Dietitians

Dietitians use SupplementDEX to decide whether a supplement is worth recommending for a specific goal, not just whether a nutrient exists in the literature.

Open an ingredient, find the condition that matches the client’s goal, and read the DEX Score purchase guidance first. Proven or Consider purchase means the evidence is usually strong enough to discuss; Reconsider or Do not purchase means you can redirect time and budget toward food-first strategies or better-supported options.

Use the three metrics to explain why: Effect Size for clinical meaningfulness, Evidence for how much research exists, and Trust for study quality. Switch Evidence Review to Simple for client education, or Practitioner when you need doses, populations, and caveats for charting.

Before you recommend, check dose windows, safety, and special populations (pregnancy, children).

See How to read evidence and DEX Score.

Real World Example

(These are scenarios that health practitioners have shared with us)

Scenario: A young client asks whether there are any supplements they can try for acne.

1. Open Acne (or search “acne”) to see which ingredients have been studied for that goal — not a random shelf pick.
2. Compare a few candidates by DEX Score purchase guidance. For acne, many options land in weaker bands; something like zinc often looks relatively stronger (around Consider purchase) than oils or vitamins that score Reconsider / Do not purchase.
3. On zinc → Acne, skim Effect Size / Evidence / Trust so you can explain why it’s worth discussing, then open Simple Evidence Review for client-facing language (or Practitioner for dose and trial detail).
4. Check Safety, dose windows, and age-relevant caveats before you recommend — especially upper limits and GI tolerance in younger clients.
5. If you green-light a trial, match form and dose to the studies — and set expectations: supplements sit beside skincare and medical care, they don’t replace them.

Outcome you can say out loud: “Zinc has a better evidence case than most acne supplements we looked at; here’s the dose range studied, here’s what to watch for, and here’s what isn’t worth your money.”