Judge the ingredient, then the formula

Sodium is the one with real hydration evidence — many powders sell a potassium-and-magnesium story instead.

Read the elemental dose, not the compound weight — and watch for “glycinate” that’s secretly oxide.

Protein per gram is the whole label — divide protein by scoop weight and watch for amino spiking.

The most-studied form (monohydrate) is also the cheapest. “Advanced” forms are a price trap.

The dose gap that makes pretty tubs expensive: ~1 g capsules sit 5–20× below the studied dose.

The IgG isn’t absorbed the way marketing implies — and most labels won’t even show you the number.

Benefits are strain-specific, and CFU should be guaranteed through expiration — not “at manufacture.”

The active is nitrate, which labels almost never disclose. “600 mg beet root” tells you nothing.

A pinch in a blend isn’t a dose — and contamination testing matters more than the “superfood” label.

Strong for correcting deficiency, oversold as a cure-all. Confirm D3, and sanity-check the IU.

Add the EPA and DHA yourself — “1,000 mg fish oil” often means only ~300 mg of the real thing.

Mixed evidence — big independent trials often land on placebo. Buy the full dose or skip it.

Read the curcumin mg, not the turmeric — and check for an absorption enhancer.

It is not “nature’s Ozempic.” Not a GLP-1 drug, weak weight-loss evidence, real drug interactions.

The extract name (KSM-66/Sensoril) and withanolide % are the whole test — generic powder isn’t the same.