Evidence Lab
Supplement ingredient index
Browse published supplement ingredient summaries. Drafts, internal review notes and product-quality records remain private to coach-only tools.
Emerging / Mixed
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha may modestly improve stress or sleep in some adults, while exercise-performance findings remain heterogeneous. Short-term use appears reasonably tolerated for many adults, but thyroid, autoimmune, pregnancy, liver and medication contexts require caution.
Strong
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is a chronic-loading performance supplement that raises muscle carnosine and may support high-intensity work lasting roughly one to several minutes. It is not an acute pre-workout stimulant, and tingling is common but can often be reduced by divided doses.
Strong
Caffeine
Caffeine can acutely improve alertness, attention and several exercise-performance outcomes, especially endurance and high-intensity efforts. Benefits depend on dose, timing, tolerance, sleep impact and individual response.
Moderate
Casein Protein
Casein is a high-quality, slower-digesting milk protein. Pre-sleep casein can increase overnight protein synthesis, but its long-term value still depends mainly on total daily protein intake and resistance training.
Emerging / Mixed
Citrulline Malate
Citrulline malate is a nitric-oxide-pathway supplement with mixed evidence for exercise performance. Acute studies sometimes show small improvements in repetitions or fatigue resistance, but formulation quality and malate ratio uncertainty make claims less settled than stronger Group A supplements.
Emerging / Mixed
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 reliably raises circulating CoQ10, but current exercise evidence shows only small, inconsistent and low-certainty performance effects. Mild digestive or sleep-related side effects can occur, and warfarin or insulin use requires interaction review.
Emerging / Mixed
Collagen Peptides
Collagen peptides may support connective-tissue collagen synthesis and can reduce joint symptoms in some studies, but evidence for injury prevention, performance and body-composition benefits remains limited and heterogeneous.
Strong
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate is a well-studied supplement that can improve repeated high-intensity exercise and support strength gains from resistance training. Benefits vary, endurance effects are limited, and product quality and individual health context still matter.
Emerging / Mixed
Curcumin + Piperine
Curcumin may modestly reduce selected soreness or muscle-damage markers after exercise, but sport evidence is heterogeneous and low-certainty. Piperine can increase curcumin exposure and also increases the need for medication and safety caution.
Strong
Electrolytes / Oral Rehydration
Electrolyte-containing fluids are useful when meaningful fluid and sodium losses need replacing. Exercise hydration should be individualized to sweat losses, while true oral rehydration solution is a specific glucose-electrolyte therapy for dehydration rather than a generic daily sports drink.
Emerging / Mixed
Fish Oil / Omega-3
Fish oil supplies EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. Athlete studies show some recovery and physiological signals, but performance benefits are inconsistent; dose decisions should consider diet, product quality and medical context.
Strong
Iron
Iron is essential for oxygen transport and energy metabolism. Supplementation can improve iron status and aerobic capacity in iron-deficient athletes, but iron should not be used as a routine performance supplement without evidence of need.
Emerging / Mixed
L-theanine
L-theanine is a tea-derived amino acid with emerging evidence for calm focus and selected cognition or stress-related outcomes. The strongest practical use is often in combination with caffeine rather than as a standalone sports-performance supplement.
Insufficient
Lion's Mane
Lion's mane mushroom has limited human evidence suggesting possible cognitive effects, but trials are few, small and heterogeneous. There is no established sports-performance benefit or validated athlete dosing protocol.
Moderate
Magnesium
Magnesium is essential for neuromuscular function, energy metabolism and bone health. Supplementation is most defensible when intake or status is inadequate; evidence for routine performance enhancement in magnesium-sufficient athletes is limited.
Emerging / Mixed
Rhodiola rosea
Rhodiola rosea has emerging evidence for small endurance-related benefits, but trials are heterogeneous and authoritative reviews still consider the overall clinical evidence insufficient. Product standardization and short-term safety matter.
Strong
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate is an extracellular buffering supplement with evidence for selected high-intensity exercise tasks, but gastrointestinal tolerance, sodium load and medical context determine whether it is practical.
Strong
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is essential for red-blood-cell formation and neurologic function. Supplementation is important when intake or absorption is inadequate, but it does not reliably improve exercise performance in people who already have adequate B12 status.
Strong
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D is essential for bone and muscle health, and supplementation is most clearly useful when intake or status is inadequate. Evidence does not support treating vitamin D3 as a reliable ergogenic aid in already sufficient athletes.
Strong
Whey Protein
Whey is a high-quality, leucine-rich dairy protein that can help active people meet daily protein needs and can modestly enhance resistance-training gains when added to an appropriate training and nutrition plan.
Moderate
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral for immune function, protein synthesis and many enzymes. Supplementation is useful when intake or status is inadequate, but there is little evidence that extra zinc improves athletic performance in zinc-sufficient people.