Science Hub: Supplement Ingredient Guides

A clear, evidence-based guide to the vitamins, minerals and supplements people ask about most: what they are, typical amounts, safe upper limits, which claims are actually authorised, and how to read the label.

EU-authorised claims only Sources on every page In English and Arabic

The Healthana Science Hub explains the ingredients you see on supplement labels: what each one is, the forms you will meet, how much is typical, who should check with a doctor or pharmacist first, and which health claims are actually authorised. Every guide is written by the Healthana Editorial Team from public health and food-safety sources, and lists those sources at the end.

How we write these guides

  • Authorised claims only. Where a health claim appears, it is the exact wording authorised in the EU (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012), shown with the amount a product needs to carry the claim.
  • No medical claims. Supplements are not medicines. Nothing here is meant to diagnose or replace advice from your doctor.
  • Numbers you can check. Daily reference values and upper limits come from EFSA or another named authority.
  • Reviewed and dated. Each guide shows when it was last reviewed. Read our editorial policy.

Wellness guides

Start with one of our practical guides. Each one explains what to look for on the label before you buy.

Vitamins & minerals

Life stages

Gut health

Sport, beauty & lifestyle

Shop by category

Vitamins & minerals | Vitamin D | Probiotics & digestion | Kids vitamins | Collagen | Whey protein | Creatine | Sunscreen | Face wash | Face toner | Face serum

Vitamins

GuideBiotin Biotin: Hair Gummies & Blood Tests Considering a hair, skin and nail gummy? Almost all of them feature biotin, often at 100 times the... 64 products → GuideFolate (Folic Acid) Folate vs Folic Acid Explained Planning a pregnancy, or just noticed "methylfolate" on a label and wondered how it differs from folic acid?... 26 products → GuideMultivitamins How to Choose a Multivitamin Faced with "men's", "women's", "50+" and gummy multivitamins side by side, it is hard to tell what really... 93 products → GuideVitamin A Vitamin A: Retinol vs Beta-Carotene Taking a multivitamin, a hair gummy and a skin formula at the same time? Each may contain vitamin... 93 products → GuideVitamin B Complex Vitamin B Complex: All 8 B Vitamins Explained Picked up a B complex and wondered why it lists eight different vitamins, each with its own percentage?... 34 products → GuideVitamin B12 Vitamin B12: Methyl vs Cyano Eating mostly plants, taking metformin or simply getting older can all change how much vitamin B12 you get... 34 products → GuideVitamin C Vitamin C: Forms Compared Choosing between a 1,000 mg effervescent, a gentle buffered capsule and a fruity gummy can feel confusing. This... 25 products → GuideVitamin D Complete Vitamin D Guide: D3 vs D2 Living somewhere sunny but spending most daylight hours indoors? Many people in Bahrain and the Gulf are surprised... 56 products → GuideVitamin E Vitamin E: Natural vs Synthetic Spotted "d-alpha", "dl-alpha" or "mixed tocopherols" on a label and not sure what they mean? You are not... 93 products → GuideVitamin K2 Vitamin K2: MK-7 vs MK-4 If you have seen vitamin D3 and K2 sold together and wondered why, this page is for you.... 56 products →

Minerals

GuideCalcium Calcium: Carbonate vs Citrate Thinking about your bones, or wondering whether your diet has enough dairy? This guide compares calcium carbonate and... 34 products → GuideIodine Iodine: Daily Needs Explained Many multivitamins and pregnancy formulas list iodine, often as potassium iodide or kelp, in small microgram amounts. This... 110 products → GuideIron Iron: Forms & Safe Amounts Perhaps a doctor has mentioned your iron, or you are comparing a ferrous tablet with a liposomal sachet.... 19 products → GuideMagnesium Magnesium Forms Explained Standing in front of a shelf of glycinate, citrate and oxide can be confusing. This guide explains what... 31 products → GuidePotassium Potassium: Food, Electrolytes & Labels After a long, sweaty day in Gulf heat you may reach for an electrolyte drink and notice potassium... 110 products → GuideSelenium Selenium: How Much Is Enough? Checking the back of a hair, skin and nail formula, you may find selenium listed in micrograms beside... 110 products → GuideZinc Zinc: Forms & Daily Amounts Compared You will spot zinc in hair, skin and nail formulas, men's blends, multivitamins and on its own. This... 25 products →

