12
   
   Vitamin C
   
   Vitamin D3 (Natural form)
   
   Vitamin E (Natural form ONLY and formula must also have a tocotrienols
   mix to complete vitamin E family)
   
   Vitamin K (K2 form is best - far greater efficacy but far more
   expensive for manufacturers)
   
   Folic Acid
   
   Inositol
   
   PABA (Cofactor)
   
   Biotin (Cofactor)
   
   Piperine (Cofactor)
   
   Tocotrienols (Crucial part of Vitamin E family)

9. Look for the nutrient category: 'Essential Minerals'
   
   Different forms of minerals have exceedingly different levels of bioavailability (absorption) so the mineral must give its form. If, for example, the mineral Zinc is in the 'Citrate' form then it will look like this on the supplement label/box: 'Zinc Citrate'.
   
   The inexpensive and relatively non-absorbent forms (inorganic mineral salts) which you DON'T WANT TO SEE are : Chloride, Hydroxide, Oxide, Phosphate, Sulfate.
   
   High quality nutritional health supplements will have these forms:
   
   citrate
   
   acetate
   
   nicotinate
   
   gluconate
   
   This topic gets complicated so I'll leave it at that!

10. 

    Look for nutrient category: 'Phytonutrients'
    
    Phytonutrients, [the most well known classes are Carotenoids and Flavonoids (Polyphenols)] are PLANT DERIVED ingredients with powerful health benefits particularly for fighting disease and most have very strong antioxidant properties.
    
    There are many overlaps here with other nutrient categories so phytonutrients may be listed in the herbal extracts /anti aging/specialty nutrient categories on many supplement labels.
    
    The MOST IMPORTANT ONES which you ABSOLUTELY WANT TO SEE in a nutritional health supplement are:
    
    
    Bilberry: (Polyphenol) (extremely expensive ingredient. 25%
    potency is about highest you'll find)
    
    Cranberry: (Polyphenol)
    
    Green Tea: (Polyphenol)
    
    Resveratrol: (Polyphenol)
    
    Lutein: (Carotenoid)
    
    Zeaxanthin: (Carotenoid) (extremely potent/expensive ingredient -
    look for at least 5mg)
    
    Quercetin: (Flavonoid)
    
    Rutin: (Flavonoid)
    
    Hesperiden: (Flavonoid)
    
    Astaxanthin: (Carotenoid)
    
    Grape Seed: (Polyphenol)
    
    Lycopene: (Carotenoid)
    
    Isoflavones: (Flavonoid)
    
    Myricetin: (Flavonoid)
    
    Beta Carotene: (Carotenoid)
    
    Alpha Carotene: (Carotenoid)

11. 

    Look at the 'Other Ingredients' or 'Also Contains' category.
    
    These are NON-ACTIVE INGREDIENTS!
    
    Technically they are called 'excipients'. They won't help your health but some are necessary to assist the manufacturing process. Simply put- the more of these there are the less quality and value for money you get. Low quality supplements are by weight around 50% just non-actives.
    
    A high quality nutritional health supplement will contain a very small amount non active ingredients, all of which will be from natural sources (no artificial anything!).
    
    There is no official optimal range but in my opinion you are looking for around four up to say seven or eight excipients maximum!
    
    Having such a small amount creates manufacturing difficulties and extra expense for the supplement company but this is what it takes to manufacture a high quality supplement offering extremely high value for money and superior effectiveness for your health.

Tips & Warnings

• I have reviewed hundreds of supplements. There are only a handful out there that contain all or a lot of these nutrient categories and corresponding key ingredients but there are some! Naturally I use the one that does have the most. Use the link in the resource section below if you'd like to read about it. It's called Total Balance (Premium version)
• If you're doing your own research and are interested only in high /top of the line quality nutritional health supplements, don't forget to study and compare potency and dose amounts and not just the names of ingredients present . These are critical variables between supplements which determine levels of effectiveness and value for money.
• If you want to substantially slow or normalize your aging process then I can save you a great deal of time and research in telling you there is currently only one multi nutrient health supplement available which contains all the specialized ingredients necessary to treat/control glycation, methylation, inflammation and free radical production. Once again - use the link in the resource section below to learn more.

Resources

• The nutritional health supplement I use

[johnlhill]

on 6/19/2009 good tips! http://superedpack.com/product/****.html

[laurie1979]

on 2/12/2009 Wow. long article here. But keep working on it.

[healthymomof5]

on 1/20/2009 Great information!!

[hzemel]

on 12/25/2008 Once again, an excellent and informative article. I learned a lot reading this.

[joshel]

on 12/22/2008 some very good stuff on nutritional health supplements