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Do These Supplements Work? (Your Questions Answered)
Do These Supplements Work? (Your Questions Answered)
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0:00
Last year, SciShow did a video about whether some popular supplements actually work or not.
0:05
And a lot of people left comments with suggestions for others to read up on.
0:10
So we decided to do that!
0:12
We looked into the supplements you were most curious about to see if
0:14
they’re worth your money or even good for you.
0:17
Plus, we revisited a few we talked about last time to supplement our coverage.
0:22
So here are ten more over-the-counter pills and
0:25
potions, and whether or not they do what they say on the bottle.
0:29
[♪ INTRO]
0:32
Now since we’re going to be talking about things that can impact your health, a quick disclaimer:
0:36
it’s always good to check with your healthcare provider before you start taking any supplements.
0:40
Even if we say there’s good evidence for anything
0:42
on our list, there may be reasons why it’s still not right for you.
0:46
We’re not doctors, we’re certainly not your doctor, we’re a YouTube channel.
0:50
And your provider might also be able to give you more information
0:54
that can make certain supplements more effective.
0:56
For one example, there’s evidence that taking iron supplements on an
1:00
empty stomach and with vitamin C helps absorption.
1:03
But whether or not you want to do that also depends on why you’re
1:06
taking those supplements in the first place.
1:08
And you just can’t get that kind of tailored advice just by reading the labels.
1:12
So even if we give a supplement a gold star,
1:14
make sure you check with your provider first before you add it to your cart.
1:18
With all that out of the way, let’s start with a supplement that’s pretty fishy.
1:22
But that’s a good thing.
1:23
Omega-3 fatty acids are molecules most famously found in fish,
1:26
but you can also find them in things like soybeans and flaxseeds.
1:29
You probably see commercials for omega-3 supplements all over the place, which is good,
1:34
since there’s a boatload of evidence that they’re great for your cardiovascular health.
1:38
They can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular related deaths,
1:42
lower your triglyceride levels, and keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.
1:47
But the evidence-backed pros don’t end there.
1:49
A 2020 review looked at 38 studies to see how
1:52
omega-3 supplementation affected skin health, and most of the studies saw
1:57
significant improvements in conditions like dermatitis, acne, psoriasis, and skin cancer.
2:02
Some researchers are looking at whether omega-3s reduce the risk of other cancers
2:06
too, like breast and colorectal cancer, but there isn’t a whole lot of data on this yet.
2:10
There are, however, more studies on how omega-3’s affect the brain.
2:14
A 2022 review article looked at 9 randomized clinical trials and
2:17
reported improvements in memory, learning, cognitive well-being,
2:22
and even the physical flow of blood to the brain when taking certain omega-3 fatty acids.
2:27
They seem to be neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory,
2:31
which can help improve brain health.
2:33
Studies also report that omega-3s can help with managing chronic diseases related to inflammation,
2:38
reducing the risk of preterm birth, aid in childhood cognitive development,
2:43
and might even reduce the risk of memory related disease in older folks.
2:47
And unfortunately, most people don’t have enough omega-3s in their diet.
2:51
Globally, over three quarters of people are likely omega-3 deficient.
2:55
And it’s estimated that only 3% of Canadians have adequate omega-3 levels.
3:00
And that means that if you’re not regularly, like, eating a bunch of salmon,
3:03
an omega-3 supplement could be a mega win, and omega 3s get a five out of five.
3:09
Our next supplement, taurine, is an amino acid found naturally in your body.
3:13
It’s abundant in the muscles, which is probably why it’s a popular exercise supplement.
3:17
There is some evidence that increased taurine
3:20
levels from supplements can help with reducing exercise related DNA damage,
3:25
decreasing muscular fatigue and soreness, and increasing strength and muscle power.
3:30
But, a lot of these studies were pretty small, so until there’s larger ones,
3:34
we can’t really know how accurate that really is.
3:36
Plus, not all the taurine claims are supported as strongly.
3:40
For instance, it doesn’t seem to decrease inflammation,
3:43
even though some proponents might say it does.
3:45
Still, based on the evidence we could find,
3:48
we’ll give taurine a bronze medal and a three out of five.
3:51
There’s worse out there!
3:53
Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, is an antioxidant naturally found in your body.
3:57
But levels decrease with age, and diet usually isn’t enough to maintain sufficient levels.
4:03
Which is where supplements come in.
4:04
CoQ10 supplements have been explored for treating a bunch of conditions, with mixed results.
4:10
For instance, it generally does not help with symptoms or disease progression in Parkinson's.
