# Help me understand this supplement label **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2014, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-this-supplement-label/690017 "2014-06-04T13:11:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-this-supplement-label/690017/1 "2014-06-04T13:11:04Z")
I was looking online for a high DHA supplement when I saw this [ingredient label](http://tinypic.com/r/15zlz7/8). It says “DHA 10%”, total content by weight is 500mg. Does this mean I am only getting 50mg worth of DHA, the rest being fillers? If not, what does 10% mean here? TIA for the help. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-this-supplement-label/690017/2 "2014-06-04T14:48:35Z")
I interpret it the same as you. What’s DHA anyways? Google’s first results is a particular fatty acid. If so, when pure it’s going to be an oil. Basically to get in in a pill form it either has to be encapsulated in gelatin or absorbed into some sort of binder. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-this-supplement-label/690017/3 "2014-06-04T17:34:13Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > I interpret it the same as you. > > What’s DHA anyways? Google’s first results is a particular fatty acid. If so, when pure it’s going to be an oil. Basically to get in in a pill form it either has to be encapsulated in gelatin or absorbed into some sort of binder. It is a gelatin capsule containing liquid oil, usually extracted from fish. DHA is an essential fatty acid and a critical component of the brain and retina. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-this-supplement-label/690017/4 "2014-06-04T18:07:15Z")
Maybe this particular supplement is straight-up fish oil, which might happen to contain ~10% DHA? Unfortunately there’s pretty much no regulation for dietary supplements, so frankly I wouldn’t even be confident that there’s even the claimed 50 mg of DHA per pill. At the very least, there’s nothing to prevent supplement makers from taking the same stuff and giving it another label and a higher price. That’d be a lot easier than coming up with a process that can separate DHA from other fatty acids…