Lifestyle & therapies

Supplements, graded.

The capsule aisle is where longevity marketing is loudest and the evidence is thinnest. We hold supplements to exactly the same bar as diagnostic tests: show us outcomes in people, not mechanisms in mice. Most entries here do not clear that bar, and we say so.

The short version: 3 are Moderate — defensible, but for the right person; 8 grade Weak — thin proof, still widely sold.

Jump to: Moderate (3) · Weak (8) · Emerging (2)

Grade

Moderate evidence

A real signal with honest limits: consistent associations, or trial endpoints that stop short of outcomes. Reasonable to adopt; do not expect miracles.

01 Creatine monohydrate Creatine is the supplement aisle's one dependable product: cheap, heavily studied, and it does what it says, adding a few percent to strength and training capacity. Moderate 02 Vitamin D (if deficient) Vitamin D supplements are worth taking if you are deficient, and largely unnecessary if you are not. Moderate 03 Ashwagandha Ashwagandha is an Indian herb with a long history of use against stress. Moderate

Grade

Weak evidence

The measured benefits are small, indirect or unproven. Fine because you enjoy it; not something to schedule your life or budget around.

04 Omega-3 supplements (fish oil) Fish oil capsules are the default supplement of the wellness era, and the big trials have quietly closed the case. Weak 05 Magnesium supplements Magnesium is having a moment as the sleep-and-relaxation mineral. Weak 06 Collagen peptides Collagen powders promise better skin, joints and tendons, and the marketing writes cheques the trials cannot cash. Weak 07 Resveratrol Resveratrol is the compound that let red wine be described as health food. Weak 08 Daily multivitamin A daily multivitamin is cheap insurance against gaps nobody has shown you have. Weak 09 Berberine Berberine is a yellow compound extracted from barberry bark, and in trials it lowers blood sugar and cholesterol. Weak 10 N-acetylcysteine (NAC) NAC is the supplement form of an amino acid your body uses to build glutathione, its main antioxidant. Weak 11 Curcumin Curcumin is the bright yellow compound in turmeric, and laboratory studies make it look near-miraculous. Weak

Grade

Emerging evidence

Interesting biology, real products on shelves, and no proper human outcome trials yet. Treat it as a self-funded experiment.

12 NMN / NR (NAD+ boosters) Nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside raise NAD+, a molecule cells use for energy and repair that declines with age. Emerging 13 Taurine Taurine is an amino acid your own body makes, and it is plentiful in fish and shellfish. Emerging

How to read these grades. They use the same four-step scale as our test reviews, and they answer a different question: whether doing this is worth your time and money, judged on the published evidence in people. A weak grade means the proof is thin, never that we found proof of harm. Read the methodology.

Prefer to start with what a blood test can tell you? All 48 diagnostic tests, ranked →