Supplement stack for men over 30 — what actually works
Alright boys, 10 years in the supplement industry and I'm going to save you a lot of money. Here's what actually has evidence behind it and what's marketing BS:
WORTH YOUR MONEY:
- Creatine monohydrate (5g/day, no loading needed, most researched supplement ever)
- Vitamin D3 (most people are deficient, especially if you work indoors)
- Magnesium glycinate (sleep, recovery, most men don't get enough from diet)
- Omega-3 fish oil (2-3g EPA/DHA combined, anti-inflammatory)
- Protein powder IF you can't hit your protein targets from food
SAVE YOUR MONEY:
- Testosterone boosters (99% are garbage, the 1% that work are basically just zinc and you can buy zinc alone for $5)
- Fat burners (caffeine with a markup. just drink coffee)
- BCAAs (if you eat adequate protein, these are redundant)
- Most pre-workouts (again, just caffeine plus some tingle from beta-alanine)
Fight me in the comments lol. But bring studies, not bro-science.
Pharmacist here co-signing basically everything Marcus said. A few additions from the clinical side:
- On Vitamin D: get your levels tested before mega-dosing. 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test. Dose accordingly. 2000-5000 IU is typical for deficient adults but it's not one-size-fits-all.
- On Magnesium: glycinate is the right call for sleep/recovery. Oxide is basically a laxative. Citrate is middle ground. The form matters a LOT.
- On Omega-3: quality matters here too. Look for third-party tested brands. Rancid fish oil is worse than no fish oil.
One addition I'd make: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) for anyone on statins. Statins deplete CoQ10 and supplementing can help with the muscle pain side effects that make a lot of men quit their statin medications.
bro I've spent so much money on test boosters over the years lmao. like hundreds of dollars. wish I'd read this sooner.
question tho — what about ashwagandha? my buddy swears by it for stress and says it helped his T levels
Good question Tom. Ashwagandha (KSM-66 specifically) actually does have some decent studies behind it for cortisol reduction and modest testosterone increases. Key word: MODEST. We're talking maybe 10-15% increase in men who were stressed and had suboptimal levels to begin with.
It's not going to turn you into a superhero, but if you're chronically stressed (and let's be real, who isn't), it's one of the few "adaptogen" supplements with real data. I'd put it in a "maybe" category — worth trying for 8-12 weeks to see if you notice anything, but don't expect miracles.
600mg KSM-66 standardized extract, taken with food. That's the dose used in most studies.