4:15
It seems like CoQ10 might help control insulin levels in Type 2 diabetics and
4:19
improve conditions related to heart disease,
4:21
like lowering blood pressure or recovering from heart related surgeries.
4:25
And a 2020 review article suggests it can improve fertility in women.
4:29
They found that 28.8% of patients with infertility who took it got
4:34
pregnant during the study intervals, versus only 14.1% of control patients.
4:39
There’s also pretty strong evidence that CoQ10 might be useful for treating migraines.
4:43
A 2025 review article concluded the supplements are associated with decreased migraine frequency,
4:48
duration, and overall feelings of pain.
4:51
Research also shows it can enhance the efficacy of other treatments for various conditions,
4:56
so there's a lot of potential pros for CoQ10.
4:59
But the research is not definitive, and it can have some negative effects, too,
5:02
like making blood thinners not work as well or causing nausea or sleep problems.
5:07
So take that as your co- cue to proceed with caution.
5:11
Sorry, that was not our best pun of all time.
5:13
Let’s give CoQ10 a 3.5.
5:15
It’s good for specific situations.
5:18
Next!
5:18
This supplement comes from an ancient source.
5:21
Ginkgo, also known as ginkgo biloba or the maidenhair tree.
5:25
It's a very old species of tree that is native to China.
5:27
Old, as in, ginkgo trees were around while non-avian dinosaurs were still stomping the Earth.
5:33
But let’s fast forward from then to when humans showed up on the scene.
5:36
Ginkgo leaves have been used medicinally for centuries,
5:39
and extracts are used and sold globally.
5:42
The central claim is that taking ginkgo supplements can help improve brain function.
5:47
The extracts are usually from the leaves,
5:49
because they have high concentrations of flavonoids and terpenoids.
5:52
Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant,
5:54
which means they may be able to help limit damage to the cells of your body.
5:58
These potential effects are everything from reducing inflammation to fighting cancer.
6:02
Terpenoids can do that too, but they also keep your blood moving by counteracting
6:06
clotting factors so you don’t end up with more clots than you should have.
6:10
So in general, both of those chemical classes fall into the “good” category.
6:15
The catch is that even with those promising ingredients,
6:17
the research on ginkgo extracts improving memory is a bit dodgy.
6:21
A double blinded, placebo controlled study in the journal Physiology & Behavior looked at how
6:26
five days of ginkgo extract supplements affected memory test performance in 30
6:31
volunteers and found no difference in memory performance compared to controls.
6:35
But that study was small, it was brief,
6:37
surely bigger and longer studies could find benefits, right?
6:40
Well, that doesn’t seem to be the case either.
6:42
A six week study looked at over 200 participants ages 60 and up and found
6:47
that the ones taking ginkgo weren’t any better at the cognitive tests than the placebo group was.
6:52
Another study on thousands of older adults across several years of ginkgo supplementation found no
6:58
difference in the development of dementia between the treatment and placebo groups.
7:02
It also didn’t reduce the risk of cancer development or cardiovascular disease.
7:07
So even with some ingredients that might sound like they might do something,
7:10
you might want to leaf the ginkgo supplements at the store.
7:14
We give them a one out of five.
7:16
Now, we talked about collagen supplements in our last video,
7:20
but some of you were curious about whether taking collagen can do anything for your joints.
7:24
Most of the studies about collagen supplementations for joint health
7:27
look at patients with osteoarthritis, since current drug treatments just
7:32
focus on pain management and aren’t necessarily safe for long term use.
7:35
But a review from 2021 explains that while some studies find that collagen
7:40
supplements lead to significant improvements in pain or joint function, others do not.
7:45
Part of the problem here is that there are several types of collagen,
7:48
including hydrolyzed type two collagen, non-hydrolyzed collagen,
7:53
and ultra-hydrolyzed collagen, and they all affect your joints a little differently.
7:57
Depending on which one you’re using, you might get different results.
8:00
So because the jury’s still out on whether collagen will keep your joints springy,
8:04
we’re going to give this one a 3 out of five for now. Next!
8:08
In the last video, we also covered the value of vitamin D when you’re deficient.
8:12
This time, we want to talk about how to take it.
8:15
So if you go to the pharmacy looking for vitamin D, you’ll see that the doses
8:18
range from a few hundred international units, or IU’s, to tens of thousands.
8:23
And if you need prescription strength vitamin D, you might be told to take it once a day,
8:27
once a week, or even once a month for really high dose stuff.
8:31
So the question is, do those high doses taken less often really make a difference?
