I have a 30mg vitamin of zinc gluconate that is the same size pill as the multivitamin that I have which contains 30mg of zinc gluconate along with 20 other vitamins and minerals plus other blends of fruit extracts with amino acids and what not.
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How is this possible?
Yeah to add to what others have said. Most of the pill is filler material. The reason the pill is essentially the same size is a processing concern. That’s the size of pill most equipment makes. Also the larger the pill the easier it is to guarantee that your 30 mg of zinc gluconate is present in the pill.
30mg is tiny, it is equal to 0.03 grams. Your average capsule can probably fit at least half a gram or 500mg in it.
To make a capsule you weigh your active ingredients and then weigh a specific amount of filler (like lactose powder) and mix the two.
If you have more ingredients, you mix less filler in to have the same end volume.
As many people have mentioned, it may have to do with additional non-medicinal ingredients in the zinc capsules. However, double check the recommended daily dose on the multi as many multi-vitamins actually recommend taking 2 or more capsules per day to get the full serving.
A tangential question: is marketing (or consumer perception manipulation to be more specific) the main reason why some supplement brands create humongous tablets to the point of making it hard to swallow them?