Top 5 Worst Supplements
Before we get into this, always check with your doctor before adding any supplements. These are not recommendations for supplements you should add to your routine.
There’s so much shit peddled on social media / the internet these days. I get it - people can make a social media account (for free), post a few pics of them flexing their abs/glutes, and say, “x supplement is the magic pill you’re looking for,” while getting PAID for spewing nonsense.
I’m tired of it. And you should be too.
So I’m here to help by giving you my top five four worst supplements. These are on here because they are either highly overrated, overpriced, or straight up dangerous. (I changed my mind on one of them which is why it’s only four now.
Actual photo of every supplement manufacturer and the influencers that peddle them
1.) Greens Powders
You know the phrase, “the dose makes the poison”? It’s meant to illustrate the importance of dosages and their effects on the human body. For example, drinking too much water can be lethal. However in “normal” doses, water is totally fine (and necessary for survival). Well - this phrase works the other way too - the dose makes the benefit.
That’s where greens powders fall short. Waaaay short (probably).
Let’s take AG1 for example - they have a proprietary blend (like KFC) meaning they don’t have to list the dosages of their ingredients. This means they can get away with underdosing ingredients that could be beneficial but not unless there’s a clinically relevant dose.
Oh by the way, do you or someone you love take any medicines? AG1 doesn’t list drug interactions on their website - but here are some I’d look out for:
Ashwagandha - which interacts with benzodiazepines, immunosuppressants, diabetes medications, and antihypertensive drugs
Dandelion - which interacts with diuretics, diabetic medications, lithium, and some antibiotics
Rhodioloa - which interacts with antidiabetic drugs, antihypertensive drugs, and immunosuppressants
Now let’s talk about the cost. $99 per month. That is psychotic for what is very similar to a multivitamin ($2-3/month).
You don’t need a greens powder. You need to eat some damn fruits and veggies.
2.) Colostrum
What on earth is going on? Colostrum?! If you don’t know - colostrum is the milk produced by mammary glands in the first few days of lactation after giving birth. It’s very nutrient-dense to help early development of digestive and immune systems. Companies figured - hey, this stuff is nutrient-dense, let’s turn it into a powder and SELL IT.
Here’s the issue: INSANE claims from VERY shaky research. This is like walking on stilts during an earthquake which I’ve never done but feels like solid imagery to illustrate my point.
Colostrum has not been shown to have any benefits on any biomarkers of immune health in humans.
There is some evidence showing that colostrum may have some potential benefits in reducing some of the symptoms of infectious diarrhea and also possibly some improvements in symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. This is just preliminary data, based mostly on animal studies and small human trials. Outside of these specific conditions there’s no current signs that colostrum has any benefit on gut health. So then why do I see so many ads for colostrum talking about gut health? MONEY.
Speaking of money - wanna know how much you’d have to spend to see a slight benefit according to current research? If you’re rocking with Armra (the most prevalent colostrum supplement company I’ve seen), you’re looking at 20-60g per day which will be roughly $14,000 USD per year. On colostrum. For that price, you could hire a fitness/nutrition coach (hi there!), a therapist, and max out your 401K.
3.) Collagen
Alright, I changed my mind. In the past, I felt collagen was one of the supplements that was overpriced for what it did. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve moved super far away from that perspective, but it does have studied benefits and could be worth considering for the right person/situation.
My previous thought around collagen: Collagen just has more glycine which is thought to be a rate-limiter for collagen synthesis. If your protein intake is sufficient (as it is for most gym-goers who want to gain muscle), you’re getting plenty of amino acids. Collagen is technically an incomplete protein as it doesn’t contain tryptophan, an amino acid our body can’t produce on its own, this makes it “less efficient” than a complete protein. While that thought process wasn’t wrong, maybe it’s more worth it than I anticipated.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It’s a major component of your connective tissues - skin, bone, muscle, tendons, and ligaments. Fun fact: it comes from the greek word kólla (pronounced cool-uh) which means glue.
As with every supplement on this list, there is money in this supplement. A lot. The collagen market valuation was estimated at $3.7 billion in 2016 and expected to increase to $6.63 billion by 2025.
Unlike most other supplements on this list, collagen has a good bit of research backing it.
This study found, “Oral collagen supplements also increase skin elasticity, hydration, and dermal collagen density. Collagen supplementation is generally safe with no reported adverse events.” So if you’re looking to improve your skin game, collagen could be worth considering.
What about joint health? While not as well researched as skin, evidence looks promising! This 2021 study found ‘strong evidence’ of collagen supplementation of 5-15g / day improving joint pain and functionality. This study also compared 5g vs 15g and found greater results for 15g.
Pro tip: Combine it with Vitamin C. Vitamin C plays a key role in the process of collagen synthesis. Most studies use 50mg of vitamin C. The company Vital Proteins does include vitamin C in theirs and I’m assuming most companies would.
I wouldn’t count your collagen intake toward your daily protein target as the amino acid structure isn’t great for muscle growth.
If you’re prone to kidney stones, you may not want to supplement with collagen supplements as they typically contain hydroxyproline. When the body metabolizes hydroxyproline, it’s converted into oxalate which can trigger kidney stones - specifically calcium oxalate kidney stones which are the most common type. However, I think we MIGHT have seen this in research if it were a massive risk.
The cost is going to be about $50 per month, give or take. Honestly a little bit too expensive for me to consider it, but I’m also not concerned about my skin/joint health right now. If it starts to become a priority, I would strongly consider this. Same goes for if more beneficial research comes out.
4.) Fat Burners
Fat burners are the ultimate scam. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A pill that… burns fat? And you can just find them at the gas station? If these worked, I promise, basically everybody would be taking them. Don’t believe me? (yes you do, if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be on MY blog) Here’s some research that showed no benefit. I’m gonna be honest, I lose respect for companies and individuals when they sell these on their website. Whether it’s due to negligence or incompetence, I don’t know. I’d optimistically hope for the latter but realistically feel it’s the former because… you know why. MONEY.
The small upside you might experience from these will be the same as your cup of coffee: caffeine. Except your coffee costs a lot less, has a more reasonable amount of caffeine, and makes you happy. I don’t think there’s anything else I need to write here. No benefit. Don’t buy it.
5.) BCAA’s
Protein is made up of amino acids. The analogy I often use is Legos. In order to build a Lego house, we need a lot of different types of Legos, right? Well our body needs a bunch of different amino acids - 20 in total. 9 of those are essential, meaning our body can’t synthesize them and we need to get them from our diet. BCAA supplements (branched-chain amino acids) contain THREE of those essential amino acids. Any whey protein powder will contain all 9. If you’re already getting enough protein in your diet, supplementing with BCAAs is like pouring water on your head while you’re in a pool. They aren’t harmful - just overpriced for what they do. If you need help reaching a protein target, just eat more protein or use protein powders/shakes. BCAAs are not worth your time or money.
Supplements offer a very marginal benefit in almost every case. If you’re spending a shitload of money to potentially get very very minor benefits, you have too much money.
Want to hear our full thoughts on our worst 5 supplements? We have an entire podcast episode dedicated to it.
