Sports Supplements

topic

Sports supplements with the most robust evidence base for performance include: creatine monohydrate (the most studied and most effective legal performance supplement, increasing phosphocreatine availability for ATP resynthesis in high-intensity exercise, consistently producing 5–15% improvements in strength and power output); caffeine (improving endurance, strength, and cognitive performance through adenosine receptor blockade at 3–6mg/kg body weight); beta-alanine (buffering intramuscular acidosis during high-intensity exercise); and carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drinks (for exercise exceeding 60–90 minutes).

Role

Sports supplement literacy is the antidote to an industry generating $50+ billion annually from products ranging from evidence-based interventions (creatine, caffeine) to expensive placebos (most proprietary blends) to potentially harmful products (stimulant stacks, some pre-workouts with undisclosed or excessive stimulants). The person who understands that creatine monohydrate is the most cost-effective and best-evidenced performance supplement available at approximately $0.20/day while most commercial pre-workout supplements contain only sub-effective doses of creatine mixed with stimulants and proprietary blends with no independent efficacy data is equipped to capture genuine ergogenic benefit at minimal cost while avoiding commercial exploitation.

Explore "Sports Supplements" on the interactive map →