Lexicon

This is the phase where ingested nutrients pass from the digestive tract into the blood to be transported to the different organs of the body.

It is important to note that vitamins and minerals are not all absorbed in the same way and that a nutrient is never 100% absorbed. Indeed, the absorption of a nutrient depends on many factors (health status of the person, form of nutrient intake, etc.). Vitamin C, for example, has an absorption rate of approximately 25%.

Molecules that make up proteins (like the links in a bicycle chain). Amino acids are essential to our body. There are 2 types:

• Essential amino acids: our body cannot produce them on its own. We obtain them through our diet or through food supplements.
• Non-essential amino acids: our body knows how to synthesize them by itself.

Refers to a plant that improves the body's resistance to fatigue and stress. The best-known adaptogenic plants: ginseng, rhodiola or ashwagandha.

These are substances without active ingredient. They are added to industrial products in order to improve their taste, texture or appearance. They are classified by group, according to their usefulness. For example, we find:

• dyes,
• sweeteners,
• anti-caking agents,
• bulking agents,
• coating agents,
• flavor enhancers,
• conservatives…

Also called a filler. It is a food additive whose role is to facilitate the filling of capsules or the compression of tablets. The most used: maltodextrin, microcrystalline cellulose (E460) or di-calcium phosphate.

As these are controversial for their potential health effects, at Novoma we systematically opt for neutral alternatives such as acacia gum or rice starch.

Advice before buying a food supplement: remember to carefully read the list of ingredients on the label!

Substances or microorganisms that can trigger allergic reactions. Among the best known, we can cite:

• dust,
• cat hair,
• certain foods such as fish, peanuts, eggs, etc.,
• pollen…

Recommended daily intakes of vitamins and minerals. They are used for food labeling.

Bioavailability is a criterion used to evaluate the rate and speed of absorption of an active ingredient (drug or nutrient). What is absorption? Review the first term in this glossary! 😉

Galenic form, intended to be consumed orally, consisting of a soft shell and containing liquid active ingredients. Soft shells are most often made from gelatin of animal origin (marine, bovine or porcine).

Here is the official definition: food supplements are "foodstuffs intended to supplement the normal diet and which constitute a concentrated source of nutrients or other substances having a nutritional or physiological effect alone or in combination" (Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament, transposed by decree n°2006-352 of March 20, 2006).

To put it simply, these are products formulated from nutrients such as vitamins, minerals or plant extracts, and which aim to compensate for certain deficiencies or to supplement a diet.

Intended to be consumed orally, they can be offered in different forms: capsules, tablets, powders, liquids, ampoules, etc.

Solid dosage form, intended to be consumed orally, obtained by powder compression.

Neutral substance, without active ingredient, which facilitates the absorption, preservation or administration of an active ingredient (of a medicine for example). Dyes, preservatives and flavors are excipients.

Substance obtained by isolating the active part of the plant (roots, leaves, fruits, seeds, etc.) and subjecting it to a series of processes (example to obtain a plant extract in powder form: maceration, pressing, filtration, concentration, drying and grinding).

The extract is said to be “titrated” or “standardized” when the concentration of active ingredient is precisely measured.

Process which consists of assembling one or more active ingredients with excipients in order to obtain a medicine or a food supplement.

Related to Galen, father of modern European medicine. The galenic form simply means the form given to a medicine or a food supplement: tablet, capsule, powder, liquid...

Galenic form in the form of a hard shell, intended to be consumed orally, containing active ingredients in powder form. There are capsules:

• vegetable: the two most common vegetable coating agents are HPMC (HydroxyPropylMethylCellulose or E464) and pullulan (or E1204).

• in animal gelatin: of marine or bovine origin.

This is a mention affixed to the products to indicate that the manufacturing is done in France. Note that a food supplement can have the mention "Made in France" even if the ingredients used are not from France; in fact, it is the last most significant stage of production which allows to determine the origin of the product.

These are the basic ingredients that are used to make or produce finished products. It's a bit like leeks and potatoes before you make soup with them.

Non-organic bodies found in the earth. They are of the mineral kingdom. They are present in small quantities in our organism, but are essential to our life. For example, we find:

• magnesium,
• zinc,
• calcium,
• iron,
• sodium...

A nutraceutical product is a product made from food substances, but offered in the form of tablets, powder, capsules, etc. It provides a beneficial or protective physiological effect against certain chronic diseases.

A genetically modified organism is a living element whose genetic heritage has been modified by humans. This is in order to obtain a new characteristic. For example: introducing a new gene into corn to make it resistant to insects.

It is somewhat the opposite of the excipient. The active ingredient is the substance of the medicinal product that has therapeutic properties. Active ingredients can also be found in certain plants.

In chemistry, a titration operation is carried out when we want to know the concentration of a chemical substance. In the context of food supplements, this therefore corresponds to the concentration of active ingredients in a product.

Abbreviation that stands for International Unit. It is a unit of measurement used to indicate the dosage of an ingredient. Although most of the time the dosages of ingredients are expressed in milligrams or grams, some are expressed in IU, such as vitamin D or vitamin E. The calculation formula varies depending on the active ingredient.

This is a word that we hear a lot! Vegans are followers of veganism. Yes, but what is veganism? It is a global philosophy that excludes all products of animal origin (food of course, but also certain clothes, cosmetics, leisure activities, etc.). No more eggs, milk, honey, leather bags or shoes, meat, fish, etc.

Vitamins are organic molecules that are essential for the proper functioning of our body. They are mainly provided by food. There are 13 that are essential to our lives, classified into 2 groups:

• water-soluble vitamins (9): B group vitamins (B1 to B12) and vitamin C.

• fat-soluble vitamins (4): vitamins A, E, D and K.

There you have it, you now know (almost) everything about food supplements! You are now an expert on the terms that govern this world and you can choose the supplements that best suit your needs.