Most Supplements Do Not Work

The supplement industry runs on hope and aggressive marketing. Strip away the testimonials, the proprietary blends, and the influencer endorsements, and the list of compounds with reproducible, meaningful evidence is short. Most of what is sold is either ineffective at the dose provided or untested in any meaningful way.

The short list, ranked by evidence: creatine monohydrate, caffeine, whey or quality protein powder, omega-three fatty acids, vitamin D for those who are deficient, and electrolytes for athletes losing significant sweat. That is essentially it. Almost everything else is either pharmacologically trivial at consumer doses or inadequately studied.

This matters because supplement money is real money. Five hundred dollars a year on testing each new bottle is five hundred dollars not spent on better food, a coach, or a gym membership. Buy the proven few. Skip the rest. The interventions with real returns sit elsewhere in your routine.