Short answer: start with the serving size, because every number below it is per serving, not per capsule. Then compare the amount of the active per serving and the number of servings in the bottle.
1. Serving size
A serving can be one capsule, two tablets or three capsules. Example: NOW Magnesium Citrate gives 400 mg magnesium per 3 capsules, about 133 mg per capsule.
2. Servings per container
A 120-capsule bottle with a 2-capsule serving holds 60 servings; this is what decides how many days the bottle lasts.
3. Amount per serving and the form
Read the number and the form together: "Magnesium (as magnesium bisglycinate) 200 mg" means 200 mg elemental magnesium from the glycinate form. For fish oil, read EPA and DHA, not the weight of the whole oil.
4. %Daily Value
It shows the amount against a daily reference. Values above 100% are common for vitamins, and "Daily Value not established" appears for ingredients with no reference value, such as herbs and enzymes.
Units
- mg = one thousandth of a gram; mcg = one thousandth of a milligram.
- Vitamin D: 1 mcg = 40 IU.
- Probiotics are counted in CFU (colony-forming units).
Proprietary blends
When a label gives only the blend total, the amount of each ingredient cannot be known, and we never print numbers that are not on the label.
Worked examples: magnesium forms and elemental magnesium, EPA and DHA in fish oil and vitamin D in IU and mcg, or compare multivitamins label by label.
Every DR Vitamin product page shows an excerpt of the Supplement Facts, the suggested use and the warnings as printed on the pack. Supplements are not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.
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