Which supplement categories hold up, and which don’t

The distribution

How 143 graded entries fall across nine categories

I graded 147 entries in The Complete Supplement Guide against the clinical literature. Strong where the human evidence is consistent and replicated. Moderate where it is real but qualified. Emerging where the direction is promising and the trials are not there yet. Overhyped where the marketing substantially exceeds the research.

143 of those entries sit in one of nine categories. Here is how the grades fall.

The entries

Every entry, by category

The 134 distinct compounds in the guide, each with its own page: what it does, what the human trials show, the dose and form that were studied, and the grade. Grades are Strong, Moderate, Emerging or Overhyped, as explained above.

Foundational Health

• Vitamin A (Retinol / Beta-Carotene) — Strong
• Vitamin D3 + K2 — Strong
• Vitamin K1 (Phylloquinone) — Strong
• Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) — Strong
• B-Complex (Methylated) — Strong
• Magnesium — Strong
• Zinc — Strong
• Iodine — Strong
• Selenium — Strong
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA / DHA) — Strong
• Omega-9 Fatty Acids (Oleic Acid) — Strong
• Electrolytes & Trace Minerals — Strong
• Vitamin E (Tocopherols / Tocotrienols) — Moderate
• Boron — Moderate
• Omega-6 Fatty Acids (LA / GLA) — Moderate
• CoQ10 / Ubiquinol — Moderate
• Chromium — Emerging

Performance & Strength

• Creatine Monohydrate / HCl / Buffered — Strong
• Caffeine — Strong
• Beta-Alanine — Strong
• Citrulline Malate — Strong
• Protein (Whey / Plant) — Strong
• Beetroot / Dietary Nitrates — Strong
• Taurine — Strong
• Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) — Strong
• EAAs vs BCAAs — Moderate
• HMB (Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methylbutyrate) — Moderate
• D-Aspartic Acid (DAA) — Moderate
• L-Carnitine L-Tartrate — Moderate
• Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium / Icariin) — Emerging
• Tribulus Terrestris — Overhyped

Gut Health & Digestion

• Prebiotics (Inulin / FOS / GOS / Resistant Starch) — Strong
• Berberine — Strong
• Saccharomyces Boulardii — Strong
• Psyllium Husk — Strong
• Probiotics (Multi-Strain) — Moderate
• Postbiotics (Butyrate / Urolithins) — Moderate
• Digestive Enzymes — Moderate
• Betaine HCl — Moderate
• Ox Bile / Bile Salts — Moderate
• Slippery Elm / Marshmallow Root — Moderate
• Aloe Vera (Inner Leaf) — Moderate
• Zinc Carnosine — Moderate
• DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice) — Moderate
• Colostrum — Moderate
• Akkermansia Muciniphila — Moderate
• Apple Cider Vinegar — Emerging

Recovery & Joint Health

• Glycine — Strong
• Collagen Peptides (Type I / Type II / UC-II) — Strong
• Tart Cherry Extract (Montmorency) — Strong
• Curcumin / Turmeric — Moderate
• L-Glutamine — Moderate
• MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) — Moderate
• Bromelain / Proteolytic Enzymes — Moderate
• Glucosamine Sulfate — Moderate
• Chondroitin Sulfate — Moderate
• Hyaluronic Acid — Moderate
• NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) — Moderate
• Boswellia Serrata — Moderate
• Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) — Moderate
• Astaxanthin — Moderate
• Pycnogenol (Pine Bark Extract) — Moderate
• Cissus Quadrangularis — Emerging

Cognitive Function & Focus

• Citicoline (CDP-Choline) — Strong
• Bacopa Monnieri — Strong
• Alpha-GPC — Moderate
• Phosphatidylcholine — Moderate
• L-Tyrosine — Moderate
• Ginkgo Biloba — Moderate
• Panax Ginseng — Moderate
• Huperzine A — Moderate
• Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium Erinaceus) — Emerging
• Nicotine (Low-Dose, Non-Combustible Context) — Emerging

