Quality, contamination and how to read a label

What share of supplements does not contain what it says, which certifications actually mean something, and how to read a label without swallowing the marketing.

This chapter is not about whether a supplement works, but about something prior: whether the tub contains what it says it contains. The answer, measured repeatedly over twenty years, is that quite often it does not.

How much contamination there really is

The risk is not evenly spread. It concentrates in the categories where the promised effect cannot be achieved legally: fat loss, extreme "energy", hormonal "boosters" and anything promising drug-like results. Protein powder, creatine monohydrate and caffeine from a large brand are, comparatively, the boring and safe end of the market.

Which certification is worth anything

Quality marks are not equivalent. There is only one question that matters: is every batch tested by an independent laboratory against the banned substance list?

Reading a label in one minute

1. 1

   Start with the dose per serving, not the tub

   Compare the amount of each active ingredient with the dose used in the studies. The most common trick is not lying: it is including the famous ingredient at a tenth of the useful dose.

2. 2

   Distrust proprietary blends

   A "proprietary complex, 4,200 mg" listing eight ingredients without a breakdown makes it impossible to know how much of each is in there. That is exactly what it is for. With no breakdown, there is nothing to assess.

3. 3

   Count the real servings

   A 1 kg tub of 80% protein is 800 g of protein, not 1 kg. And if the serving is 30 g, the tub gives 33 servings, not 40. The price that matters is per dose, not per tub.

4. 4

   Look for the protein percentage or the chemical form

   For protein, grams of protein per 100 g of product. For creatine, that it says monohydrate (ideally Creapure). For any mineral, the salt: magnesium oxide is not magnesium citrate.

5. 5

   Read the ingredient list to the end

   That is where the amino acids added to inflate the nitrogen assay live, along with the sweeteners and fillers. A protein with glycine and taurine high in the list is a worse product than it claims to be.

What the law lets a label say

In the European Union a health claim can only be used if it is authorised on the European register after EFSA evaluation. That explains the strange language on packaging: "contributes to the normal function of the immune system" is an authorised phrase; "boosts your defences" is not.

• An authorised claim does not say the product works for you. It usually only means the nutrient is necessary and the product contains a relevant amount of it.
• Vague claims are the substitute for banned ones. "Advanced formula", "maximum absorption" or "pharmaceutical grade" mean nothing regulated.
• A testimonial or a sponsored athlete is not evidence. It is advertising, and in supplements it is the most common way of propping up a product with no data.