Why the dose is the whole game
Supplement labels are built to make an ingredient’s presence feel like proof it works. But research is done at specific amounts, and below those amounts the evidence simply doesn’t transfer. A collagen capsule can be pure, tested, and beautifully packaged — and still deliver a fraction of the grams every skin or joint trial used. A greens blend can list spirulina and beetroot and contain a pinch of each, far under any studied dose.
This tool puts your product’s number next to the studied number. The ranges come from the same research behind our ingredient library — drawn from NIH, Cochrane and peer-reviewed meta-analyses — and we keep the honesty intact: where evidence is mixed or a bigger dose isn’t better, the result says so, and where a dose can cross a safety ceiling, it flags that too.
How to use it
Pick the ingredient, then read the amount per serving off the Supplement Facts panel — the milligrams or grams of that specific ingredient (for a proprietary blend that hides individual amounts, you often can’t, which is itself the answer). Enter it, check the dose, and see where it lands against the studied range on the scale.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a dose is too low?
Compare the amount per serving to what studies used. If a product delivers far less — say ~1 g of collagen against a studied 2.5–10 g — it’s unlikely to reproduce those results. This tool makes that comparison for you.
Is a bigger dose always better?
No. Some ingredients have a tolerable upper limit — 4,000 IU/day for vitamin D, 350 mg of supplemental elemental magnesium — above which side effects or risk rise. The checker flags when your dose crosses a known limit.
Where do the ranges come from?
From the research behind our ingredient library — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Cochrane reviews, and peer-reviewed meta-analyses. Each ingredient page cites its sources.
Is it medical advice?
No. It’s an educational sanity check on dose versus published research. Doses vary by goal and individual — talk to a clinician before starting or changing a supplement, especially alongside medication.