The Ultimate Supplement Guide
There won’t be much of an introduction for this one. Compiled in this post is all of the popular supplements among health nuts and gym rats in alphabetical order. With each, I’ll outline and list reputable sources and studies that support or argue against its benefits. Here we go:
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is often used in ayurvedic medicine. Ashwagandha is classified as an adaptogen, meaning it’s used to enhance the body’s resilience to stress. We’ve had some good evidence in studies of rodents for these claims, but human studies vary more. Overall, it may have anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and stress-relieving effects. It also seems to reduce cortisol levels, according to several studies, as well as improving sleep quality and time.
Overall, I’d say why not. I’ve heard good anecdotal reviews from friends, but the jury’s still not out on it. For healthy people, though, it really doesn’t seem to do any harm. Daily dosages range from 120–5,000 mg of a root extract. The most common dosing protocol is 600 mg daily.
Beta Alanine
Beta-alanine is an amino acid, but it’s not a muscle-building protein directly. During exercise, acid accumulates in the muscles, which can contribute to fatigue. Beta-alanine helps regulate acid in muscles and prevent this fatigue. Therefore, taking BA can help stave off muscle exhaustion during exercise. Beta-alanine seems to readily improve high-intensity exercise performances lasting 1-10 minutes, like sprints and swimming laps.
This is the compound in pre workout that’ll cause the itchy sensation, like ants crawling on the skin. This is simply increased neuronal activation in the brain, causing a “tingling” sensation in larger muscles.
Overall, this is a reasonable supplement to take if you’re interested in improving gym performance. A range of 3.2–6.4 grams per day of beta-alanine to be effective for exercise performance. Do be aware of the tingling, though- although it's a little weird, it can be a sign that you've ingested enough to have an effect.
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
Consuming BCAAs between sets may help speed up the recovery and repair processes after a tough workout. A 2010 study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that people who ingested BCAAs at 100 milligrams/kg bodyweight, or about 6 grams for a 125-pound individual, experienced less muscle soreness and damage following a large number of squats. Although still early in research, BCAAs seem to regulate protein metabolism by promoting protein synthesis and suppressing protein degradation, which may improve recovery of muscles damaged during resistance training.
Overall, it’s not proven to be super effective, but it can’t hurt. Taking 6-10 grams before or during your workouts might offer small benefits.
Caffeine
Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world. It has been proven many times to be an ergogenic aid in both endurance and high-intensity activity. Caffeine doesn't seem to help for strength performance much, though. Despite not helping performance much, it can decrease rates of fatigue and lower RPE.
Overall, I’d definitely take it before a workout or study session. Taking 150-250 milligrams will do you some good for sure, so long as you don’t have any pre existing heart conditions.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine is the most researched performance supplement out there. Thousands of studies prove its effectiveness and safety in muscle-building and performance metrics, as well as brain health protection. It increases the availability of creatine and phosphocreatine (PCr) in muscles, helping to maintain energy during lifting sessions. Furthermore, increasing PCr availability can speed up recovery between sets.
Creatine doesn’t have side effects. Anyone who says so is promoting pseudoscience. It may possibly cause baldness in men who already have androgenic alopecia, but that’s not even proven.
Long-term creatine supplementation may lead to 5-15 percent greater gains in strength and performance from lifting as well, so I’d seriously recommend this for anyone interested in gaining muscle. If you want to start its effects right away, you can “load” creatine for a week-long period by taking 10-20 grams per day, then dropping down to 5 grams per day after that. Do keep in mind, though, that loading creatine may cause bloating, water weight retention and gastric distress, but this will subside after a week or two.
This is my most recommended supplement if you’re an active person. It’s cheap, and you can’t go wrong with it. You can buy a huge bag of it for 25-30 bucks that';
Fish Oil
Fish oils are basically just a conduit for omega-3 fatty acids, which provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce post-exercise muscle soreness and speed up the recovery process, repeating the microtears from training more quickly. Also, when combined with BCAAs and carbs, omega-3s can increase protein synthesis rates, leading to greater gains in muscle mass.
Again, I’d say it’s worth taking for small benefits. The recommended Dose is 2 grams daily, ideally with a meal.
Lion’s Mane
Lion’s mane is a fungus, mainly purported for its benefits for brain health. Its hericenones (primarily found in the mushroom’s fruiting body) and erinacines (concentrated in the mushroom’s mycelia) are shown to stimulate the synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF) in neural astrocytes in the memory section of the brain. NGF is responsible for regulating neuronal cell creation and proliferation in the brain, and increased NGF levels have been associated with improved neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. Hericenone B may also help to prevent thrombosis (blood clots) and increase blood flow, which may prevent dementia. Additionally, lion’s mane has shown the capacity to enhance the myelination (production of myelin sheath) of neurons in vitro, ensuring proper conduction of electricity through the cells.
I don’t take this personally, and it’s not totally proven, but it’s interesting! If you’re into improving brain function, doses of 1000–3000 mg, divided into three to four daily doses, might bring small benefits. There don’t seem to be any downsides, other than wasting money.
L-Carnitine
L-carnitine is a compound produced in the body (and found in meat products). L-carnitine is best known for its role in helping to ”shuttle” long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria to produce energy. Basically, it improves energy use and production in the body. This isn’t a super beneficial thing, but you might see it in your preworkout.
The standard dose for L-carnitine is between 500–2000 milligrams per day- any less than that per serving won’t have much effect. I wouldn’t search for it on its own, though.
