All posts tagged: Supplements

What Mushroom Supplements Can Do for Stress, Sleep, and Energy, According to Experts

What Mushroom Supplements Can Do for Stress, Sleep, and Energy, According to Experts

Published by Jenni Sidey

Given there’s something like 1.5 million different mushroom species in the world, how are we supposed to know which work best as supplements? Some might set you on a magical journey, others will kill you. Many more are absolutely delicious on pizza. But a select few might be the secret to unlocking a new level of health and productivity. “Mushrooms are nature’s ancient wisdom for a modern world,” says Dr. Ash Kapoor, a longevity specialist and regenerative nutritionist at Levitas. What are mushroom supplements? Mushroom supplements are edible species like Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Chaga, and Cordyceps—are purported to offer health benefits that range from supporting focus to immunity and recovery. “There’s an increasing body of evidence to support functional mushrooms as an adjuvant treatment of various illnesses and disorders, and their use goes back thousands of years in Eastern medicine,” says Ruby Chauhan, nutritionist at Calo. Unsurprisingly, they’re currently having a moment, in part because they’ve infiltrated the larger space of supplements and influencers are drinking Lion’s Mane coffees, Reishi sleep tonics, and Cordyceps pre-workout …

10 Best Fiber Supplements for Gut Health in 2026

10 Best Fiber Supplements for Gut Health in 2026

Published by Jenni Sidey

Move over protein—the best fiber supplements are about to take the wellness-savvy spotlight. Fiber intake has almost always been on doctors’ and dietitians’ radars, thanks to its role in digestion, cardiovascular health, and disease prevention. We know it’s not particularly sexy—gut health isn’t as showy as muscle-building—but it does a lot behind the scenes like helping regulate blood sugar, promote satiety, and reduce LDL cholesterol levels. It also (famously) keeps your bowel movements flowing regularly. As you probably already know since you’re reading this, most Americans (over 90 percent) aren’t getting nearly enough fiber. The recommended intake hovers around 25 to 38 grams per day, and the average person falls well short of that. Of course, most dietitians I’ve talked to in my years of health reporting say the best way to get fiber is through a whole-food diet, complete with fruits, veggies, grains and legumes. But if you find yourself slacking, supplements can help. I talked with Jordan Glenn, head of science at SuppCo, an agnostic third-party supplement verifier, and tested a range of …

Iodised salt has become uncool but many of us need to eat more iodine

Iodised salt has become uncool but many of us need to eat more iodine

Published by skeptic

Boring old iodised table salt should make a comeback Tatjana Baibakova/Alamy When I was at uni, I had a biology lecturer who was obsessed with iodine, and whose life’s work had been tackling global dietary deficiencies. He urged us to always use iodised salt, telling us it had raised the IQ of whole nations and was one of the greatest public health inventions of all time. I still hear his voice in my head every time I’m in the salt section of the supermarket. In recent years, however, I have found it increasingly difficult to even find iodised salt on the shelves. Over time, it has been crowded out by fancy-looking Cornish sea salt crystals, Himalayan pink rock salt, smoked salt flakes and Kosher salt. The few remaining containers of iodised salt come in drab packaging and look deeply uncool. This makes me wonder: are we about to undo all the benefits that have come from this unassuming food additive? Iodine is an essential dietary mineral that the thyroid gland uses to make key hormones …

Iodised salt has become uncool but many of us need to eat more iodine

Our fancy salt obsession is harming our health

Published by skeptic

Boring old iodised table salt should make a comeback Tatjana Baibakova/Alamy When I was at uni, I had a biology lecturer who was obsessed with iodine, and whose life’s work had been tackling global dietary deficiencies. He urged us to always use iodised salt, telling us it had raised the IQ of whole nations and was one of the greatest public health inventions of all time. I still hear his voice in my head every time I’m in the salt section of the supermarket. In recent years, however, I have found it increasingly difficult to even find iodised salt on the shelves. Over time, it has been crowded out by fancy-looking Cornish sea salt crystals, Himalayan pink rock salt, smoked salt flakes and Kosher salt. The few remaining containers of iodised salt come in drab packaging and look deeply uncool. This makes me wonder: are we about to undo all the benefits that have come from this unassuming food additive? Iodine is an essential dietary mineral that the thyroid gland uses to make key hormones …

Magnesium Supplements: Why Is Everyone Talking About Taking Magnesium?

Magnesium Supplements: Why Is Everyone Talking About Taking Magnesium?

