How to use the Supplement Label Analyzer
- 1 Copy the Supplement Facts or nutrition table from the product page or type it from the bottle, one nutrient per line.
- 2 Set how many servings you take per day and, optionally, list the other supplements you already use.
- 3 Review each nutrient: the bar shows the share of the US and EU upper limit, and overlap with your other products is flagged.
What the label analyzer reads
Supplement labels follow a familiar pattern: a nutrient, often the form in brackets, an amount and sometimes the percentage of a daily value. For example, “Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) 25 µg (1,000 IU) 125%”. The analyzer picks out the nutrient and the first amount with a unit, ignores the form in brackets and the percentage, and skips headings such as “Serving size”.
Amounts on a label are per serving. If the directions say two capsules per day and a serving is one capsule, set servings per day to 2 and every amount is doubled.
Check overlap with what you already take
A new product rarely replaces everything else you use. Enter your other supplements in the second box and the analyzer combines them: if the new label contains zinc and your multivitamin does too, you will see that zinc comes from two products and what the combined total is. This is the most common way people end up above an upper limit without noticing.
Units and forms on labels
- mcg and µg are the same unit (microgram); IU (in Dutch IE) is converted for vitamins A, D and E.
- Folate may be listed as “µg DFE” on US labels or as folic acid on EU labels; both are handled.
- Minerals are usually listed as the elemental amount, e.g. “Magnesium (as citrate) 200 mg”. If only the compound weight is given, such as “Magnesium citrate 750 mg”, it is converted to elemental magnesium.
- Vitamin E in IU uses 0.67 mg per IU for natural vitamin E and 0.45 mg for the synthetic dl-form, as stated on the label.
Limits of an automatic reading
Labels vary in layout and language, and some list nutrients the calculator does not cover, such as omega-3, coenzyme Q10 or herbal extracts. Lines with an amount that are not recognised are listed below the results so you can check them. Always compare the result with the original label before drawing conclusions.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload a photo of the label?
Not yet. Copy the text from the shop’s product page or type the lines from the bottle; one nutrient per line works best.
Why are some lines listed as not recognised?
They contain an amount but no supported vitamin or mineral, for example fish oil or herbal extracts, or the unit is missing.
What does the percentage on my label mean?
US labels show % Daily Value and EU labels % reference intake (RI). The analyzer calculates its own percentages against the reference values for your age and sex.
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