L-Glutamine
L-glutamine is a nonessential amino acid, so we don’t need it to function, but it can improve repair and recovery of muscles. It works by removing excess ammonia, which can accumulate during intense exercise, helping to regulate your body's acid-base balance. It can help performance for those who lift heavy and/or are in a calorie deficit.
I take this personally, as it really doesn’t seem to have any downsides. About 20-30 grams a day seems to be good, and it often comes in a pill form. Just be careful to check the formulation to make sure there’s nothing extraneous in it.
Citrulline Malate
Citrulline malate is popular for its performance-boosting effects. The benefits seen with CM supplementation are most likely attributed to the synergistic combination of both L-citrulline and malate, which may help to increase rates of ATP during exercise. CM may be beneficial in improving exercise performance during upper- and lower-body multiple-bout resistance exercise, but this has only been tested in men (sigh).
This is something you’ll see in pre workouts often. If so, look for doses of around 8 grams per serving. Anything less than 5 will not really have any effect. If you don’t care about lifting, though, this won’t really do anything for you.
L-Tyrosine
L-Tyrosine is an amino acid found in the diet that is metabolized to produce dopamine, norepinephrine, and thyroid hormones. L-Tyrosine is often taken as a supplement to help increase catecholamine levels depleted during lifting, but the jury’s still out on this one. Again, it likely can’t hurt, and it often appears in pre workout formulations.
If you see this in your preworkout, look for it to be in amounts between 500-2000 mg per serving. Any less than that is likely not going to have any effects. I wouldn’t search for it on its own, though.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a vital micronutrient, required for energy (ATP) production, glucose metabolism, DNA and protein synthesis, nerve conduction, bone health, and cardiovascular regulation. It also plays a crucial role in the synthesis and activation of vitamin D, which most Americans are deficient in. You can get magnesium from dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, and meat/fish such as salmon, chicken, and beef. Supplementation with magnesium has been shown to reduce blood glucose and improve insulin sensitivity.
Overall, magnesium glycinate is purported to have calming and anti-inflammatory effects. Make sure, if you’re looking for magnesium for this purpose, to not buy magnesium citrate- that’s used for constipation, and it’s quite potent. Taking up to 300mg of magnesium a day in all forms may be beneficial for the reasons listed above, just be careful to read the whole label.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone, secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, that regulates the sleep/wake cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm. You’d really only take this to fix sleep issues, and in typical dosages it appears fairly safe. However, I’d REALLY not recommend this unless you’re dealing with insomnia, or another condition that can’t be fixed by making your sleep/wake times more consistent. If that’s the case, speak to a sleep health professional.
For regulating the sleep cycle and improving sleep disorders, doses of melatonin between .3-5 mg have been shown to work. The benefits of melatonin are not dose-dependent — taking more will not help you fall asleep faster. I would not recommend this for consistent use, given research into its downsides on long-term sleep health.
Type-II Collagen
Type II collagen (CII) is a peptide and a major component of joint cartilage. It comes in one of two forms: undenatured or hydrolyzed. Undenatured CII appears to improve joint pain, mainly in the context of arthritis. Hydrolyzed CII may improve skin health/appearance and reduce joint pain.
This isn’t necessary, especially if you consume meat in good amounts already (some meats and fish contain it). If you wanna take it for skin and joint health, the daily dose of hydrolyzed collagen is around 10 grams per day. It comes in pills and in some protein powders.
Whey Protein
The purpose of taking whey protein is to meet your protein goal- that’s about it. Although taking fast-digesting protein like whey can help your muscles' ability to recover after exercising, the main benefit is that you’re consuming more protein. Any blend of protein, whey and casein, promotes muscle hypertrophy and improves body composition. The reason I hammer this home is that you don’t need this if you eat enough protein already! If you’re consuming 1 gram per pound of bodyweight already, you don’t need more protein. HOWEVER- if you struggle to reach that number with regular foods alone, this is a vital supplement.
Overall, 20-30 grams of whey (or whey/casein blend) protein per day will help you reach your protein goal. Taking more is also fine, but do keep in mind that some formulations will cause gastric distress (watch out for “whey concentrate” on labels! Try to find brands that use “whey isolate” only). This is my second most recommended supplement- it's convenient and tasty, but it can be expensive. I'd recommend Quest or Optimum Nutrition proteins for more cost-friendly options.
Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-does-beta-alanine-do
https://examine.com/supplements/carnitine/#dosage-information
On Creatine Monohydrate…
Doesn’t cause cancer, doesn’t cause hair loss (especially in young people), does not cause kidney issues without pre existing conditions, weight gain is only a result of increased bodily water and not fat, etc. It actually seems to decrease fat mass in conjunction with resistance training. It improves brain function and is prescribed to seniors for this reason.
Long-term oral creatine supplementation does not impair renal function in healthy athletes
In sickness and in health: the widespread application of creatine supplementation
Adverse effects of creatine supplementation: fact or fiction?
Creatine supplementation and cognitive performance in elderly individuals
Effects of creatine on mental fatigue and cerebral hemoglobin oxygenation
Cr supplementation decreases tyrosine phosphorylation of the CreaT in skeletal muscle during sepsis
Beneficial effect of creatine supplementation in knee osteoarthritis
Creatine supplementation, sleep deprivation, cortisol, melatonin and behavior
Effect of creatine supplementation on body composition and performance: a meta-analysis
Creatine supplementation improves muscular performance in older women
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