Ingredients insider: A primer for 5 top nutritional ingredientsIngredients insider: A primer for 5 top nutritional ingredients

Everybody loves a cheat sheet. And we’ve made one for you — everything you need to know about five significant nutritional ingredients.

We cover important data points like where an ingredient is derived and food sources, representative structure/function claims of use for marketers, validated doses from the published literature that should align with label claims, best forms, safety and adulteration issues, complementary ingredients, novel studies, a supplier directory for each ingredient, plus examples of finished-product supplement brands that use these hero ingredients.

Vitamin D

The sunshine vitamin has many and varied effects on the body — everything from nutrient-deficiency disease like rickets, to immune function, to bone health because it promotes calcium absorption, and more. Why is that? Although the official Daily Value intake ranges from 400-800 IU/day, why do so many vitamin D researchers and complementary health practitioners recommend much higher levels?

Magnesium

The master mineral plays a key role in hundreds of biochemical processes in the body. And there seems to be as many different forms — oxide, citrate, glycinate, chloride, L-threonate and more — as health benefits. See what complementary ingredients can supercharge your mag-based formulation.

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Melatonin

This specialty ingredient is the foundation of almost all sleep supplements. But there’s some controversy around it – is it true that smaller doses really are better? Is there really a health concern with melatonin gummies for children? What are the best ingredients that can tag along with melatonin to make for a sleep supplement that will work for the most number of people?

Ashwagandha

This botanical from the ayurvedic tradition is the king of the adaptogens — the category of herbs said to help the body adapt to shifting health states and bring a body back to homeostasis. What part of the plant is best to use? What claims can be made? What does the science say about specific health states? We reveal what the studies show about specific doses of particular types that best matches the health claim you’d like to make.

Curcumin

Think of that bright Indian spice known as turmeric as the apple tree — but curcumin is the apple. And really, it’s the three curcuminoids that really drive the health benefits here. The main focus is inflammation modulation — silent inflammation is the root of all chronic degenerative disease states. So how much should you use, and do those “enhanced bioavailability” curcumin forms really work?

Related:Ingredients insider: A primer for 5 top nutritional ingredients