Analysis
Supplement labels above the adult upper limit, nutrient by nutrient
8,383 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 (DSLD version 9.4.0, January 2026). Niacin leads: 35% of the 12,334 products giving its amount pass the 35 mg limit.
Published by PlainVitamins on ; written with AI tools under the editorial policy, every figure computed from the label database.
Which nutrients pass the upper limit most often?
Share of products above the adult UL at the most servings a day
Products giving an amount for the nutrient; the counts are in the table below.
| Nutrient | Products with an amount | Above the UL | Share | Adult UL | The UL covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niacin | 12,334 | 4,377 | 35% | 35 mg a day | synthetic forms from supplements and fortified foods |
| Magnesium | 13,789 | 2,019 | 15% | 350 mg a day | magnesium from supplements and medicines only (not food or water) |
| Vitamin D | 14,002 | 1,121 | 8% | 100 mcg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Zinc | 13,065 | 786 | 6% | 40 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Manganese | 6,936 | 331 | 5% | 11 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Vanadium | 1,735 | 61 | 4% | 1,800 mcg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Iron | 6,825 | 234 | 3% | 45 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Vitamin B6 | 15,130 | 268 | 2% | 100 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Iodine | 6,300 | 94 | 1% | 1,100 mcg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Vitamin C | 18,422 | 224 | 1% | 2,000 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Selenium | 7,541 | 59 | under 1% | 400 mcg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Calcium | 17,666 | 83 | under 1% | 2,500 mg a day | total intake, adults 19-50 (2,000 mg from 51 years) |
| Boron | 3,322 | 11 | under 1% | 20 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Chloride | 1,451 | 2 | under 1% | 3,600 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Copper | 6,401 | 6 | under 1% | 10 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Molybdenum | 4,325 | 4 | under 1% | 2,000 mcg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Phosphorus | 3,735 | 3 | under 1% | 4,000 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Choline | 4,657 | 0 | 0% | 3,500 mg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
| Nickel | 315 | 0 | 0% | 1,000 mcg a day | total intake from food, water and supplements |
Which products list more than the limit in one serving?
A label above the limit is a fact about the label: lawful in the United States and not a finding that a product is unsafe, and the limit does not apply to amounts taken under medical supervision. The products on the market whose single printed serving is above the adult UL, highest first, for the five nutrients most often above it. Only plausible amounts (the rule) on labels that print a %DV agreeing with the amount are named, so a product that prints no %DV (some give their strength only in the product name) can head an ingredient page's list and still be absent here.
| Product | Brand | One serving | Times the UL |
|---|---|---|---|
| NiaPlex | Karuna | 1,000 mg | 28.6 |
| Hb HDL Benefit | PRN Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals | 1,000 mg | 28.6 |
| Vitamin B3 Niacin 1000 mg | Life Extension | 1,000 mg | 28.6 |
| Niacinamide 1,000 mg | Nature's Life | 1,000 mg | 28.6 |
| Memory Boost | Highland Laboratories | 1,000 mg | 28.6 |
| Product | Brand | One serving | Times the UL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part III: Mineral Digestive Sweep | Nature's Way | 1,100 mg | 3.1 |
| Oxygen Cleanse | The Vitamin Shoppe | 1,035 mg | 3 |
| Mag O7 | Pure Vegan | 1,035 mg | 3 |
| MagO7 | Aerobic Life | 1,035 mg | 3 |
| Mag O7 | Aerobic Life | 1,035 mg | 3 |
| Product | Brand | One serving | Times the UL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D-3 50,000 IU | NusaPure | 1,250 mcg | 12.5 |
| Vitamin D3 50,000 IU | ForestLeaf | 1,250 mcg | 12.5 |
| Vitamin D3 50,000 IU | Advanced Nutrition by Zahler | 1,250 mcg | 12.5 |
| Vita-Desic 50,000 IU Vitamin D3 | Blaine Labs | 1,250 mcg | 12.5 |
| Decara High Potency Vitamin D3 50,000 IU | Medecor Pharma | 1,250 mcg | 12.5 |
| Product | Brand | One serving | Times the UL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vita-Glan-F | Douglas Laboratories | 100 mg | 2.5 |
| Vita-Glan-M | Douglas Laboratories | 100 mg | 2.5 |
| Vita-M Forte | Douglas Laboratories | 100 mg | 2.5 |
| Zinc 50 mg | Indiana Botanic Gardens | 100 mg | 2.5 |
| Premium Immune Support | Nutrivein | 100 mg | 2.5 |
| Product | Brand | One serving | Times the UL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disc- ZYM | Nutri-West | 75 mg | 6.8 |
| Back-Flex | Foster Regal | 75 mg | 6.8 |
| Disc-Gard | DC | 75 mg | 6.8 |
| Disc-Gard+ | DC | 75 mg | 6.8 |
| Back-Gard | Wonder Laboratories | 75 mg | 6.8 |
Source: NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0, current labels; upper limits Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes (2011). Download the data (CSV).
How this was measured
For each nutrient with an adult Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) that applies to supplements, every product's current label amount is multiplied by the largest number of servings a day its directions state (one serving when the label gives none) and divided by the UL. A product counts as above the limit when that ratio exceeds 1. Products listing the nutrient without an amount are left out of the shares, and so are amounts that are not plausible as printed: outside the range of 99.6% of labels for that nutrient, over 50 times its UL, or more than five times off the label's own printed %DV against both the current Daily Value and the one before the 2016 revision (a unit or transcription slip; labels printed before the change give %DV against the old values), or above the 99th percentile with neither a printed %DV nor the strength in the product's name to back it (the methodology states the rule).
Limits
Three ULs cannot be set against label amounts and are left out: vitamin A (the UL counts preformed retinol only, while labels state vitamin A in mcg RAE or IU, adding beta-carotene), vitamin E (the UL counts supplemental alpha-tocopherol, while most labels state IU, whose weight depends on the natural or synthetic form) and folic acid (the UL counts synthetic folic acid, while labels state folate in mcg DFE across forms). Shares count products giving a plausible amount, so they can differ slightly from the counts on ingredient pages, which include every printed amount. The UL is for healthy adults; children's limits are lower and are not applied here. Some ULs cover only part of the intake (niacin and folic acid count synthetic forms, magnesium counts supplements only), so a label above the UL is not a statement about anyone's total intake. Directions vary; one serving is assumed when the label states none. This is a reading of labels, not medical advice.
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Dietary Supplement Label Database, version 9.4.0.
- Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables (2011), the adult Tolerable Upper Intake Levels.
The data
One row per nutrient: products with an amount, products above the UL at the most servings a day, share, UL in mg, UL basis. Download the CSV. How the labels are grouped and read: methodology.
Other analyses
- How supplement amounts compare with the Daily ValueFor each nutrient with an FDA Daily Value: the amount the typical product lists per serving, and how many products give five times the DV or more.
- Proprietary blends: how many supplement labels do not disclose their amountsHow many products list a proprietary blend whose ingredient amounts are not disclosed, by product type and by brand.
- Vitamin D amounts on supplement labels, by yearHow the amount of vitamin D per serving has moved on labels entered into the NIH database each year since 2011.
- Which forms of magnesium, B12, folate and other nutrients supplements useOxide or glycinate, cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin: how many products list each form of twelve nutrients, and at what amounts.
- Gummies, tablets, capsules: how amounts differ by physical formThe median amount per serving of ten common nutrients in gummies, tablets, capsules, softgels, liquids and powders.
- One formula, many brand names: identical supplement labelsFormulas that appear with the same ingredients in the same amounts under several brand names in the label database: identical label formulas, which do not by themselves show a common maker.