Dietary Supplement Glossary: Decipher the Essential Terms
Do food supplement labels seem indecipherable to you? Bioavailability, excipients, dosage form... These technical terms turn a simple wellness purchase into an obstacle course.
At Pure Lab Nutrition, we believe that understanding what you consume is a fundamental right. That is why we have created this practical lexicon: clear definitions, without jargon, to make you an informed consumer.
Turn your next label reading into a moment of confidence!
Absorption
This is the passage of nutrients from your intestine into your blood to then be distributed throughout your body.
Not all nutrients are absorbed in the same way or with the same efficiency. For example, standard vitamin C is only about 25% absorbed. That is why the form and timing of your supplements are crucial for their effectiveness, sometimes to improve the absorption of the nutrient.
Amino Acids
The "building blocks" that make up proteins. Your body needs them to build and repair your muscles, skin, hair, etc.
There are 2 types:
- Essential: your body cannot produce them; you must provide them through diet or supplements
- Non-essential: your body can produce them on its own
Additives
Substances added to supplements to improve their appearance, taste, or preservation. They have no nutritional effect.
The main ones:
- Colorants: for color
- Sweeteners: for sweet taste without sugar
- Anti-caking agents: prevent powder from clumping
- Preservatives: extend shelf life
- Coating agents: for the capsule shell
Our Pure Lab Nutrition advice: Prioritize supplements with the minimum number of additives necessary.
Bulking Agent
Ingredient added to provide volume when the dose of the active ingredient is very small. Like flour in a cake!
The most common: maltodextrin, microcrystalline cellulose, calcium phosphate.
At Pure Lab Nutrition, we prefer natural alternatives like acacia fiber or rice starch, which are better tolerated by your body.
Allergens
Substances that can trigger allergic reactions in certain people.
The most frequent in supplements:
- Gluten (wheat, barley, oats)
- Lactose (dairy products)
- Soy
- Nuts
- Fish (for omega-3)
Important: These allergens must mandatorily be mentioned in bold on the label.
Reference Intakes (RI)
The daily quantities of vitamins and minerals officially recommended by the European Union. They serve as a basis for calculating percentages on labels.
Example: If you see "100% RI" for vitamin C, it corresponds to 80mg.
Bioavailability
The amount of active ingredient that actually reaches your blood and can act in your body.
The higher the bioavailability, the more effective the supplement. This is why we always choose the best-absorbed forms: magnesium bisglycinate rather than magnesium oxide, vitamin B12 methylcobalamin rather than cyanocobalamin.
Softgel
Soft shell containing liquid or oily active ingredients. Perfect for fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and oils (omega-3, coenzyme Q10).
The shell is generally made of animal gelatin (bovine, porcine, or marine). At Pure Lab Nutrition, we avoid bovine and porcine sources at all costs, and use only marine-origin or vegan shells for softgel-based food supplements (e.g., omega-3).
Food Supplements
Products intended to supplement your normal diet by providing a concentrated source of nutrients: vitamins, minerals, plants, amino acids...
They come in different forms: capsules, tablets, powders, liquids. Important: They do not replace a balanced diet; they supplement it.
Tablet
Solid form obtained by compressing powder. Like a pill, but with nutrients.
Advantages: precise dosage, good preservation, easy to transport.
Excipient
Ingredient without nutritional effect that helps to make the supplement. It facilitates the production, preservation, or absorption of the active ingredient.
Examples: the capsule shell, the anti-caking agent that prevents the powder from sticking...
Our philosophy: A good supplement contains more active ingredients than excipients.
Plant Extract
Substance obtained by isolating the active part of a plant (roots, leaves, fruits...) through various processes.
An extract is called "standardized" when its concentration of the active ingredient is exactly known. The more standardized it is, the more effective and reliable it is.
Dosage Form
The form in which your supplement is presented: capsule, tablet, powder, liquid...
Each form has its advantages depending on the type of nutrient and your personal preferences.
Capsule
Hard shell that contains the active ingredients in powder form. Easier for many people to swallow than a tablet.
There are two types:
- Vegetable (HPMC): suitable for vegetarians/vegans
- Animal gelatin: cheaper but of animal origin
At Pure Lab Nutrition, we prioritize vegetable capsules to respect all dietary regimens.
Pure Lab Nutrition, French Brand
Mention indicating that the manufacturing was done in France. For supplements, this ensures compliance with strict European standards.
Warning: The ingredients may sometimes come from elsewhere, but the final assembly and checks are systematically done in France.
Minerals
Elements that come from the earth and are essential to your body. Calcium for bones, iron for blood, zinc for immunity...
Examples: magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, selenium.
They are present in small quantities in your body but play essential roles.
Nutraceutical
Product made from food ingredients but presented in the form of a supplement (capsules, tablets...).
It provides a health benefit beyond simple basic nutrition.
GMO
Genetically Modified Organism: a living being whose genetic makeup has been modified by humans to obtain new characteristics.
"GMO-free" guarantees natural, non-genetically modified ingredients.
Active Ingredient
The ingredient that provides the sought-after effect. It is the one that works for your well-being!
In a turmeric supplement, the active ingredient is curcumin. In a multivitamin, it is all the vitamins and minerals.
Standardization
Precise measurement of the concentration of the active ingredient in a plant extract or supplement.
The higher and more precise the standardization, the more confident you can be in the product's effectiveness.
IU (International Unit)
Unit of measurement used for certain vitamins such as vitamin D or E.
Conversion examples:
- 1000 IU of vitamin D = 25 μg
- 100 IU of vitamin E = 67 mg
Vegan
Without any ingredients of animal origin. No gelatin, no lactose, no animal magnesium stearate...
Suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and people avoiding animal products for religious reasons.
Vitamins
Organic substances essential for the proper functioning of your body that your body cannot produce (or not enough of).
There are 13 essential ones, classified into 2 groups:
- Water-soluble (dissolve in water): vitamins B and C
- Fat-soluble (dissolve in fat): vitamins A, D, E, K
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