What does it take to make good supplements?
How do you decide what types of products to make, what goes into them, and how much of each ingredient to include?
While many supplement companies haphazardly pixie dust their products with minuscule amounts of mediocre ingredients and pad their ingredients lists with fancy herbs and compounds, there is a flip side of that coin. That is, if you want to be better than your run of the mill supplement company, there’s a true art and science to formulating good supplements.
And that’s what I’m talking about with Kurtis Frank on this episode of the podcast.
In case you’re not familiar with Kurtis, he’s the Director of Research for my sports nutrition company, Legion, which means he’s responsible for creating new products and improving existing formulations. And he knows what he’s talking about too–Kurtis is the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com, a ubiquitous supplement resource in the science-based fitness community.
In this episode, Kurtis explains exactly how he goes about creating a supplement formulation for Legion, and he discusses . . .
- What it means to be “science-based”
- The importance of testing and trusting your manufacturer
- Patented forms of ingredients and why standardization matters
- Ingredient list length
- Manufacturing costs and “elite” formulations
- And more . . .
So, if you’ve ever wondered what goes into the process of creating a supplement here at Legion, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. Press play and let me know what you think!
Oh and if you like this episode and want to get notified when a new one goes live, head on over to Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Soundcloud, Podbean, or Google Play and subscribe.
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Timestamps:
13:12 – What does it mean to be a science-based supplement company?
36:14 – What are your thoughts on companies that say they are a better company because they use patented ingredients compared to companies that don’t use patented ingredients?
41:11 – What does it mean if something is water extracted compared to oil extracted?
47:15 – What is standardization and why is it important?
52:37 – What are your thoughts on products with a long ingredients list?
59:27 – What about the kitchen sink approach for pre-workouts?
Mentioned on the show:
What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!
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Where your supplements are made matters, because rules and regulations regarding quality and purity differ from country to country.
And if you want to ensure the supplements you’re swallowing every day are safe and effective, you want products produced in the USA.
That’s why all of our supplements are made in America in NSF-certified and FDA-inspected facilities that operate in accordance with the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations.
We pay a premium to work with the best manufacturers in the country, but it’s the only way we can also produce the best all-natural sports supplements.
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Did you know that studies have shown that many supplements contain dangerously high levels of toxins like lead, arsenic, and cadmium?
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Every ingredient of every supplement we produce is tested for heavy metals, microbes, allergens, and other contaminants to ensure they meet the strict purity standards set by the FDA.
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While artificial sweeteners may not be as dangerous as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of these chemicals may indeed be harmful to our health and that more research is needed.
That’s why all of our supplements are naturally sweetened and flavored and contain no artificial food dyes, fillers, or other unnecessary junk.
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Every ingredient in every supplement we offer is backed by peer-reviewed scientific research, and every dose is included at clinically effective levels.
That means everything in our products is based on published scientific studies demonstrating real benefits, not the restrictions of razor-thin production budgets and gluttonous profit margins.
So, while everyone claims to have the best supplements on the market, we can back it up with real science and real numbers.
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