From my short list below, which supplements are the least beneficial?

I posted a week ago or so requesting help reducing my rather long list of supplements. People here were helpful, and said only a few were really necessary (omega 3 fish oils, vitamin D3, whey, creatine, and also maybe green tea extract-- one said dark chocolate was also useful.) I appreciate this.

I am a supplement junkie though, and I want to take some. What I should have said is which of the following are most helpful, given that none is technically necessary. I should have also made my list shorter.

So, I need to cut out 2 or 3 out from the specific list below. What are the least helpful? (I don't get pumps, btw. I also take other supplements, but those are off the table, so I am not listing them below.)

Betaine Anhydrous
Beta Alanine
L-Taurine
L-Tyrosine
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
HMB
Agmatine Sulfate
Pomegranate Extract
Beet Root Powder
L-Citrulline DL-Malate

Should I also add HICA for recovery? I already eat a healthy diet, do static stretches after workouts, and get plenty of sleep.

Thanks!

I vote for beet root powder. Beets are easy to make if you need a veggie for your meal or want red pee.

[QUOTE=air2fakie;1654905663]I vote for beet root powder. Beets are easy to make if you need a veggie for your meal or want red pee.[/QUOTE]

Ok then. I'll watch out for the red pee, haha!

Don't buy in to the hype of supplement companies. They're in the business of selling products. Many make claims, and use enhanced people to pimp their products in an effort to make you think by simply using their products, you'll experience the same "results".

Why ask others what benefits YOU?

What you need to be asking yourself is, what has benefited you.

Drop what hasn't.

Profit.

HMB is least beneficial, don't add HICA, just eat more protein relatively soon after working out

[QUOTE=BS57;1654922923]Don't buy in to the hype of supplement companies. They're in the business of selling products. Many make claims, and use enhanced people to pimp their products in an effort to make you think by simply using their products, you'll experience the same "results".

Why ask others what benefits YOU?

What you need to be asking yourself is, what has benefited you.

Drop what hasn't.

Profit.[/QUOTE]

You have a great point. The problem is I don't know which specific supplement benefitted me. I started taking 15 or so at once and added/subtracted over the past year. (I buy all the ingredients in bulk, separately, and mix them.)

I'm skeptical that any supplements are particularly beneficial. I didn't even get much from creatine, which is proven.

[QUOTE=eatyourspinach;1654941073]HMB is least beneficial, don't add HICA, just eat more protein relatively soon after working out[/QUOTE]

You always have solid advice @eatyourspinach. I guess I can stop HMB as soon as my supply runs out then! (And add that to AAKG, GMS, CLA, Ashwagandha, BCAA's, Sodium Bicarbonate, and Glutamine.) Also, eating more protein is always good, lol!

[QUOTE=radrd;1654944633]I'm skeptical that any supplements are particularly beneficial. I didn't even get much from creatine, which is proven.[/QUOTE]

I appreciate the advice, and you make sense on some level. The thing is, they must work to some extent (??), because when I first started them 18 months ago, the weights I lifted went up 2 or 3x in some cases in just a few weeks. But I guess there could be other explanations for this.

[QUOTE=mileena202;1654946613]I appreciate the advice, and you make sense on some level. The thing is, they must work to some extent (??), because when I first started them 18 months ago, the weights I lifted went up 2 or 3x in some cases in just a few weeks. But I guess there could be other explanations for this.[/QUOTE]

If you can afford them & it's part of an overall workout/nutrition routine that's working for you, there's nothing wrong with taking those things on your list. But like others have said (assuming overall nutrition is in order), you could probably get similar results without them, so you can knock any of them off one by one if you want.

If you feel performance suffers without any of them, just add it back in - it doesn't really matter if the effect is real or perceived, just whether you're happy with the results.

[QUOTE=mileena202;1654900773]I posted a week ago or so requesting help reducing my rather long list of supplements. People here were helpful, and said only a few were really necessary (omega 3 fish oils, vitamin D3, whey, creatine, and also maybe green tea extract-- one said dark chocolate was also useful.) I appreciate this.

