A quick word on the supplement industry
Supplements are a $150 billion plus industry worldwide, and it grows every year. Regulation is loose, though, and plenty of products come with misleading claims, underdosed ingredients or even harmful substances.
The ones worth your money
1. Protein powder
Protein repairs and builds muscle. Whole food is the best source, but powder makes your daily number easier to hit. A meta analysis of 49 trials found protein supplements added a bit more muscle and strength to a lifting program, with the benefit leveling off at around 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day (Morton et al., 2018). Whey also switches on muscle protein synthesis faster than soy or casein (Tang et al., 2009).
How much: 20 to 40g after a workout, or whenever you need it.
What to buy: Whey isolate, casein, or a plant based blend if you're vegan.
2. Creatine monohydrate
Creatine is one of the most studied supplements there is. The International Society of Sports Nutrition calls it the most effective supplement for high intensity exercise and building lean muscle, and safe for healthy people at normal doses (Kreider et al., 2017). It helps your body make more ATP, which is the main fuel for hard, short efforts.
How much: 3 to 5g a day.
What to buy: Plain creatine monohydrate. It's the most researched form and it works.
3. Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3s, especially EPA and DHA, matter for your heart and brain. In a meta analysis of 13 trials with more than 127,000 people, fish oil supplements slightly lowered the risk of heart attack and of dying from heart disease (Hu et al., 2019). Most people in North America have low blood levels of EPA and DHA (Stark et al., 2016).
How much: 1,000 to 3,000 mg a day.
What to buy: Fish oil, or an algae based omega-3 if you're vegan.
4. Vitamin D
Vitamin D matters for your bones, your immune system and your mood. About 1 in 5 people in Canada has inadequate vitamin D levels, and people who don't take a supplement are far more likely to be low (Weiler et al., 2023).
How much: 1,000 to 4,000 IU a day.
Where to get it: Sunlight, or a vitamin D3 supplement.
The ones you can skip
1. BCAAs (branched chain amino acids)
Unless you train fasted or eat very little protein, BCAAs don't do much for you. Your muscles need all nine essential amino acids to build new protein, and a BCAA product only has three of them. A review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found no good evidence that BCAAs on their own build muscle (Wolfe, 2017). If your total protein is where it should be, they add nothing.
2. Fat burners
Most fat burners are caffeine plus a mix of other ingredients. A review of the main ones found that caffeine and green tea have some evidence for a small effect on fat burning, and most of the rest have very little (Jeukendrup & Randell, 2011). You still need a sustained calorie deficit to lose fat.
Instead: A sensible eating plan and regular training will do far more.
3. Testosterone boosters
Over the counter testosterone boosters rarely make a meaningful difference to your levels. A study of 50 popular products found only about a quarter of their ingredients had any published data showing a rise in testosterone, and some products went over the safe upper limit for zinc and other nutrients (Clemesha et al., 2020). A systematic review found no good evidence that tribulus terrestris raises testosterone in people (Qureshi et al., 2014).
Instead: Sleep well, lift, and eat enough. Those support your natural testosterone levels.
How to pick a good product
Before you buy anything, check three things:
- Third party testing. Look for NSF, Informed Choice or USP testing.
- The dose. Lots of brands underdose the main ingredients, so the product doesn't do what the label says.
- No proprietary blends. A "blend" hides how much of each ingredient you're getting.
Food and training come first
Supplements fill gaps in a solid diet and training plan. They don't replace either one. Stick with the ones that have research behind them, ignore anything promising dramatic results, and if you're not sure what you need, ask a professional.
References
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6):376-384. PubMed
- Tang JE, Moore DR, Kujbida GW, et al. (2009). Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 107(3):987-92. PubMed
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14:18. PubMed
- Hu Y, Hu FB, Manson JE (2019). Marine Omega-3 Supplementation and Cardiovascular Disease: An Updated Meta-Analysis of 13 Randomized Controlled Trials Involving 127 477 Participants. Journal of the American Heart Association, 8(19):e013543. PubMed
- Stark KD, Van Elswyk ME, Higgins MR, et al. (2016). Global survey of the omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in the blood stream of healthy adults. Progress in Lipid Research, 63:132-52. PubMed
- Weiler HA, Sarafin K, Martineau C, et al. (2023). Vitamin D Status of People 3 to 79 Years of Age from the Canadian Health Measures Survey 2012-2019. The Journal of Nutrition, 153(4):1150-1161. PubMed
- Wolfe RR (2017). Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14:30. PubMed
- Jeukendrup AE, Randell R (2011). Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism. Obesity Reviews, 12(10):841-51. PubMed
- Clemesha CG, Thaker H, Samplaski MK (2020). 'Testosterone Boosting' Supplements Composition and Claims Are not Supported by the Academic Literature. The World Journal of Men's Health, 38(1):115-122. PubMed
- Qureshi A, Naughton DP, Petroczi A (2014). A systematic review on the herbal extract Tribulus terrestris and the roots of its putative aphrodisiac and performance enhancing effect. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 11(1):64-79. PubMed