Exposing The Sketchy Science Behind Your Supplements
Exposing The Sketchy Science Behind Your Supplements
The supplements industry has exploded, reaching almost $400 billion dollars just last year. But how much of the bodybuilding supplements industry is a scam? Protein powder, creatine, multivitamins, athletics greens, BCAA’s, fat burners, etc. What gym supplements actually work and what doesn’t? Today I’m testing the most popular workout supplements, comparing their claims against real scientific data. I’ll show you what scams to avoid and which gym supplements research says you should use instead. Starting with one that may come as a surprise … creatine.
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Americans alone consume well over 4 million kg of creatine yearly. But many companies have been taking advantage of this trend. Up to 30% of people naturally have high levels of creatine, which is why about 1 in 4 don’t see any performance benefits from it. But that’s only part of the story.
Often, companies selling workout supplements use complex terms on their creatine products to impress or even confuse buyers, and make their products seem a lot better than they actually are. Then, they bump up the price, and people think it “must be better”. But many of these expensive creatine forms are less effective than creatine monohydrate. And a lot of times they aren’t tested for safety either! So, does this mean you should stop taking creatine? Not necessarily.
But to avoid the gym supplements scams, you’ve gotta make sure you’re picking the right kind. For now, research has consistently shown that just plain old creatine monohydrate is not only the safest and most effective, it’s also the cheapest. Just try to get one that’s been third-party lab tested so you can be sure of what you’re actually consuming.
BCAA supplements may be one of the oldest scams in bodybuilding. BCAAs only contain 3 amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. So, providing your body with too many BCAAs might actually block other amino acids from being used, potentially hurting muscle recovery and growth.
But I know you might be wondering: if this research on BCAA’s is 10 years old, why do top brands still sell them as bodybuilding supplements? Well, that’s exactly why. Because they sell. That said, here’s a pro-tip: if you do want to supplement amino acids, EAAs, or essential amino acids, are a much better option. EAAs include 9 of the most important amino acids rather than 3. And they can be especially useful for vegetarians or those who like to work out fasted. But here’s how I see it. If you eat well and get enough protein, neither BCAAs or EAAs are very likely to help much. And that actually brings us to the last scam to watch out for, and the latest supplement craze taking over the internet.
Green supplements are supposedly an easy way to get your fruits and veggies in without having to chop, blend, or cook anything. But there’s been little to no evidence supporting green powders’ supposed health benefits. They also make use of deceptive nutrition labeling practices, such as the use of unregulated terms like “superfoods” and stuffing the product with water-soluble nutrients, to make them sound better than they actually are.
Some of you might now be thinking “green supplements are better because they’re sourced from whole foods”. While that is true, research has yet to show this makes any difference. Even if you “extract” the nutrients from whole foods, you still lose a lot of what makes them so good for you in the first place. Because of this, as of 2018 the Public Health of England declared that greens powders do not count towards your “5-servings-a-day.” of fruits and veggies. And that’s part of the problem. Because of how green powders are marketed, many people think they can rely on these supplements instead of eating real food. Whereas eating enough servings of fruits and vegetables a day has tons of strong evidence showing it improves health, body composition, gut health, digestion, longevity, and pretty much everything else you can think of.
So while it’s possible a greens powder may provide a small benefit for those who eat very little fruits and vegetables, it’s not a replacement. And it’s definitely a lot more pricey than a simple multivitamin.
I literally had an AG1 advertisement before I reached 6:45
The thing about EAAs is that research shows consuming them also increses your protein utilization baseline.
This means consuming eaas makes it easier for your body to use the protein derived from food—and any other protein source for that matter.
This is great considering that protein utilization from food is around 14-20% of the total protein consumed.
By contrast, protein from EAAs is 99% utilized. TBH, I’m starting to think EAAs are a goated nutritional supplement, and one that can easily replace whey protein, pre-workout, post workouts, and arguably even creatine. I’ve been using perfect amino and optimum amino and I think they are quite remarkable as supplements. I don’t even consume much whey anymore except in protein bars—and tbh the EAAs are better for me because both whey and pea based protein trigger eczema on my mouth when I eat them for too long.
When it comes to BCAAs/ EAAs, there is another aspect you didn’t mention. As you said, amino acids are building blocks of protein. We get them by breaking protein down. The thing is, our digestive system is not set up for processing individual amino acids. That’s not how they appear in nature. As I understand it, we can absorb even partially broken-down protein. When you take BCAAs/ EAAs, you can’t utilize that pathway, limiting absorption rate. Really, you should only supplement with these when you actually lack them, meaning you have poor protein source that lacks some EAAs. Of course, better approach would be to just change your protein source.
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You don’t need any. Greek warriors took none
Thank you for citing our research on the Amazon creatine study! Great video.
Does caffeine blunt the positive gains from creatine? Can they be taken together or need to be separated by a certain number of hours?
