THI's Live Transformed Podcast

Debunking Fitness & Nutrition Myths (Part 5): Are Supplements Necessary?

• Adam Kelley • Episode 37

Share episode

Send us a text

The supplement industry has mastered the art of making us feel inadequate—convincing us that without their latest pill, powder, or potion, we simply can't achieve our health and fitness goals. But is that really true?

Standing in the supplement aisle feeling overwhelmed isn't just a common experience—it's precisely what marketers are banking on. That confusion leads to impulse purchases that often do more for company profits than your actual health. In this evidence-based breakdown, Coach Adam Kelley cuts through the noise to deliver the unfiltered truth about what supplements can and cannot do for you.

We examine the surprising research behind commonly used supplements, revealing that many multivitamins show no clear benefit in preventing disease or increasing lifespan in healthy adults. More concerning, some antioxidant supplements may actually increase mortality in people who aren't deficient. Yet certain supplements like creatine consistently demonstrate benefits for strength and cognition, while others like protein powder serve practical purposes when dietary goals are challenging.

The most valuable insight might be understanding the context—supplements work best when addressing specific deficiencies or meeting needs that your current lifestyle makes difficult to fulfill naturally. Your liver and kidneys are already masterful detoxifiers; expensive cleanses are rarely worth the investment. Fat burners typically rely on caffeine as their primary active ingredient, and testosterone boosters offer little benefit unless you're clinically low.

With the supplement industry largely unregulated, we provide practical strategies to protect yourself: look for third-party testing certifications, avoid proprietary blends, understand that more isn't always better with nutrients, and always check for potential medication interactions before starting something new.

Whether you're a fitness enthusiast who's spent thousands on supplements over the years or someone just beginning their health journey, this episode empowers you to make informed decisions about what actually belongs in your supplement cabinet—and what's simply expensive urine. Remember, supplements are meant to complement what you're already doing right, not compensate for what you're doing wrong.


Show Study References:

  1. Jenkins et al. (2018) – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC)


  2. Bjelakovic et al. (2012) – Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews


  3. Huang et al. (2006) – The Lancet


  4. Harty et al. (2021) – British Journal of Sports Medicine


     5. Kreider et al. (2017) – Journal of the International Society of Sports           Nutrition (JISSN) 

For Motivation and More Free Content, Visit Our THI Facebook Page!

Click Here And Follow Coach AK For Even More!

Join Our Free Facebook Group: Live Transformed: Rebuild Your Health, Habits, And Headspace

Instagram: @coachadamkelley

www.transformedhealthcoach.com

Speaker 1:

Welcome back to the Win On Purpose podcast with Coach Adam Kelly, where we bring you clear, evidence-based insight to help you make smart decisions for your health without hype or confusion. Today's question is a big one, guys. Do I really need supplements to be healthy, fit or successful in my goals? So if you've ever stood in a supplement aisle feeling overwhelmed or been tempted by influencer ads promising quick results from a pill or powder, then this episode is for you. We're going to break down what supplements actually are, what the science says and how to tell the difference between what's helpful and what's just expensive urine, All right, so we will see you on the other side.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast From health and fitness, business, personal development, relationships and more. We promise you will find inspiration to help you win on purpose in all areas of your life journey. Now for your host, adam Kelly.

Speaker 1:

What's up everybody? Coach Adam Kelly, with the Win On Purpose podcast, with Transform Health Initiative, our private elite coaching service, located out of Moore, oklahoma, but available to anybody out there because it is an online coaching program, and I promise you it'll be the last program you will ever need. But, with all that being said, we are going to continue on with our five-part series debunking fitness and nutrition myths. All right, we are on the final episode, and this one is definitely be good because I know, most likely, if you're like me, you have probably spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars over the years on different supplements rather, if it's protein, you know, omega threes, multivitamins and everything in between, all the way down to pre workouts and everything else out there and so this episode will definitely hit home for a lot of us and I know it's going to be great for you. So if you haven't checked out the first four episodes, guys, I promise you go back and listen to those, because most likely, you believe or have at some point believed at least one of these myths, and we need to clear this up because if we don't have an understanding of what the evidence actually shows in humans, coupling that with personal experience with anecdotal evidence. Like you know, our aunt or our cousin or our sister lost this much weight doing this, then we can really be in a bad place and waste years and years of time of our life not getting better because we're getting caught up in all the information and the misinformation at that. So we are breaking through that, breaking through the myths here at the Went On Purpose podcast and can't wait to share this last one with you. So we're going to hop right into this and today we are asking the question are supplements necessary? Okay, breaking the myth, busting the myth that you have to use supplements to be healthy and fit and successful in your goals. So first we're going to look at why this belief even exists.

Speaker 1:

To begin with, all right, let's start by acknowledging something important. The supplement industry is massive guys. It's projected to exceed $150 billion globally and it's largely unregulated. All right, big red flag there. So that means one flashy marketing often overshadows real evidence to influencer. Endorsements can create artificial urgency, making you feel like you need this certain supplement when spoiler alert you don't. And number three, many, many people are left thinking if I'm not taking something, I'm missing out. If I'm not taking this new thing, then I'm not going to be healthy. So we're not anti-supplement here at THI. Let me start with that. We are pro-context, pro-research and pro-intention.

Speaker 1:

I personally, I use supplementation for certain things. I've weeded that list down tremendously over the years, but there are certain things that I do feel are beneficial to utilize, at least for my given circumstances and my given health goal and my health journey. So, as always with all things health and fitness and wellness it always is going to boil down to the person and what they need. So before you decide what belongs on your shelf, let's define what we're actually talking about. So what counts need? Okay. So before you decide what belongs on your shelf, let's define what we're actually talking about, all right. So what counts as a supplement? So, by definition, supplements are products intended to supplement your diet, not replace it.

Speaker 1:

Okay, a lot of people use supplements as replacing things in their diet, but it's used to complement what you're already doing, all right. So some supplements that is included in this are things like vitamins and minerals, so your vitamins, your vitamin A, b, d, e, k and so on, so forth. Protein powders okay, whey protein, whey isolate, casein protein, collagen protein. Things like herbs and enzymes Okay, you have so many different herbs that are popular. Even mushrooms and things like that have become popular. You have things like amino acids, such as BCAAs, and then also things like creatine, and then also pre-workouts, post-workouts and sleep aids. All right, that's just a small little handful of some of the supplements that are out there. If you've been to a supplement store, you know how many are out there, okay? So what's the issue? They're often marketed as essential when, in reality, their effectiveness depends on your individual needs, not your goals alone.

Speaker 1:

So let's look at the main reasons people use supplements and why intention matters more than the routine itself. So most people use supplements for one or a few different reasons. So one reason people may use them is to fill gaps in their diet. That's probably the most appropriate reason to utilize supplementation to fill gaps, things you're not getting in your regular diet. To help improve energy recovery and performance, to help support fat loss or muscle gain, to reduce stress and boost immunity and improve sleep. And because they saw someone they follow say it works. All right. That's why most people try most supplements.

Speaker 1:

Let's be real, all right, but here's the truth, guys. Most of these goals can be achieved through nutrition, sleep, training and basic lifestyle changes without the supplement at all. All right Can be, but still there are some cases where the research supports their use. So we're going to break that down real quick Again. We always play the neutral role because we just want to get to the truth. We don't allow our feelings to get in the way of what the evidence says and what actually works for the people we work with, so what the research actually says.

Speaker 1:

So here's some high quality reviews and meta-analysis and here's what they tell us. We have a 2018 study by Jenkins and this is in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, jacc for short. And what do they look? Look at? Looking at multivitamins, okay, and they found no clear benefit in preventing disease and increasing lifespan and healthy adults. All right, let me just let that one sink in, because how much money have you spent on supplements that promise longevity and make you live longer and prevent disease and all this? Well, from multivitamins at least, they found no clear benefit in preventing disease and increased lifespan in healthy adults.