Fatty acids

GuideEvening Primrose Oil Evening Primrose Oil & GLA Explained Friends and relatives in the Gulf often pass on evening primrose oil as a women's wellness staple. Before... 51 products → GuideOmega-3 (EPA & DHA) Omega-3: EPA vs DHA A softgel that says 1,000 mg fish oil may hold only a third of that as omega-3. If... 45 products →

Sports nutrition

GuideBeta-alanine Beta-Alanine: Why It Tingles That tingling you feel after a pre-workout scoop is usually beta-alanine. Here is what this amino acid does,... 60 products → GuideCaffeine Caffeine: How Much Is Too Much? Counting your coffee before adding a pre-workout is a smart habit. This guide sets out how caffeine acts... 60 products → GuideCreatine Creatine Monohydrate: What the Science Says If you lift weights or train in short, hard bursts, creatine is probably already on your radar. This... 45 products → GuideElectrolytes Electrolytes in Gulf Heat Training outdoors in Gulf heat means you lose water and salts through sweat, sometimes a lot of both.... 88 products → GuideL-carnitine L-Carnitine: Forms & Safety Spotted L-carnitine in a liquid shot or a shred-style formula and wondered what it is for? This guide... 190 products → GuideL-citrulline L-Citrulline vs Citrulline Malate Pre-workout labels often list citrulline malate in grams, but how much citrulline is that really? This guide explains... 60 products → GuideL-glutamine L-Glutamine: Who Actually Needs It? Already using whey protein? You are probably getting several grams of glutamine without a separate tub. This guide... 11 products →

Protein & collagen

GuideCollagen Collagen Types I, II & III Collagen powders, jellies and shots now come in dozens of styles, and the labels rarely explain the differences.... 28 products → GuideProtein Powder Protein Powder: Whey vs Isolate vs Beef Whether you train at the gym after work or simply struggle to eat enough protein on busy days,... 75 products →

Gut & digestion

GuideApple Cider Vinegar Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies: Facts vs Hype Social media made apple cider vinegar a morning ritual for many, and gummies now sit alongside the classic... 112 products → GuideFibre Fibre: Types & Daily Intake Most adults eat less fibre than recommended, often by around a third. This guide explains soluble and insoluble... 42 products → GuideProbiotics Probiotics: Strains & CFU Decoded Choosing a probiotic can feel like reading a foreign language: genus names, strain codes and billions of CFU.... 17 products →

Botanicals

GuideAshwagandha Ashwagandha: Extracts, Doses & Safety Seen ashwagandha on everything from sleep gummies to men's formulas and wondering what the numbers mean? This guide... 491 products → GuideElderberry Elderberry: Syrups vs Gummies Reaching for an elderberry syrup or gummy when the season changes? Here is what the label is actually... 112 products → GuideGinseng Ginseng: Korean vs Siberian Korean, red, American, Siberian: ginseng labels can describe quite different plants. This guide sorts out which is which,... 491 products → GuideGreen Tea Extract Green Tea Extract: EGCG & Safety A cup of green tea and a green tea capsule are not the same thing. Extracts concentrate catechins... 491 products → GuideTurmeric & Curcumin Turmeric vs Curcumin Explained Cooking with turmeric every day and wondering whether a capsule is any different? It is: supplements concentrate curcumin... 491 products →

Other

GuideCoenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) CoQ10: Ubiquinone vs Ubiquinol Prescribed a statin and told to look into CoQ10, or simply curious about those 100 mg and 200... 73 products → GuideGlucosamine Glucosamine: Sulphate vs HCl Joint formulas often pair glucosamine with chondroitin, MSM or collagen, and the numbers on the front rarely tell... 71 products → GuideLutein & Zeaxanthin Lutein & Zeaxanthin Explained Long hours on screens have many people reading eye-formula labels, and lutein is usually the headline ingredient. This... 31 products → GuideMelatonin Melatonin: Dose, Timing & Jet Lag Lying awake after a late shift, or landing in Bahrain after a long-haul flight? Melatonin is one of... 27 products →
This is general information, not medical advice. See our editorial and claims policy for how these pages are written and reviewed.