Supplements fill a gap. The problem is that most people think the gap is larger than it actually is, and the supplements better than they actually are.
The Three Categories
Think of supplements in three buckets:
- Correcting deficiencies: If you're deficient in vitamin D, magnesium, or B12, supplementation works well. This is the highest-value use case.
- Ergogenic support: A small number of supplements have good evidence for performance (creatine, caffeine, beta-alanine). Most performance supplements don't.
- Optimisation fantasies: The vast majority of the market. Products claiming to "boost" things that don't need boosting, backed by marketing dressed up as science.
The Underlying Error
Most people take supplements hoping to compensate for lifestyle deficits. A bad diet plus ten supplements is still a bad diet plus ten supplements. The supplements don't cancel the diet.
Start with the fundamentals. Add targeted supplementation for documented deficiencies. Ignore everything else.