What the supplement labels show

Ten analyses across the 116,682 products in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (version 9.4.0, January 2026). Each states its finding first, then its method, its limits and a CSV of the figures.

• Supplement labels above the adult upper limit, nutrient by nutrient8,383 products in the NIH label database list at least one nutrient above the adult upper intake level when taken at the most servings a day their label allows. Niacin leads: 35% of the 12,334 products giving its amount pass the 35 mg limit.
• How supplement amounts compare with the Daily ValueFor 11 of the 24 nutrients with an FDA Daily Value, the median supplement lists more than the Daily Value in one serving. Vitamin B12 sits highest: the median product lists 36 mcg, 14.6 times the 2.4 mcg Daily Value, and 66% of products list five times the DV or more.
• Proprietary blends: how many supplement labels do not disclose their amounts34,198 of the 116,682 products in the NIH label database (29%) list at least one ingredient inside a proprietary blend whose own amount is not disclosed, and 2,746 disclose no amount for any ingredient. By DSLD product type, blends are most common in "Other Combinations": 46% of those products.
• Vitamin D amounts on supplement labels, by yearThe median vitamin D amount per serving on labels entered in 2025 is 25 mcg (1,000 IU), against 10 mcg (400 IU) in 2011. The share of products listing 50 mcg (2,000 IU) or more went from 7% to 29%.
• Which forms of magnesium, B12, folate and other nutrients supplements useThe most-listed forms are magnesium oxide for magnesium (5,110 products), cyanocobalamin for vitamin B12 (7,144 products), methylfolate (5-MTHF) for folate (2,069 products). Across 12 nutrients, this page counts the products naming each form and the median amount they list.
• Gummies, tablets, capsules: how amounts differ by physical formFor 8 of the 10 nutrients compared, the median gummy lists less per serving than the median tablet. Vitamin C: 45 mg in a gummy serving against 120 mg in a tablet serving.
• One formula, many brand names: identical supplement labels2,044 formulas of four or more ingredients appear, ingredient for ingredient and amount for amount, under two or more brand names, covering 6,154 products. The most repeated is sold under 45 brand names across 82 products, among them Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies Apple Flavor (Purely Optimal).
• Third-party seals on supplement labels: how many carry which9,172 of the 116,682 products in the NIH label database (8%) print at least one of nine certification seals on their label. The USDA Organic seal is the most common, on 3,900 products; contents and manufacturing seals (USP Verified, NSF) appear on 1,779, and sport-testing seals on 1,333.
• Prenatal vitamins against the pregnancy Daily ValuesOf 427 prenatal products, 98% list folate, the nutrient most often present. Among nutrients most prenatals list, the pregnancy Daily Value reached least often is calcium: under 1% of products giving its amount reach 1,300 mg in one serving.
• The NIH supplement label database in numbersThe NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database holds 214,780 labels for 116,682 products from 5,741 brands; 92,070 of the products (121,959 labels) were on the market at its January 2026 release (DSLD version 9.4.0). 2020 was the year the most labels entered it (23,435), and the typical product lists 5 rows on its Supplement Facts panel.