As someone who tries to prioritize eating quality food, I think I can honestly say that 99% of supplements are garbage. It’s extremely difficult to find a supplement that is high quality, and if you can, they actually be pretty helpful.

I’ve spent countless hours searching for supplements that don’t have additives or fillers, low quality ingredients, or contaminants. And to be honest, I’m still not really satisfied with my “favorite” options.

Today we’re going to go over supplements and how they can help or hurt your fat loss goals. Yes, they can actually contribute to weight gain (mostly indirectly). Some supplements can even contain certain additives that are actually linked to chronic illnesses like diabetes. Side note - None of what I say is medical advice too.

Most people think that supplements can be act as a miracle pill. Every time I read a review for any supplement, I always wonder if this person is full of shit or if they’re being 100% honest. It’s a bit of a crap shoot.

The unfortunate reality is that if you’re taking over 100 supplements a day, like Bryan Johnson, there’s a good chance you’re going to absolutely destroy your digestive system, which isn’t going to help your fat loss journey.

Nearly All Supplements are Bull Shit, But I Still Take Some.

Today you’re going to learn:

• What Ingredients in Supplements You Should Avoid
• What Supplements I Think Most People Should Take

What Ingredients in Supplements You Should Avoid

If there’s something I’ve learned in my health and fitness journey, it’s that if there’s a controversial ingredient and it’s confirmed to be generally regarded as safe (GRAS) it probably isn’t. I don’t trust anyone anymore.

Below are some of the “safe” ingredients and additives typically found in supplements that I personally don’t trust:

1. Artificial colorings such as red 40, blue 2, yellow 5 - The consumption of artificial food colors has been linked to an increase in allergic and immune reactive disorders, potentially leading to inflammatory responses in the body - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599186/
   1. They’ve also been associated with potential neurobehavioral effects in children - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3261946/ 
2. Gums - Xantham gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and locust bean gum are not only found in numerous types of supplements, but their also found in ultra-processed foods. These are known to promote inflammation in the gut. If anything has the word “gum” in it, I would completely avoid it. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8180737/
3. Magnesium silicate - Here’s a study that found that magnesium silicate was associated with inflammation which was followed by general metabolic, endocrine, and immune reactions.
   1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1803490/
4. Magnesium stearate - Magnesium stearate is a common food and supplement additive used as an emulsifier, thickener, binder, lubricant, and release agent. There are some concerns, including issues with nutrient absorption hindrance, immunosuppression, and laxative effects. Research shows it is safe even at high intake levels, but I still don’t trust it.
5. Polyethylene (glycol) - polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a common additive found in supplements and skin care products. It’s a synthetic polymer, made from petroleum, that is used as a binder, lubricant, and dispersing agent.
6. Silicon dioxide - Silicon dioxide is more commonly referred to as silica and is used as a filler in supplements. In nature, silica often occurs as the mineral quartz. Silica is also the primary component of sand.
   1. Here’s an article that shows how silicon dioxide causes intestinal inflammation - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X2032091X
7. Titanium dioxide - The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified titanium dioxide as a group 2B possible human carcinogen. There’s also research on it that links it to diabetes - https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2015/04/titanium-dioxide-nanoparticles-are.html

What Supplements I Think Most People Should Take

Before I give you five supplement recommendations, it’s important to understand a few things:

• Whole foods are better than supplements. If you can eat a whole food that’s nutrient dense, your body will, in most cases, respond better. A silly comparison is if a vegan tried to take a b-complex, with carnosine, carnatine, fat-soluble vitamins, zinc, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and a bunch of other supplements, vs just eating a steak. The steak wins every time.
• Whole food supplements are better than single ingredient supplements. A powdered version of acerola cherries or camu camu will be better than taking vitamin-c. Our bodies are meant to digest and absorb whole foods, not single ingredients. In some cases, single ingredients can be fine though.
• Nearly all supplements are very likely contaminated, during processing. Actually anything that’s processed will have issues with contamination. That’s why it’s safer to eat single ingredient whole foods.

Beef Gelatin/Collagen

I’ve written about the importance of balancing amino acids in a previous email. I still think it’s vital to improving overall health and fat loss, mostly due to the anti-inflammatory amino acid glycine. Beef gelatin and collagen are simple ways to increase the amount of glycine a person needs.

From an amino acid perspective, gelatin and collagen are the same. Hydrolyzed collagen is slightly more absorbable though, but beef gelatin is more affordable. I use beef gelatin in my coffee and bone broth every day. Collagen also dissolves in cold and hot liquids. Gelatin only dissolves in hot liquids.

• Here are some brands (affiliate links below) that I would recommend:
  • Aspen Naturals Beef Gelatin: https://amzn.to/3MWfPpC
  • Aspen Naturals Hydrolyzed Collagen: https://amzn.to/3MYrQLi

Camu Camu

As previously mentioned, camu camu is high in vitamin-c and is very absorbable. Vitamin C is also critical for the absorption of the amino acid, glycine, which is found in gelatin and collagen.

Vitamin C can help improve mitochondrial function, reduces inflammation, and can help improve insulin sensitivity. It also necessary in glutathione and collagen synthesis.

• Micro Ingredients Camu Camu: https://amzn.to/47rCB17
• They also have acerola cherry powder (https://amzn.to/40VF2GP) which is also high in vitamin C, but I find that the camu camu mixes better in water.

Glycine

Tim - you said that single ingredient supplement shouldn’t be consumed. Well, there’s a problem with glycine consumption, or lack there of. The average person isn’t getting nearly enough of it - We produce about 2-3 grams of glycine per day and the average person is probably eating an additional 2-3 grams of glycine. In my opinion, people should be consuming about 10-20 grams of glycine per day.

If you’re eating gelatin/collagen you’re going to be in better shape, but a few more grams of glycine can be helpful especially since the human body is constantly dealing with metabolic processes, like the production of collagen, neurotransmitters (GABA), and glutathione. These are all critical for optimal health and even fat loss.

Some other benefits to supplementing with glycine are:

• Glycine improves insulin sensitivity
• Glycine is thermogenic (increases metabolic rate)
• Glycine can help improve leptin resistance
• Glycine can help lower serum branch chain amino acids (BCAAs are typically high in people who are overweight or obese)
• Glycine can help improve sleep (increases GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter)
  • This can indirectly lower cortisol

Here’s a brand you can try:

• Micro Ingredients Glycine: https://amzn.to/47usIj3

Grass-Fed Beef Liver

I know this isn’t a supplement, but the only other thing I would recommend that almost everyone should try is grass-fed beef liver. It’s the ultimate multivitamin that is highly absorbable and can help improve and optimize numerous metabolic processes. Even though it’s a food, I still use it as my “multivitamin”. It’s also not as horrible tasting as it seems if you eat it frozen. Eating it raw and thawed makes me gag 🤮

Actionable Tip for the Week:

⭐️ If any of the additives or fillers from the above are in your supplements, throw them out ⭐️

  ⭐️ Try the recommended supplements if you feel they're a good fit for you ⭐️

 Cheers,

Tim

PS: I take requests and suggestions. Let me know if there's anything you want me to write about or make a video about. Would love to hear from you!