Sleep, Stress & Cortisol Management

• L-Theanine — Strong
• Melatonin — Strong
• Phosphatidylserine — Moderate
• Rhodiola Rosea — Moderate
• 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) — Moderate
• Valerian Root — Moderate
• Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis) — Moderate
• Holy Basil / Tulsi (Ocimum Sanctum) — Moderate
• CBD (Cannabidiol) — Moderate
• Saffron Extract (Crocus Sativus) — Moderate
• Apigenin — Emerging
• GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) — Emerging
• Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma Lucidum) — Emerging

Fat Metabolism & Body Composition

• Green Tea Extract / EGCG — Moderate
• MCT Oil — Moderate
• Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) — Moderate
• Capsaicin / Capsaicinoids — Moderate
• Glucomannan — Moderate
• Exogenous Ketones (BHB Salts / Ketone Esters) — Emerging
• Yohimbine HCl — Emerging
• Synephrine (Bitter Orange / Citrus Aurantium) — Emerging
• 7-Keto DHEA — Emerging
• L-BAIBA (L-β-Aminoisobutyric Acid) — Emerging
• CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) — Overhyped
• Forskolin (Coleus Forskohlii) — Overhyped
• Raspberry Ketones — Overhyped
• Garcinia Cambogia / HCA — Overhyped
• Irvingia Gabonensis (African Mango) — Overhyped

Longevity & Immune Resilience

• Beta-Glucan (Immune Application) — Strong
• Glutathione (Liposomal / S-Acetyl / IV) — Moderate
• Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra) — Moderate
• Turkey Tail Mushroom (Trametes Versicolor) — Moderate
• Astragalus (Astragalus Membranaceus) — Moderate
• Lactoferrin — Moderate
• Quercetin — Moderate
• TMG (Trimethylglycine / Betaine) — Moderate
• Echinacea — Moderate
• Urolithin A (Longevity Application) — Moderate
• NMN / NR (NAD+ Precursors) — Emerging
• Spermidine — Emerging
• PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) — Emerging
• Ergothioneine — Emerging
• Fisetin (Senolytic Application) — Emerging
• Resveratrol — Emerging
• Chaga Mushroom (Inonotus Obliquus) — Emerging

Hormonal Support & Vitality

• Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia) — Moderate
• DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) — Moderate
• Myo-Inositol / D-Chiro-Inositol — Moderate
• DIM (Diindolylmethane) — Moderate
• Saw Palmetto (Serenoa Repens) — Moderate
• Maca Root (Lepidium Meyenii) — Moderate
• Fenugreek (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum) — Moderate
• Red Clover Isoflavones (Trifolium Pratense) — Moderate
• Black Cohosh (Actaea Racemosa) — Moderate
• Pregnenolone — Emerging
• Calcium D-Glucarate — Emerging
• Stinging Nettle Root (Urtica Dioica) — Emerging
• Fadogia Agrestis — Overhyped
• Chrysin — Overhyped
• Wild Yam / Diosgenin — Overhyped
• Pine Pollen — Overhyped

The full index, alphabetical → · The Overhyped Ten, the ten that failed, free →

What the numbers show

The money and the evidence point in opposite directions

Hormonal support and vitality — testosterone boosters, libido products, the aisle with the loudest claims — produced zero Strong grades across nineteen entries. Fat metabolism produced one across sixteen. Between them, those two categories hold ten of the eleven Overhyped grades in the entire guide.

Foundational health is the mirror image. Twelve of seventeen entries graded Strong, and not one Overhyped. Vitamin D, magnesium, omega-3, creatine. The compounds with the best evidence behind them are the cheapest ones, and the ones nobody runs ads for.

A low Strong count does not always mean the same thing. Longevity and immune resilience came in at one Strong out of twenty-one, but with zero Overhyped and seven Emerging. That category is early, not dishonest. Hormonal support, at zero Strong and five Overhyped, is a different problem.

Method

How the grading works

One reviewer, grading against published human trials, with dose and form recorded for every entry. Grades reflect the state of the evidence, not personal experience. The four cross-reference entries that span multiple compounds sit outside the nine categories, which is why the category table totals 143.

Full reasoning for every entry is in the guide. The complete index of all 147 entries is public, and The Overhyped Ten is free to read.