Evidence-based nutrition

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The Supplement Sort: What Eight Research Teams Found When They Tested Everything on the Shelf

Creatine to collagen, fat burners to fish oil — eight categories tested against the same evidence standard so you can compare them side by side.

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Creatine is just water weight
Fat burners boost your metabolism
BCAAs are essential for muscle growth
You need protein powder for muscle
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What the evidence says
Does Creatine Build Real Muscle or Just Water Weight? When researchers pooled 143 trials involving over 3,600 people and then checked the results with MRI scans, the answer was clear: creatine adds real muscle tissue, not just… 3:00 · 4 studies
Does Fish Oil Help Build Muscle? Researchers combined every study that measured whether fish oil changes how fast your muscles build new protein. Six studies, 188 people — the effect was essentially zero. They… 3:02 · 3 studies
Which Supplements Actually Work for Building Muscle — and Which Are a Waste of Money? We looked at every supplement people take for muscle building and ranked them by what the combined research actually shows. Three work — creatine, protein powder, and caffeine… 3:05 · 8 studies
Do Fat Burners Actually Work? 21 Studies, 2,359 People, One Answer Researchers pooled every qualifying fat burner study they could find — 21 studies, over 2,300 people. None of the three measures that matter (weight loss, fat loss, muscle… 3:30 · 4 studies
Do I need protein powder or can I just eat chicken and eggs? Researchers compared thirteen types of protein supplements head-to-head across seventy-eight studies. Eleven types performed no better than a sugar pill. Whey added about half a kilo of muscle… 2:40 · 2 studies
Are BCAAs Worth It If You Already Eat Enough Protein? Researchers looked at this question from every angle. Twenty-two clinical trials mostly found BCAAs don't improve body composition. A biochemistry review explained why — your muscles need all… 3:10 · 3 studies
Do testosterone boosters build muscle? Researchers checked every ingredient in 50 testosterone booster products against the medical literature. Three out of four ingredients had zero evidence of raising testosterone, and one in ten… 2:45 · 4 studies
Does Pre-Workout Actually Make You Stronger? What 4 Meta-Analyses Found When researchers pooled ten studies and had the same lifters test their max with and without caffeine, the caffeine group was measurably stronger. An umbrella review of nine… 3:45 · 4 studies
Does Collagen Actually Do Anything for Training, or Is It Just Broken-Down Protein? Researchers pooled 19 studies to test every training-related claim collagen makes. It builds lean mass. It adds a small amount of strength. But it does nothing for soreness,… 3:20 · 4 studies
The papers we actually read
Fish Oil and Muscle: What 6 Studies Actually Found A meta-analysis of 6 randomized controlled trials found zero effect of fish oil on muscle protein synthesis — and 15… Therdyothin et al. · 2024 · Nutrition Reviews · n=188
Collagen for Training: What 19 Studies Actually Found Collagen peptides combined with training built more lean mass than training alone across 8 studies and 418 people, but had… Bischof et al. · 2024 · Sports Medicine · n=768
Researchers Checked 50 Testosterone Boosters for Evidence A cross-sectional analysis of 50 testosterone booster supplements found that 90% claimed to boost testosterone, but only 24.8% of their… Clemesha et al. · 2020 · World Journal of Men's Health · n=50
Fat Burners vs Diet & Exercise: 21 Studies, One Answer A meta-analysis of 21 studies with 2,359 participants found every body composition measure crossed zero — no proven fat loss,… Clark et al. · 2021 · Nutrition and Health · n=2,359
Do BCAAs Build Muscle? 22 Studies. One Winner. A systematic review of 22 randomized trials found that only one out of five body composition studies showed any benefit… Julea et al. · 2025 · Cureus · n=511
Caffeine Makes You Stronger. Here’s How Much. Caffeine increased maximal strength by an effect of 0.20 on a standardized scale — sitting exactly on the boundary between… J et al. · 2018 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · n=149
Researchers Ranked Every Protein Supplement. Only 2 Worked. Out of thirteen protein supplement types tested across 78 studies, only whey and collagen showed a measurable benefit over placebo… Drummond et al. · 2026 · Translational Sports Medicine · n=4,755
100+ Creatine Trials Exposed: Real Muscle or Water? Creatine adds 0.82 kg of fat-free mass across 143 trials — and imaging studies confirm the muscle tissue itself is… Pashayee-Khamene et al. · 2024 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · n=3,655
Science in two minutes
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Supplements

Caffeine still works after daily use. It just works less.

Caffeine Tolerance Costs You Three-Quarters of the Boost
2 min read 502 words
Supplements

Within twelve weeks, creatine can restore your muscles’ energy reserves to 85 to 90% of what they carried decades ago.

Creatine After 50: The First 32 Weeks Matter Most
3 min read 573 words
Supplements

Your diet carries a 31 to 67% surplus of every essential amino acid. That surplus absorbs collagen's gaps comfortably.

Collagen Scores Zero as Protein. Your Body Disagrees.
2 min read 524 words
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