Speaker 1:

So a 2012 study in the Cochrane database and I'm not even gonna try to say this name, so I'm just gonna spell it. It sounds Russian or something. Don't take offense to that, please. It is spelled BJ, e, l, a, k, o v I, c, all right. And they were looking at antioxidant supplements and they found that long-term use of some like vitamin A or E may increase mortality and non-deficient individuals. So this is that's a big problem. Okay, it's not something we want to see, and that's a non-deficient individual. So if you're deficient in some of these vitamins, that's a big problem. Okay, it's not something we want to see, and that's in non-deficient individuals. So if you're deficient in some of these vitamins, that's a different subject. But people that are just taking them because it's promoted to take them or they heard it on a podcast or they saw it on social media we can get into some serious health issues there.

Speaker 1:

And then we have another one that was published in the Lancet. This was in 2006 by Hang H-U-A-N-G Sorry guys, we got some names I'm not familiar with, but still, at the end of the day, it works. So calcium and vitamin D is what they're looking at, and they found that modest bone health improvements in older or deficient individuals through supplementation of calcium and vitamin D not a cure, all Okay. So there's obviously other things we need to be doing to help improve our bone density and our bone health in general, especially in older and deficient individuals, but calcium and vitamin D does show that this can be helpful in this situation. So pretty cool there.

Speaker 1:

Another study we have in the British Journal of Sports Medicine by Hardy, in 2021. They were looking at protein supplementation and they concluded that they found improved muscle mass and strength when paired with resistance training. So protein supplementation appears to improve muscle mass and strength when paired with resistance training, something we totally believe here and support based on our own evidence and what the research says. And then the last one we're going to look at is by. This was in 2017, one we're gonna look at is by. This was in 2017. It was published in the Journal of International Society of sports nutrition J is SN for short. This was published by creator so kreider.

Speaker 1:

And there you are looking at creatine, one of the most researched supplements that there ever has been, next to caffeine. So they found that one of the most proven performance enhancers available performance enhancers available is creatine and that it supports strength, cognition and muscular power. And this is another supplement that we highly recommend to our clients and something that us, as coaches, we take on a regular basis and, like I said, it's one of the most studied supplements for decades and decades in all the different countries, the different populations, the different races, the different genders, all of the above. And yeah, I've been shown to have very little to no negative side effects ever in long-term consumption or short-term consumption, and really does help with strength and building muscle mass. But also they're seeing a lot of cognitive benefits, especially in elderly people, especially in people that are prone to Alzheimer's and dementia. Okay, so pretty cool there.

Speaker 1:

So what's the takeaway here? Some supplements work, but only in the right context, context. Context, context is key, all right. So when supplements can be helpful, all right, let's talk about what might actually be worth your money here. All right, we're gonna look at some of the biggest ones, the ones that we recommend, the ones that we take, if necessary, based on the context we're gonna give you. Hey guys, real quick. Sorry to interrupt the episode, but I have a little question for you. What if this was the last time you ever had to start over?

Speaker 1:

The THI Rebuild is an elite 90-day transformation experience built for high-performing men and women in their 40s and 50s who are done with the crash diets, the quick fixes and waking up feeling tired, frustrated and just simply stuck in a body that doesn't match who they know that they could be. This isn't a meal plan and a few workouts. This is a total rebuild of your energy, your strength, your identity, backed by real coaching, real accountability and a step-by-step system designed to fit your life, not take it over. We combine high-level strategy with personal support so you never have to guess again. Our clients don't just lose weight, they become unrecognizable to the version of themselves that once settled for trying. And when you're ready to stop trying and start transforming, here's what you do Go to transformhealthcoachcom, click apply and tell us why you're ready. Spots are limited, guys, and we only accept those who are actually ready for serious change, because this time it's not about trying harder, it's about doing it differently. This is the THI rebuild, and it could be the last program you ever need. All right back to the episode.

