Supplements
33 entries
BCAAs
If your protein intake is adequate, a scoop of BCAAs is mostly redundant.
Grade · StrongSupplementsEAAs
EAAs can trigger muscle protein synthesis, but complete food or protein powder already supplies them.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsGreens Powders
Fine for topping up nutrients. No substitute for fiber, bulk, or real vegetables.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsKetone Esters
The origin study found a real boost. Most controlled trials since haven't.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsFat Burners
Some effects are real, but tiny - and caffeine accounts for most of the signal.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsMultivitamins
Little benefit on top of a good diet — unless you're fixing an actual deficiency.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsTestosterone Boosters
Most OTC boosters do nothing; fixing a real deficiency or ashwagandha is different.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsNitric Oxide Boosters
Arginine barely raises NO; citrulline and nitrate are the routes that actually work.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsPre-Workout
Caffeine does most of the work; a couple other ingredients add a little if dosed right.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsAntioxidants & Adaptation
High doses blunt the cell signals behind adaptation, but real-world gains barely budge.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsElectrolyte Tabs
Needed past about an hour or heavy sweat; skip it for shorter, moderate sessions.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsAshwagandha
Promising small effects on stress and sleep; performance evidence is less secure.
Grade · EmergingSupplementsSodium Bicarbonate
A small edge in hard, acid-producing efforts—if your stomach tolerates the dose.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsBeetroot
A real but small endurance edge — biggest if you're not already well-trained.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsBetaine (TMG)
A modest, inconsistent bump to lower-body strength; upper body and power stay flat.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsCitrulline
A small bump in high-rep work is plausible; strength and endurance gains are not.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsCLA
A real but tiny fat-loss effect, tangled up with an insulin-sensitivity red flag.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsCollagen
Promising for tendon synthesis and pain, but the load-bearing proof isn't in yet.
Grade · EmergingSupplementsGlutamine
Doesn't build or repair muscle in well-fed athletes; gut and clinical uses differ.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsHMB
Real effect on shrinking muscle; close to nothing once you're already trained.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsL-Carnitine
The fat-shuttle is real. Getting a supplement to actually raise it is the hard part.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsRhodiola Rosea
Modest exercise benefits, but stress-fatigue trials flatly disagree with each other.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsTurmeric & Curcumin
One meta-analysis finds real relief, a comparable one finds none - genuinely unresolved.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsZinc & Immunity
Lozenges may trim a cold's length; daily zinc doesn't stop you catching one
Grade · ModerateSupplementsZMA
The original testosterone finding never replicated. It mostly just fixes deficiency.
Grade · ContestedSupplementsCaffeine
Genuinely works across most efforts, but not equally and not for everyone.
Grade · StrongSupplementsCasein
The effect is real but small, and it's mostly about hitting your protein total.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsWhey vs Plant
Match the dose and leucine, and plant protein builds just as much muscle.
Grade · StrongSupplementsVitamin D
Correcting deficiency matters; extra vitamin D is not a reliable performance booster.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsProbiotics
Strain-specific: may ease gut and immune symptoms, not a performance booster.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsFish Oil
Modest, real benefits for heart and recovery; not the muscle-builder some hope.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsBeta-Alanine
Settled as an acid buffer; the performance payoff is small and duration-specific.
Grade · ModerateSupplementsCreatine
The most-studied legal ergogenic aid, and its honest ceiling.
Grade · Strong