Hope this helps with your purchasing decisions! See below for a list of the studies mentioned in the video:
1 IN 4 PEOPLE ARE CREATINE NON-RESPONDERS:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15320650/
ANALYSIS OF 175 MOST EXPENSIVE CREATINE SUPPLEMENTS ON AMAZON:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9761713/pdf/main.pdf
EFFECTIVENESS OF CREATINE ETHYL ESTER VS CREATINE MONOHYDRATE:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2649889/
PREVALENCE OF HIDDEN SUBSTANCES IN SUPPLEMENTS ON THE MARKET:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9054437/
“GAA” MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CREATINE MONOHYDRATE:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9761713/pdf/main.pdf
1990 STUDY ON BCAAS’ EFFECTIVENESS:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7723664/
ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS ARE A BETTER OPTION THAN BCAAS:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27053525/
ATHLETIC GREENS STUDY:
https://drinkag1.com/learn/research/scientific-research
GREEN POWDERS DON’T COUNT TOWARD “5 SERVINGS A DAY” OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES:
https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/racing-greens-nutraceuticals-ltd-a18-443816.htm
HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING ENOUGH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649719/
I take EAA+BCAA complete. That’s the only supplement I need lol
Creatine, protein and caffeine are the only supplements with a proven track record. They are all you "need".
Any omega 2 talk on the video ? Plz the minute of it
Snake oil
What about whey protein?
I dont use Bcaa or athetic greens haven t for years I buy mine separate.
There are two common denominators with all supplements, A healthy diet and exercise. That should tell you all you need to know.
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Whats not mentioned. And the reason why some vitamins aren’t always included is they cancel out each other like
Magnesium and zinc
Vit c and vit B12
Vit D ≠ Vit E,K,calcium
Youd want to take those vitamins at different times of your day.
Love the video, I gave up on pretty much all supplements a while ago, realising they only take up space, money, make you bloated and complacent at eating actual organic healthy goods, and the marketing of all these things was always suspicious, all these gym freaks I’ve seen using a hundred and one "fancy new faf supplements" only look fat, not toned, pale, and simply underperform for their weight/apparent muscle mass. I’ve been feeling much better ever since I quit experimenting with all these "magic powders", a cheap multivatamin from a local supermarket, some quality vitamin D and magnesium does it well enough for myself nowadays.
Why nobody speaks about L Arginine and L Citruline?!
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What do you think of whey protein?
Which products contained banned substanses? That is crazy! I need to know this so i can avoid these products!
Eggs and steak 🥩 👍
Geez. Never tried BCAA’s before and thank goodness I didn’t.
Thank god i have a friend who study chemistry and can translate all bs that fitness companies put on their product
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I threw my creatine monohydrate supplement powder into the dustbin as it is a waste of money.
depends on the red meat you consume , how much you might need
I use efx sports creatine it’s pH correct makes me feel better
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Supplements can be cheat codes or mess your stuff up. I have experimented many times, so you dont have to.
1. Avoid all alcohol and weed as a prerequisite.
2. Have a good base diet of animal proteins and fats and fruit or honey for carbs.
3. Drink black coffee for a boost. Caffeine is a great help.
4. Nicotine through a non-harmful intake form is a great supplement for mental focus.
5. For bodily health I have found that this combo works wonders: Multivitamin, zinc, magnesium glycinate, Vitamin d3, Fish Oil and creatine as well as unflavored electrolyte powder when needed.
This protocol is a god stack. Comment on this and let me know what you do for your supplements. Thanks bro!
The supplements market these days is the new circus for snake oil! 😂
Hey! Amazing video, very insightful, thank you. What brand of creatine would you suggest?
lOl
Always Make others look like shit an then sell another worthless ide or produkt😂😂😂😂😂that youtube
I will do 1 push up for every like, I’ll keep everyone updateddd
thanks for selling your product
Which creatine brand has the steroids in it? Asking for a friend.
Thanks for putting spotlight on the scammers!
This is very informative and make lots of sense. Thanks Jeremy and god bless 🙏💯💪
JUST ANOTHER" THEY ARE WRONG AND BUY MY SERVICE/PRODUCT"
😢bought bcaa
All that to get to🫵 sales pitch for your products at the end🤔
Oxyshred
you need to get the turk tested
What’s the answer in one sec pla
Just drink milk. Its the reason why in my country we are all tall .( guess what country i am from) Combine milk with training and you will see the result. But its not trendy and not expensive so no one will promote it. But think how it is possible that a smal young cow can grow out to a full grown bull within months. I am curious when a fitness guru will test it 😊
Video Is Nice but it doesn’t answer the title problematic.
What is the Only Fitness Supplements I ACTUALLY Need then ?
5:31 – …you said: "I promisse!!!" – so, what’s the the difference between your promise and those manufacturers promises???
I just want a eaa supplement that works and isn’t overpriced