Published by Jenni Sidey

This story is from Manual, GQ’s flagship newsletter offering useful advice on style, health, and more, four days a week. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. Like protein, creatine, and vitamin D, magnesium is one of a handful of nutrients that has achieved escape velocity from niche wellness circles and routinely makes the rounds through the broader conversation—and not undeservedly so. “The importance of magnesium cannot be overstated,” says J. Rand Baggesen, MD, founder and medical director at Executive Health Group. While magnesium tends to come up on podcasts in the context of improving sleep or supporting healthy muscle function, the mineral actually plays a vital, much broader role in all kinds of bodily functions across the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems, says Daniel Chavez, RD, CSCS, a registered dietician at Fay Nutrition—everything from regulating blood sugar to repairing DNA. “You could actually be so broad as to say magnesium supports every function of the body,” says Laura Purdy, MD, MBA, founder and CEO of Swell Medical. You get the picture: …

A Daily Multivitamin May Slow Signs Of Biological Ageing

A Daily Multivitamin May Slow Signs Of Biological Ageing

Published by Sam Flores

Multivitamins might help to slow biological ageing, new research has found. Published in Nature Medicine, the paper noted that these effects were stronger in people whose biological age (which relates to the health of their cells and tissues) was already older than their chronological age (how many years old they are). On average, older people who took a multivitamin supplement daily had a biological age four months younger than those who didn’t. What else did the study find? The researchers looked at blood samples from just under 1,000 participants of the US’ COSMOS study – a randomised, double-blind trial. Participants had an average age of 70. Some people took multivitamins, and others didn’t. Blood samples were taken three times: at the start of the study, and 12 and 24 months after that. The scientists calculated the biological age of the people in the research by looking for five biological ageing “clocks” in their blood. These “clocks” had to do with the patterns on DNA, changes in which have been linked to a person’s ageing. After …

The Best Time to Take Your Supplements, According to Experts

The Best Time to Take Your Supplements, According to Experts

Published by Jenni Sidey

Supplements are like skincare: used incorrectly, an expensive waste of time. Turns out there’s a science to getting the most out of your daily intake. We spoke to licensed medical professionals to find out the best time to take your supplements, from B vitamins before breakfast to magnesium glycinate at bedtime. In the morning, on an empty stomach “The first 30 minutes of the day set your metabolic baseline,” says Dr. Jean-Marc Sobczyk, an integrative medicine and longevity physician at Hooke London. “Forget the coffee, and opt for B-complex vitamins and iron instead.” B vitamins B vitamins are “cofactors” in cellular energy production, which means they help boost your system into gear, making energy more readily available when you need it most. “Take them with food, and they will compete with your scrambled eggs for absorption,” says Sobczyk. “Separate them, and they get straight to work.” “Iron’s even more finicky,” says Sobczyk. “There’s a 2017 Lancet Haematology study that completely changed how I prescribe it. It turns out that taking iron on an empty stomach, …

Best NAD Supplements for 2026, Recommended by Experts

Best NAD Supplements for 2026, Recommended by Experts

Published by Daniella Wilson

There’s no such thing as a magic longevity pill. But NAD supplements might just be the next closest thing to a capsule you can swallow to increase your healthspan. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, otherwise known as NAD (and sometimes referred to by its other formats, NAD+ or NADH), stands for a naturally occurring molecule in our bodies that decreases as we age. “It’s a reasonable hypothesis that the declines in NAD might contribute to disease and dysfunction as we age, and that supplementing NAD would be a way to restore it and improve our health holistically,” says Daniel Craighead, PhD, who has published research on NAD-boosting compounds. Studies show that giving animals the NAD precursors nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) — the building blocks that create NAD — can improve several biomarkers for cardiovascular health, brain function, metabolism, muscle health, skin anti-aging, and more. The caveat? So far, only a small number of short-term studies on humans have been done, and the results of those are more mixed. But there have been some benefits …

Can magnesium supplements improve sleep, energy and concentration?

Can magnesium supplements improve sleep, energy and concentration?

Published by skeptic

Can magnesium supplements help with sleep or energy? Maria Korneeva/Getty Images In the 1600s, wealthy people in England flocked to a well on Epsom Common that was said to contain healing water. It had a bitter taste but a strong laxative effect that provided welcome relief from their rich, meat-heavy diets. “People coming there took a few glasses of the mentioned water – which has a taste different from ordinary water – after which, walking up and down, these had in our opinion very good effect,” one happily unclogged visitor reported. This was later found to be due to the water’s high content of the mineral magnesium sulphate, also known as Epsom salt. Four hundred years later, magnesium’s therapeutic properties are being heralded once more, and it has been called the “super mineral of the moment” in the press. On social media, I am being bombarded with posts about the supposed benefits of taking magnesium supplements, including improved sleep, energy levels, mental clarity, bowel movements and heart health, as well as reduced muscle pain, anxiety, …

Electrolyte Supplements Are Everywhere. Who Benefits From Them and When?

Electrolyte Supplements Are Everywhere. Who Benefits From Them and When?

Published by Sam Flores

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Social media is filled with influencers rating electrolyte supplements or even telling followers how to make their own. But experts say many of the claims about the health benefits of these drinks need to be taken with a grain of salt. Electrolytes are electrically charged substances that help regulate chemical reactions in the body. In the context of hydration, they balance fluid levels inside and outside of cells, said Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic. We lose some electrolytes through sweat, primarily sodium chloride — which is what is in table salt. Drinking too much plain water when sweating very heavily can dilute the salt in your body even further, throwing things out of balance. Electrolyte drinks and powders are meant to hydrate and replace the lost salt. They often contain other electrolytes like potassium and magnesium. Many also contain some form of sugar. In general, the kidneys in a healthy person do an excellent job of keeping our electrolytes in balance. Extras simply come out in your …