8:36
Well, a 2017 study found that taking 1000 IUs of vitamin D daily, 7000 IUs weekly,
8:43
and 30,000 IUs monthly all resulted in statistically equal increases in
8:49
vitamin D levels in people previously deficient.
8:52
So it seems like going for the once a day option is just about
8:55
as effective as less frequent mega-doses would be.
8:58
However, it’s important to still follow the rules of the package.
9:01
Because it is possible to accidentally get too much of good stuff.
9:05
You can also do some things to make your vitamin D supplement work better.
9:08
If you pair it with your largest meal of the day,
9:10
you can increase your serum levels of vitamin D by up to 50%.
9:14
And vitamin D also has some friends that you can consider pairing your pills with.
9:19
For instance, taking vitamin D with vitamin K can support your bone health, and getting
9:23
adequate zinc and magnesium can also improve the way your body actually utilizes vitamin D.
9:29
Just make sure to talk to your doctor about which dose to pick, and take it only as directed.
9:34
Like, if you started taking the 30,000 IU dose every day that would be very bad.
9:39
You can get too much of this stuff!
9:40
Overdosing on vitamin D can lead to hypercalcemia,
9:43
or too much calcium in your blood, and that can be fatal.
9:47
But because it’s so important, we once again give vitamin D top marks and a five out of five.
9:52
Now, before we get to the next item on our list,
9:54
we need to supplement our income, so here’s a quick break.
9:58
Thanks to Privacy.com for supporting this SciShow video!
10:02
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So even if a merchant gets compromised, there's nothing to steal.
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10:26
therefore, from potential merchant data breaches.
10:30
One of our video editors, Chris, could actually really use privacy.com.
10:34
On two separate occasions, someone tried to buy Bad Bunny tickets with his credit card.
10:40
I mean, I’m sure those concerts are awesome.
10:43
But if anyone gets to go to a Bad Bunny concert on Chris’s dime, it should be Chris!
10:49
And that’s what Privacy’s here to ensure.
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11:12
They’re here to protect you in a world where data breaches happen every day.
11:16
So the next time he’s editing a mind-blowing video about dinosaurs,
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Chris can do it without being interrupted by fraud.
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11:34
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11:38
That’s $5 that can be used on your first purchase.
11:43
Feverfew, a flowering plant native to Asia, has long been used as a medicinal herb,
11:48
and now it’s touted as a preventative for headaches.
11:51
But definitive results for this supplement are fever few and far between.
11:56
A systematic review from 2015 found that studies reporting positive outcomes were on
12:00
the smaller side, while the larger ones found no difference between treatment and placebo groups.
12:05
The most recent large study in that review did find a reduction in migraine frequency,
12:10
but the intensity and duration of migraines was the same across both groups.
12:15
But a 2025 meta-analysis found that feverfew
12:17
didn’t even reduce migraine frequency compared to placebo.
12:21
Still, a different 2025 article suggested that migraine frequency and duration can
12:26
be reduced with feverfew prophylaxis, but other symptoms like pain and nausea weren’t affected.
12:31
All of this back and forth is giving me a headache!
12:34
…and is usually a sign that the effect size is not particularly big, if it exists at all.
12:38
So the results are mixed and weak, probably due to small sample sizes,
12:42
variations in doses, and poor study quality.
12:45
There are some negative side effects that can come with feverfew supplements,
12:49
like upset stomach and mouth ulcers.
12:51
Which is why we knocked some points off, giving feverfew two out of five.
12:55
Next!
12:56
Ginseng is another popular traditional herbal medicine,
12:59
that’s been used for all kinds of things, from increasing energy to lowering your blood sugar.
13:04
But our commenter wanted to know about ginseng and ADHD,
13:08
so that is what we’re going to talk about here!
13:09
There are a couple of studies that suggest children who take ginseng along with omega-3s can have
13:14
improved attention, executive function, and memory, and reduced hyperactivity symptoms.
13:19
A 2024 review article found that inattention specifically might
13:23
benefit from ginseng supplementation, but the why is a little more difficult to figure out.
13:28
Scientists initially thought ginseng might affect hormones
13:31
made by your adrenal glands, like cortisol.
13:33
But a 2014 paper did not find any change in the levels of
13:37
those chemicals after supplementing with ginseng.
13:39
What they did find was a huge difference in brain
13:42
activity compared to both the baseline and the placebo group.
13:46
Essentially, the treatment group's brain activity looked
13:49
less like they had ADHD by the end of the study.