I am a supplement junkie though, and I want to take some. What I should have said is which of the following are most helpful, given that none is technically necessary. I should have also made my list shorter.

So, I need to cut out 2 or 3 out from the specific list below. What are the least helpful? (I don't get pumps, btw. I also take other supplements, but those are off the table, so I am not listing them below.)

Betaine Anhydrous
Beta Alanine
L-Taurine
L-Tyrosine
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
HMB
Agmatine Sulfate
Pomegranate Extract
Beet Root Powder
L-Citrulline DL-Malate

Should I also add HICA for recovery? I already eat a healthy diet, do static stretches after workouts, and get plenty of sleep.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Voting for Pomegranate Extract and Beet Root Powder, Beets and Pomegranate are easily available. You can just boil beets and add in your soup. You can make Pomegranate juice in a juicer or grinder; or you can mix all your necessary fruits in a bowl of curd/yogurt and have it like a mix fruit dessert. Just suggestions. :)

[QUOTE=ArghyadeepSen;1654963683]Voting for Pomegranate Extract and Beet Root Powder, Beets and Pomegranate are easily available. You can just boil beets and add in your soup. You can make Pomegranate juice in a juicer or grinder; or you can mix all your necessary fruits in a bowl of curd/yogurt and have it like a mix fruit dessert. Just suggestions. :)[/QUOTE]

The amount of beets and pomegranates one would have to eat to obtain the equivalent percentage of nitrates and polyphenols in extracts would require a pretty substantial percentage of calories

[QUOTE=air2fakie;1654947303]If you can afford them & it's part of an overall workout/nutrition routine that's working for you, there's nothing wrong with taking those things on your list. But like others have said (assuming overall nutrition is in order), you could probably get similar results without them, so you can knock any of them off one by one if you want.

If you feel performance suffers without any of them, just add it back in - it doesn't really matter if the effect is real or perceived, just whether you're happy with the results.[/QUOTE]

Thanks again. I wonder if I could really get the same results without them. For example, studies of LCLT have shown that it enhances recovery and reduces fatigue, increases muscle mass, and blunts decreases in strength and power:

[url]https://bit.ly/3rLG8nm[/url]
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/VkC4n01G/journal.jpg[/img][/url]

and

[url]https://bit.ly/3tUnMDf[/url]
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/FKXpZFH9/journal-2.jpg[/img][/url]

[Sorry for the screenshots, but it wouldn't let me copy the text.]

So, on one hand, following your and others' advice, I want to cut out LCLT, but then I read journal articles like the above that say it helps. So, I am not quite sure what to do. I do like your idea of cutting out one supplement at a time, and experimenting. That can't hurt, except possibly for that one training session. Although it might take some time for the effects of non-usage to kick in.

[QUOTE=eatyourspinach;1654964173]The amount of beets and pomegranates one would have to eat to obtain the equivalent percentage of nitrates and polyphenols in extracts would require a pretty substantial percentage of calories[/QUOTE]

Thanks...I was just about to say this. I appreciate @ArghyadeepSen's help though. The same goes for actual milled flax seed vs. flax seed oil. The oil is so much more concentrated. Milled flax seed does have some benefits (like the fiber), but you get much more primary benefits from the oil.

[QUOTE=ArghyadeepSen;1654963683]Voting for Pomegranate Extract and Beet Root Powder, Beets and Pomegranate are easily available. You can just boil beets and add in your soup. You can make Pomegranate juice in a juicer or grinder; or you can mix all your necessary fruits in a bowl of curd/yogurt and have it like a mix fruit dessert. Just suggestions. :)[/QUOTE]

Appreciate the help! I actually will eat beets and pomegranate raw. I even eat the fleshy white part surrounding the arils (seeds and juice) of the pomegranate. Pomegranates are pain for me to peel because it's time consuming and I don't want to crush the juicy seeds. But they are so sweet. Perfect in salads.

[QUOTE=mileena202;1654965823]Thanks again. I wonder if I could really get the same results without them. For example, studies of LCLT have shown that it enhances recovery and reduces fatigue, increases muscle mass, and blunts decreases in strength and power:
...

