HOW TO READ A LABEL SERIES - Part 4: The Truth About RDAs and Why They Can’t Tell You If a Product Is High Quality
Have you ever looked at a supplement label and said: "wow this supplement gives me 50% (or whatever amount) of my RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for these micronutrients, what a great product!"
The truth is, RDAs do not tell us if a supplement is high quality or not. It's great information, but there's at least two problems with relying on the RDA to determine quality:
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The RDAs are poorly studied; they're good for telling us the absolute minimum amount we should consume for survival, but do not tell us the amount needed for optimal health. Big difference.
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The RDA on supplement labels do not account for the absorption/lack of absorption of the type of ingredient chosen. For example, magnesium oxide will be considered equivalent to higher quality forms like bisglycinate or malate.
One Solution: Look For the Elemental Amount
Take our Synermag for example, you'll see that it provides 100 mg of elemental magnesium, not 500 mg. The 250 mg figure you see beside magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium malate refers to the total amount of the chelation (magnesium PLUS malic acid, magnesium PLUS glycine) —not just the magnesium itself.
Chelation is necessary because it allows your body to absorb the mineral. The point is that RDAs or chelation amounts don't tell you how much magnesium (or other active ingredient) you're actually getting, but elemental amounts do!
Why Hybrid Athletes Need to Pay Extra Attention
Some popular nutrition approaches like CICO (Calories In, Calories Out) or IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) completely ignore micronutrients, but they’re crucial. Think of micronutrients as the oil in your vehicle. Carbs, protein, and fat are the gasoline—but without oil, your engine won’t run smoothly for long.
As a hybrid athlete, or any athlete for that matter, you require more micronutrients than the average untrained individual - your body is working harder.
The Bottom Line
If you want to optimize your nutrition and performance, you need to know exactly what you're consuming. Use these clues to look out for transparent labelling.