Speaker 1:

So number one is creatine. Like I said, it's great for power, strength and even cognitive support, and it's highly researched. They show no negative effects, even in long-term consumption, so it's something you can take every single day and reap tons and tons of benefits that we're still learning about today. So this is one I highly highly recommend. Everybody, even if you don't lift, everybody could benefit potentially from creatine consumption.

Speaker 1:

Protein powder is another one that's definitely worth your money, in our opinion, and it's convenient when dietary protein is hard to hit. So if you're getting in your protein through your diet, through whole foods and lean protein sources, then you will never need protein powder. But if your protein intake is higher than what makes it convenient to get it in on a daily basis, then absolutely protein powder is a great option. And, side note, whey protein is probably the most bioavailable source of protein we can consume, meaning that we absorb the most from it versus other forms of protein out there. So high, high quality, quick absorption, and it does what you're taking it for. It does its job, all right.

Speaker 1:

Next one would be vitamin D all right, it's a very common deficiency, especially in colder climates or in rainy climates or in modern day you know first world country problems, where we spend the majority of our time inside, out of the sun, where we get a natural form of vitamin D that's absorbed into our skin from the sun. So it's pretty, pretty common for people to have at least a low deficiency or, you know, a mild deficiency in vitamin D. It's something I supplement on a daily basis, have for years, and every time I get blood work done my doctors always say, man, your vitamin D levels are great. And I'm like, yeah, it's because I just took my supplement this morning. So good things there.

Speaker 1:

Another one, omega-3s, so that's like EPA, dha. So if you don't eat fatty fish regularly, then there could be some benefits to getting in some healthy fats in the form of omega-3s. But if you include fish some sort of fish, once or twice per week, you're going to cover all of your healthy fat needs, your omega-3 needs, and you don't really benefit anymore from consuming omega-3s. It's in the context of not having enough from your diet, like with all of these. And the last one is magnesium, so it could help with sleep and cramps and stress for some. So this is another supplement I take on a daily basis. I actually take one. It's called ZMA. It's zinc, magnesium and B6.

Speaker 1:

And that concoction has been shown to help with sports recovery. You know, training, the stress, the getting beat up in the gym or in your sport or whatever. I've been taking it for probably a decade and a half now and I feel like I can really feel the difference in my sleep quality and in my recovery when I take it versus when I don't take it. So, again, it's not for everybody, we're not telling you what to do, but these are ones that we see, through the evidence and through our clients and who we work with, that these seem to be the ones that may be worth your money if needed. So these aren't magic pills, guys. Let's get that straight, all right. They're strategic tools when lifestyle or diet alone falls short. So we should always be focusing on lifestyle and diet, but when we can't get it from those, then supplementation can be a great option.

Speaker 1:

So now we got to answer the question what about the flashy stuff that doesn't really deliver, okay? What about all the noise out there? And this one is going gonna upset some people, this is gonna rub some people wrong. So if you own a supplement company or you sell supplements, sorry about your luck, but you know we're gonna keep it real here, okay, so this may not be for you. Or if you take these and you're sold by them, hey, continue taking them. It's no sweat off my back, it's your money. You can spend it however you want. If it makes you happy, totally fine. But if you're wondering if you should waste money on these or invest money in these, or you're wondering if it's something you need, I promise you they are way overrated. All right, so here are the most over-marketed supplements that we typically see.

Speaker 1:

Number one fat burners. All right, so often fat burners are just caffeine that's the main active ingredient and the results are minimal and short-lived. So there are some fat burners that may temporarily help with appetite suppressant, help knock off some of those cravings and stuff like that, some of those hunger pangs while you're dieting. They will provide caffeine, which is an upper, so give you energy, make you want to move around more, which could in turn, help you burn more calories overall. But it's not because of the fat burner. It's because it gives you caffeine that makes you want to get up and move around and burn more calories. And then you couple that with the appetite suppressing effect that makes you not want to not eat, but it makes you where it's easier to eat less and you have less cravings and you're not hungry as often. So coupling eating less with moving more, guess what it ends up in weight loss. So that's the secret behind the fat burners. It's not the fat burner that's doing anything for you, independently of those other factors.