So, on one hand, following your and others' advice, I want to cut out LCLT, but then I read journal articles like the above that say it helps. So, I am not quite sure what to do. I do like your idea of cutting out one supplement at a time, and experimenting. That can't hurt, except possibly for that one training session. Although it might take some time for the effects of non-usage to kick in.[/QUOTE]

My (implied) advice was actually that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. AFAIK none of those are dangerous, so if you've been doing them for years and are happy with results, you're not suffering financially and you don't mind mixing them, I personally would just keep doing them (if I were you & doing all those supplements).

But your post is looking to cut some out, which is why I suggested cutting them out incrementally maybe one every month or two months & see how you feel. It doesn't matter if it's just a placebo effect, if you perceive there's a decrease in performance then just add it back in; if you don't notice any difference, leave it out.

[QUOTE=air2fakie;1654968253]My (implied) advice was actually that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. AFAIK none of those are dangerous, so if you've been doing them for years and are happy with results, you're not suffering financially and you don't mind mixing them, I personally would just keep doing them (if I were you & doing all those supplements).

But your post is looking to cut some out, which is why I suggested cutting them out incrementally maybe one every month or two months & see how you feel. It doesn't matter if it's just a placebo effect, if you perceive there's a decrease in performance then just add it back in; if you don't notice any difference, leave it out.[/QUOTE]

Yep, that's what you said! And I did say I want to cut some out, lol. I think that makes sense just to try cutting one at a time out. And a placebo effect is valid, even if there really isn't a true effect. There is so much power in the mind. Trying is the only way to find out. I hope to learn how much increase/decrease there is in performance, perceived or real, and whether this justifies the added cost. I make a lot of things more complex than they really are I guess, but I have always been analytical this way.

Both those studies was done by a company selling Carnitine supplements.

I recommend you check examine instead:
[url]https://examine.com/supplements/carnitine/[/url]

[QUOTE=mileena202;1654965823]Thanks again. I wonder if I could really get the same results without them. For example, studies of LCLT have shown that it enhances recovery and reduces fatigue, increases muscle mass, and blunts decreases in strength and power:

[url]https://bit.ly/3rLG8nm[/url]
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/VkC4n01G/journal.jpg[/img][/url]

and

[url]https://bit.ly/3tUnMDf[/url]
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/FKXpZFH9/journal-2.jpg[/img][/url]

[Sorry for the screenshots, but it wouldn't let me copy the text.]

So, on one hand, following your and others' advice, I want to cut out LCLT, but then I read journal articles like the above that say it helps. So, I am not quite sure what to do. I do like your idea of cutting out one supplement at a time, and experimenting. That can't hurt, except possibly for that one training session. Although it might take some time for the effects of non-usage to kick in.



Thanks...I was just about to say this. I appreciate @ArghyadeepSen's help though. The same goes for actual milled flax seed vs. flax seed oil. The oil is so much more concentrated. Milled flax seed does have some benefits (like the fiber), but you get much more primary benefits from the oil.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=b_andersson;1654988653]Both those studies was done by a company selling Carnitine supplements.

I recommend you check examine instead:
[url]https://examine.com/supplements/carnitine/[/url][/QUOTE]

Ok, I read your link and the site was useful. I saved the article. So LCLT produces only minor, possibly unnoticeable effects. It's good, because I am almost out and was just about to reorder. Let's just hope when I stop it, soreness while sleeping in my right quad doesn't resume. It actually has been much less since I started stretching after my workouts.

Thank you for that. I also noticed you responded to my thread a few weeks ago asking a similar question ([url]https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=180984233&p=1654167333#post1654167333[/url]). No one had posted in a week after the last post, so I stopped checking it and didn't realize you had responded until just yesterday. You gave some useful info on casein, testosterone boosters, and theanine, so thank you for that. I also saved your t-boosters link. I probably will stop the fenugreek once my supply runs out, but that site says zinc and magnesium (and vitamin D) help, so I will continue those.