Comment · Tue, November 7, 2023 · ND Owner
Tablets vs Capsules
Original post in this thread
Acreol · 3 points
Why does ND (and perhaps most other brands) prefer capsules over tablets? To me it seems like tablets are better: https://www.healthline.com/health/capsule-vs-tablet#tablet-pros-and-cons.
What they were answering
Acreol · 1 points
What about durability of capsules vs tablets? For example you put an expiration date of 2 years on your products (though you mention that they probably last much longer), but Source Naturals does 4 years for their tablet products I take at least. There are also companies that I think do try to only do tablet formulations (like Source Naturals), would you be willing to comment more on that philosophy? And then I know there is Biotics Research which then goes on to include pharmaceutical glaze on their tablets...
There is also a difference in filler materials, many tablets get to use dicalcium phosphate (why don't capsules use it too?), while I know Thorne sometimes uses Leucine in capsules (is that gimmicky lol ?)
And there are supplements which are just individual vitamins or minerals, which don't advertise any delivery optimizations (because the ROI for such research work is so poor?). For those types of products, is the article accurate?
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
What about durability of capsules vs tablets?
We have not really noticed much difference. Obviously certain things are more susceptible to degradation, and in those specific instances tablets might be a bit more stable. SAMe is an example of one. However, those are usually specially coated tablets, and it only pertains to a small number of ingredients.
There is also a difference in filler materials, many tablets get to use dicalcium phosphate (why don't capsules use it too?)
It's not needed in capsules. It's a binding agent for tablets. We only use ingredients if they are absolutely necessary. I know people prefer things as pure as possible, and everything adds cost, so we don't put things in the formulation unless we really need them. With tablets, you need to hit a certain hardness and friability. Our minimum is 10kg hardness and 1% in friability. Dicalcium phosphate allows the formulation to hit those targets, so the tablets perform as expected and don't break apart.
while I know Thorne sometimes uses Leucine in capsules (is that gimmicky lol ?)
Yes, it's a gimmick. People freak out over fillers all the time. Some people say they can't have maltodextrin. Some people say they can have MCC or rice flour. You will find someone saying they can't have something, because the modern internet has given voices to everyone. This includes people trying to profit off fear. So you get these sites and articles stirring people up about specific ingredients. Many brands just lie and leave them off the label. They are still in there. We test things all the time. Brands just leave ingredients off the label regularly to avoid people freaking out. Thorne went a different route. They use leucine as a filler, because nobody has freaked out over leucine yet. So it seems like a "cleaner" label to people. It's still a filler used to ensure proper accuracy and precision of the capsule fills. It's just one that nobody is actively writing articles scaring people over... yet. LOL
And there are supplements which are just individual vitamins or minerals, which don't advertise any delivery optimizations (because the ROI for such research work is so poor?). For those types of products, is the article accurate?
I am not sure what you mean? Some things are bioavailable as is. Sometimes we don't need to improve the bioavailability. Sometimes it's easier (and cheaper) to just take a higher dose of the normal thing. It depends on the specific compound/extract, though.