Speaker 1:

The next one is BCAAs. All right, branched, chained amino acids. If you're not sure what BCAAs are or you may hear EAAs, which are essential amino acids. So BCAAs people swear by these, but they're completely unnecessary. If you're eating enough protein, all right. If you're getting in enough protein, you're getting in all the amino acids your body can actually utilize in any given day. So just adding BCAAs on top of adequate protein intake, you're literally just peeing them out. Okay, I'm just gonna be straight up. But if, for whatever reason, you can't get your protein high enough especially for my vegan and vegetarian friends who aren't eating high quality meat products that provide adequate, well-balanced protein that has all of the amino acids we need, then you may want to consider some BCAAs. But outside of that, don't waste your money, all right.

Speaker 1:

Next one detox, teas and cleanses. I laugh a little bit not to be mean, because people mean well, but I hear so many people talk about they need to go on a detox, they need to detox their liver, they need to do all this, they need to take this seven day cleanse so they feel better and lose weight and all these different things. But here's the catch guys. You have two things in your body that the most high endowed you with, blessed you with that have a crazy effect on detoxing your body. All right, you have a liver and a kidney, and their main jobs are to detox your body. Okay, and they're very, very good at it. I promise you would have been dead a long time ago if they weren't. So the idea of these detoxes cleansing you out is a complete waste of money. They do nothing for you. Maybe make you pee a little bit more, sweat a little bit more, whatever, but they're not actually making you healthier. Unless you just don't have a liver or kidney and that's a different subject altogether. But for most healthy people, let your liver and kidney do what it do and use your money to buy healthy food or to pay your gym membership, so you can actually do the things that will help you improve your health.

Speaker 1:

Number four testosterone boosters fellas, mainly fellas. This one is for you, so unless you're clinically low in testosterone, they likely won't actually do anything for you. Okay, so no reason to waste your money thinking you're boosting your free testosterone or anything like that, unless you're clinically low, which you should be working with your physician, who is going to help you with that situation, then they're likely just a waste of money and you're peeing out whatever it is you're actually taking. And then the last one is generic multivitamins. So they're often, they're often imbalanced and rarely tailored to your real needs. So we're not necessarily here against multivitamins. I think it's okay, you know, if you're just trying to cover your bases taking just a regular multivitamin, I mean you're probably going to cover your bases and you're not going to end up taking too much.

Speaker 1:

But there are some companies out there. They're like potassium you take too much can kill you very quickly. So it's not always best just to pop something because it promises you to give you all these extra nutrients. You only need so much. And these are called micronutrients for a reason because our body only needs a small amount of these vitamins per day to operate effectively and efficiently. All right, so the bottom line, guys, most of these do more for the company's bank account than they do for your actual health.

Speaker 1:

And that brings us to the part most people forget, which is safety and quality control. All right, this is a big problem within the supplement industry. So safety, quality and smart use, because supplements aren't regulated the way food and medicine are by the FDA. It's important to do your homework, all right, very important. So here's how to protect yourself. Let me empower you guys so you know how to make informed choices on your own of if you should supplement or not. So number one, this is definitely number one.

Speaker 1:

Look for third-party testing companies such as NSF, uh, informed sports, usp. There's some other ones out there, but you want a product that's been third-party test. That means a company who's not profiting on their bottom line, who's not going to profit off their sales. They take it, they test the supplement and they see that it's pure. They see that it's clean and they make sure that it is what they actually are claiming that it is. If you don't see that these people could be putting any, they could be putting rat poison in your capsules and you would have no idea because it's not regulated. All right, that's extreme, but for real, like you don't know what you're actually taking, it could just be salt for all you know. Another thing is to avoid proprietary blends that high dosages. So it's a big problem too. When you see proprietary blend on a supplement. That means that they're giving you all of these things in the supplement that they market that they're giving you, but you have no idea the ratios.

