NOW Foods Potassium plus Iodine 180 Tablets

What this product is

NOW Foods Potassium plus Iodine is a mineral tablet sold as a bottle of 180 tablets, with a serving size of one tablet. Each tablet declares four items on its Supplement Facts panel: 225 mcg of iodine, 5 mg of sodium, 99 mg of potassium and 100 mg of sodium alginate. The front of the package is marked Vegetarian/Vegan and carries a Non-GMO mark, and the panel's own header band files the product under Minerals.

At the one-a-day usage printed on the package, 180 tablets is a 180-day supply, which puts this bottle at the long-run end of the range rather than the trial end. The count is printed on the front of the package as "180 Tablets", and the panel's serving size of one tablet is what turns that count into 180 servings.

What is in each tablet

The potassium row is the most informative line on this package, because it names two sources rather than one. Potassium is declared "from Potassium Chloride and Iodide" — so the same potassium iodide that carries the iodine also contributes to the 99 mg potassium figure, alongside potassium chloride. The panel gives one combined 99 mg total and does not split it between the two salts, so neither do we. That is the reason this formula can name two minerals on the front while using one compound twice.

Iodine is declared at 225 mcg, carried as potassium iodide, and the panel puts that at 150% of the Daily Value. By the panel's own arithmetic that places the reference figure at 150 mcg, since 225 divided by 1.5 is 150. Iodine is a trace element, which is why it is the only item in this formula measured in micrograms while everything else on the panel is measured in milligrams.

Sodium alginate is named twice on the panel, in two different roles, and it is the only ingredient listed that way. It has its own row at 100 mg, marked with a dagger pointing to the footnote "Daily Value not established" — the panel is stating that no reference intake has been set for it. It is also named as the source of the separately declared 5 mg of sodium, which the panel places at under 1% of the Daily Value. So one ingredient accounts for both the largest milligram figure in the formula and its smallest percentage.

Three of the four rows on this panel carry a percentage against an established Daily Value, and the fourth carries a dagger instead, so both conventions appear side by side in a panel of four lines.

Other ingredients are printed in full as Cellulose, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearic Acid (vegetable source), Silica and Magnesium Stearate (vegetable source). Two of the five carry a "(vegetable source)" qualifier applied on the label itself. The panel assigns no role to these, so neither do we.

Supplement Facts

Transcribed from the Supplement Facts panel on the bottle. The panel prints no servings line of its own; the 180 figure above follows from the printed count of 180 tablets and the printed serving size of one tablet, and is shown as derived for that reason.

How to use it

The printed Suggested Usage is "Take 1 tablet daily with a meal." That is the whole of the instruction on the package — one tablet, once a day, taken with food.

Storage is equally short: "Store in a cool, dry place after opening." The package adds two handling notes next to the caution text — "Do Not Eat Freshness Packet. Keep in Bottle." — so the freshness packet is not to be eaten and the tablets are to stay in their original container rather than being decanted.

One more printed line belongs here, because it is about appearance rather than dosing: "Natural color variation may occur in this product." Tablet shade can differ between bottles without anything being wrong.

Who it is for

The package states "For adults only", and that is the starting point for who this suits. Beyond that, the honest positioning is a question of format rather than need: this is a one-a-day mineral tablet in a 180-count bottle, so it suits someone who already knows they want an iodine-and-potassium tablet and wants to buy a size that lasts.

It sits alongside the rest of the Supplements range and the broader Health & Wellness selection. Because the caution on this package is specific about medication and medical conditions, read the next section before ordering rather than after.

Good to know

The full printed caution reads: "For adults only. Consult physician if pregnant/nursing, taking any medications (especially those that may affect kidney function or blood potassium levels), or have a medical condition (especially heart/kidney condition or diabetes). Keep out of reach of children." We reproduce it as printed and add nothing to it.

The printed allergen statement reads: "Not manufactured with yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish or tree nut ingredients. Produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens." The second sentence is part of the statement and is printed on the bottle alongside the first.

The bottle carries a Quality GMP Assured roundel, and the panel prints the company address — NOW Foods, 395 S. Glen Ellyn Rd., Bloomingdale, IL 60108, USA — together with the website nowfoods.com and the instruction "Please Recycle."

For general background on dietary supplements, reading labels and the mineral fact sheets themselves, these public reference pages are useful. None of them refers to this product, and none of them is an endorsement of it: the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet index, the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database, the ODS guide to what you need to know about dietary supplements, and the FDA's questions and answers on dietary supplements.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many tablets are in the bottle?

180 tablets. The count is printed on the front of the package, and the Supplement Facts panel gives a serving size of one tablet, so the bottle holds 180 servings and is a 180-day supply at the printed one-a-day usage.

Which compounds supply the iodine and the potassium?

Potassium iodide supplies the iodine, and potassium chloride together with that same potassium iodide supplies the potassium. The panel declares iodine as "from Potassium Iodide" and potassium as "from Potassium Chloride and Iodide", and it gives the potassium as one combined figure of 99 mg rather than splitting it between the two salts.

Is this tablet suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet?

The front of the package is marked "Vegetarian/Vegan". The Other ingredients line also applies a "(vegetable source)" qualifier to the stearic acid and the magnesium stearate specifically. Those are the statements the package itself makes on the question, and anyone avoiding a particular ingredient should read the full panel rather than rely on the front mark alone.

What does the dagger next to sodium alginate mean?

It points to the footnote "Daily Value not established", printed at the bottom of the panel. A Daily Value is the reference intake figure that lets a percentage be calculated; where no such figure has been set for an ingredient, the panel prints the amount — here 100 mg — and a dagger in place of a percentage. The other three rows on this panel do carry percentages.

How is the order packaged for delivery?

Orders ship in plain outer packaging with no description of the contents on the outside. It will not show the Gear Isle name.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe supplement facts directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Dietary supplement for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition, heart concerns, or take prescription medication (including nitrates). Keep out of reach of children.