Which supplements are worth it? The tier list

// What the research shows

The International Olympic Committee's consensus statement (Maughan et al., 2018) sums it up: of the many products promising better performance, only a few have good evidence, including caffeine, creatine, specific buffering agents and nitrate. How well they work depends on the use case and varies from person to person. For muscle growthHypertrophy (muscle growth) A muscle getting bigger, mainly through thicker muscle fibres. More in the glossary →, only creatine has a direct, if small, effect (Kreider et al., 2017). Protein powder is no miracle, just food in a convenient form: it helps you reach your daily total, which is what counts (Morton et al., 2018). According to a review, isolated BCAAs bring no benefit if you already eat enough protein (Plotkin et al., 2021), and so-called testosterone boosters mostly lack any evidence (Clemesha et al., 2020). Vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D or iron make sense when you're deficient, otherwise not.

// In practice

• S tier, for almost anyone who lifts: creatine monohydrate (3 to 5 g daily, up to 10 g with a lot of muscle mass) and protein powder if you can't reach your daily total otherwise.
• A tier, depending on your goal: caffeine before training, beta-alanine for hard efforts of 1 to 4 minutes, nitrate (e.g. beetroot juice) for endurance.
• C tier, only with a proven deficiency: vitamin D, iron and the like. Get blood work done first.
• F tier, skip it: BCAAs if you eat enough protein, and testosterone boosters.
• If you compete in drug-tested sport: only use tested products, e.g. from the Cologne List. Contaminated supplements are a known risk.

// Limitations & open questions

Much of the evidence comes from lab studies in athletes. For recreational lifters who eat well, the effect of any supplement is small compared with training, sleep and nutrition. The tier list is a ranking based on these sources, not an official ranking.

// Sources

• Positionspapier 2018Maughan et al. – IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete (Br J Sports Med) ↗cite
• Positionspapier 2017Kreider et al. – ISSN position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation (JISSN) ↗cite
• Meta-Analyse 2018Morton et al. – Protein supplementation and resistance training-induced gains (Br J Sports Med) ↗cite
• Review 2021Plotkin et al. – Isolated leucine and BCAA supplementation for muscular strength and hypertrophy (IJSNEM) ↗cite
• Einzelstudie 2020Clemesha et al. – 'Testosterone boosting' supplements: composition and claims not supported (World J Mens Health) ↗cite

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