Speaker 1:

And a lot of nutrients, a lot of minerals, a lot of vitamins, a lot of nutrients, a lot of minerals, a lot of vitamins, a lot of supplements, a lot of everything. It depends on the actual total amount you're consuming, okay, it depends on how much. So if it takes, you know, 200 grams per day of X mineral to see why side effect and they're only providing you with 10% of your daily need, then that 10% is going to do absolutely nothing for you. You're literally just wasting your money because it's not an effective dose that you need to actually see this effect, all right. So another way to protect yourself is understand that it that more is not better. Guys, please hear what I'm saying. More is not better in this situation. Better in this situation. So some soluble fats, such like vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K, can be toxic in excess, including potassium. This is very important because I've heard of people dying from consuming too much potassium, consuming too much of some of these nutrients. So more is not always best, all right.

Speaker 1:

Another thing you can do to protect yourself watch for interactions with medications, okay, because that's one big thing people don't realize is that some of these compounds, some of these chemicals, some of these nutrients whatever you wanna call it, depending on what you're taking some of them can have some nasty interactions with some of the medications you take, which could be life-threatening or just be uncomfortable side effects that you don't want to have to deal with trying to better your health. That's why you're taking the supplements to begin with and the medication you're on to begin with, so we don't want them working against each other to make you feel worse when you're taking both of them and spending your money on both of them to make you better. And lastly, consult with a qualified healthcare provider if you're unsure. Don't just take what I'm saying. Don't just take it and run with it. Talk to your doctor. Talk to them about what supplements you need, have a blood panel ran on you to see if you have any deficiencies. That's the best way to make sure you're only taking what you need, you're not wasting money on things you don't need and you're only investing that in the things that are actually going to better your health, because they're going to know that based on your blood work. So, now that we've cleared the air, how should you actually approach supplements in your health strategy.

Speaker 1:

So here's some practical takeaways for you guys. We're going to keep things super simple here. So number one supplements can be helpful but they're not necessary for most healthy adults. All right, just food first, all right. Number two is food first. Always build the foundation before adding extras. Again supplementation All right. Number two is food first. Always build the foundation before adding extras against supplementation All right, it's the supplement, your diet you're already consuming.

Speaker 1:

Number three only supplement to fill a real gap, not to copy someone else's routine. It doesn't matter what your favorite influence or how many supplements are taken every morning. They may not even be taking those for the reasons that they should be taking them. They're probably taking them because their coach or somebody else recommended it. But if their doctor prescribed those or told them this is what they need to be taking, that does not mean that that applies to you. Obviously it doesn't. Okay, so be careful there.

Speaker 1:

So number four ask yourself what problem is a solving before spending money. Don't just take it because it's popular or it's supposedly whatever, whatever. Ask yourself how, what problem do I have that this is actually going to address? All right. And again, if you're unsure, ask a coach or a medical provider for personalized guidance. All right, do not just wing it on this. Don't just follow your favorite influencer or just click on a YouTube video and go for it. Talk to someone who is trained in this. Okay, very important.

Speaker 1:

So at THI, we like to help our clients get results without relying on products or fads, because the real solution is consistency, structure and a strategy that fits real life. So if this sounds like what you're looking for, visit transformhealthcoachcom and learn more, or apply for our coaching program whenever you're ready. All right. So I appreciate you guys for listening to the Win On Purpose podcast. Supplements can be helpful, but they're not the foundation. You are Okay. So next episode we're going to look into another common roadblock, which is what to do when progress slows, how to break through plateaus without burning out. So until next time, do something good for yourself, something good for those you care about and, whatever you do, make sure you win on purpose. We'll talk at you next time.