13:52
The how is still pretty unclear, and keep in mind that these studies were
13:56
all small and only included children, so it might not have the same effect in adults.
14:00
That said, ginseng supplements also have very few side effects,
14:04
so if you want to give it a shot, the risk is pretty low.
14:07
Ginseng gets a three out of five from us.
14:10
The next supplement is one that you typically take as an adult.
14:13
Folate, or vitamin B9, is involved in DNA synthesis and cell division.
14:18
But it’s better known for how important it is during pregnancy.
14:21
Folate is key for building a developing fetus’s neural tube
14:25
during the first trimester of pregnancy.
14:27
Our diet alone doesn’t usually provide as much as we need during that crucial window,
14:33
so folate supplements are recommended during pregnancy.
14:36
And before pregnancy.
14:38
And even if you simply can get pregnant at all.
14:41
The neural tube forms so early in pregnancy that you might not
14:44
even know you’re pregnant yet, so in case of accidental pregnancy,
14:49
it’s still important for anyone that can become pregnant to have that folate.
14:53
And that’s at least partly why a lot of women’s multivitamins have a bit of extra B9 in there too.
14:58
So in this case, we have literal decades worth of studies about
15:02
how important folate supplements are.
15:04
But in the last few years,
15:06
there’s been a lot of discussion about what form the folate should be in.
15:09
The key word here is bioavailability,
15:12
or how much of a chemical actually gets to where it's going in your body.
15:16
See, there’s more than one kind of folate.
15:18
There’s the form we find in our foods, and there’s also a synthetic version called folic acid.
15:22
Your body can absorb both forms, but that doesn’t mean that they are equally available.
15:27
Folic acid is absorbed about two times better than natural folates,
15:31
which sounds like it should be more bioavailable.
15:34
But once you’ve soaked it in, that folic acid has to be converted into the active form
15:39
that’s actually used in the body, called 5-MTHF.
15:42
And up to 40% of people have mutations to the gene
15:46
that codes the enzyme responsible for that conversion, called the MTHFR gene.
15:51
So for people with the mutation, all that folic acid can build up in their blood,
15:55
and can’t really go anywhere.
15:57
Plus, they might still be deficient in the active form of folate,
15:59
since it isn’t turning into what you need, where you need it.
16:02
Low bioavailability strikes again.
16:04
Usually supplements have that synthetic folic acid version, since it’s the most shelf stable folate.
16:11
For most people, that should get the job done.
16:13
But some newer supplements let you skip the conversion steps altogether,
16:17
and just include 5-MTHF, ready to go.
16:21
There are some studies that show this form can be a good option for people with the MTHFR mutations.
16:27
As far as protecting against the neural tube defect, the evidence is clear that
16:31
folate supplements are incredibly important, so anyone who wants to get pregnant should
16:35
definitely take them in some form, so we give them a five out of five.
16:40
Just chat with your doctor about whether you might need a different form of the stuff.
16:43
Our last item on this list simply sounds like something I maybe should be putting
16:48
on my pizza, not something that is a supplement.
16:50
But there are plenty of people who think that oregano oil might be more than just a tasty treat.
16:55
It is rich in phenols and flavonoids, which are both antioxidants.
16:59
But a double blind study in humans showed oregano oil extracts failed to reduce oxidative stress.
17:04
Which is the thing that an antioxidant is supposed to do.
17:07
There is some evidence that oregano oil has antioxidant potential.
17:11
But so far, the studies that suggest that are on in vitro cell culture,
17:16
as well as various livestock, but nothing in actual living humans.
17:20
Also, the effects can vary based on the type of oregano used to make the oil,
17:25
and what parts of the plant you used, as well.
17:28
Plus, high concentrations of the stuff can be toxic,
17:31
which means that you have to be careful about what oils you are using as supplements.
17:35
We’re not saying it’s snake oil, we’re saying it’s Oregano oil,
17:39
and it’s probably best for oregano to keep its day job seasoning food.
17:43
One out of five.
17:44
When it comes to supplements, I think the biggest takeaway
17:46
is that there’s no one size fits all, super-pill.
17:49
You should definitely talk to your doctor before taking anything on this list,
17:53
even the 5/5, best pills in the aisle.
17:55
Health is complicated.
17:57
The system that maintains you is extraordinarily complex, and you
18:01
will not find all the pros and cons written on the side of any bottle in the supplement aisle.
18:06
Thank you for caring, thank you for watching, and let us know in the comments if there are
18:09
yet more supplements you would like us to look into and cover in the future!
18:15
[♪ OUTRO]
