Clean label – a healthy trend

Clean label is a concept that is gaining more and more interest among conscious consumers. It was established in the USA and was quickly transferred to European markets. It means a clear, unambiguous, and transparent declaration of the ingredients of the product. It excludes the use of E-numbers, artificial additives, fillers, caking and glazing substances, hardeners, or artificial dyes.

Producing a supplement in line with this philosophy is much more complicated and expensive, but it guarantees that the consumer receives a product of uncompromising quality, and thus – effectiveness, and the highest level of safety. All Cheers products are clean label products.

This is undoubtedly a phenomenon on the market because most manufacturers do not even try to get close to this standard, due to much more difficult technological processes and higher production costs. What substances can be found in dietary supplements that are intended (to help, not harm?

Malicious add-ons

Let’s start with sucrose, or sugar, for a reason called “white death”. Its purpose is to improve the taste and make it more attractive, but it may hinder the absorption of vitamins, which makes the supplement lose its effectiveness.

We remain in the group of sweeteners. Sugar is often replaced with artificial substitutes, including aspartame (E951), sodium saccharin (E954), acesulfame K (E950), glucose-fructose syrup, the harmfulness of which is more and more often mentioned in the largest media, sorbitol (E420), mannitol (E421), or sucralose (E995). All of these substances can have a negative effect on the absorption of vitamins, and the number of potential side effects and diseases caused by their consumption can effectively deter you from taking any supplements.

Additives in the form of sugar or sweeteners force the acidity of the product to be balanced. The most commonly used regulators are synthetic citric acid (E330) – it can cause heartburn, especially in sensitive people. Calcium carbonate (E170) is also used, which can cause constipation or bowel problems. The last compound is sodium bicarbonate (E500), which is associated with causing allergies.

The list is impressive, but this is definitely not the end of the harmful ingredients that are found in popular dietary supplements.

A very common additive that facilitates the production of supplements is magnesium stearate, often on the label as “magnesium salts of fatty acids”. It might seem that magnesium is definitely a compound beneficial for the body. This is true, but not in this case. Magnesium stearate is a compound that is not digested by the human body. It can settle in the intestines and accumulate in the body, inhibiting the absorption of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals.

In turn, diphosphates, used in supplements as binders, raising agents, and stabilizers, may interfere with the work of metabolism and impair the absorption of magnesium, calcium, and iron, i.e. compounds necessary for the proper functioning of the human body.

The fillers are guar gum (E412), xanthan gum (E415), or sodium carboxymethyl starch (E466), the excess of which can cause nausea, bloating, and adversely affect the functioning of the intestines. The same function is to be performed by titanium dioxide (anatase), which becomes toxic to the body under the influence of UV radiation.

A popular filler for vitamin E supplement capsules is hydrogenated soybean oil. This refined oil can have adverse effects on the nervous system as well as increase the risk of heart disease.

The attractiveness of supplements is also increased by dyes. The most popular are sunset yellow, cochineal red, quinoline yellow, and iron oxide. Their consumption may cause allergic reactions and stomach irritation.

At this point, the question arises: can a supplement containing the above compounds actually help? The answer is obvious. We would like to emphasize strongly: none of the Cheers products contains (and will never contain) any of the above-mentioned, or any other fillers, hardeners, glazing agents, anti-caking agents, dyes, or stabilizers.

The compositions of Cheers supplements are made only on the basis of the best, safe raw materials, subjected to detailed, rigorous tests, thanks to which the consumer receives a product of the highest quality and the highest effectiveness.