Do we truly need dietary supplements?

​The supplements industry is enormous. According to sources, the sports supplements market size was estimated to be around $16 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow even more.
 
Because of this incredible demand, thousands of companies from all over the world are trying to get a piece of the pie.
 
These days, newer and ‘better’ products flood the market every month, and one can’t help but wonder:
 
“What are all of these products, and do I need to take them?”
 
Let’s see...

Do We Need Dietary Supplements?
 
The answer to this question will ruffle some feathers, but it needs to be said:
 
Dietary supplements are not vital for our fitness success. Those amino acids that promise superior muscle growth? Nope, your overall protein intake is what matters most. That ‘amazing’ fat burner that appears vital for fat loss? Nope, the only crucial thing to fat loss is to be in a caloric deficit. That weight gainer that will put an end to your hardgainer days? Again, you don’t need it. Eating more food will do just as good of a job.
 
Most people, especially newcomers to fitness, believe that supplements make up 30 to 50 percent of the whole equation. But, the truth is, even the effective supplements out there won’t account for more than 2-5 percent of your results.
 
Supplements can’t help us achieve better results with less effort, and aren’t the holy grail of fitness and health. In other words, you don’t need to spend a single cent on dietary supplements if you want to reach your genetic potential. 
 
The Truth About Supplements
 
There are thousands of products on the market – some are helpful, most are not. The sad thing is, most products on the market don’t have scientific backing and don’t seem to do anything for us. Manufacturers and marketers depend on the gullibility of beginners so that they can sell products with nothing more than outrageous promises.
 
Take, for example, glutamine supplements. If you were to check out a glutamine powder right now, you would probably come across dozens of different products, each promising things like:

• Superior muscle growth
• Improved athletic performance
• Faster recovery from training

 
But, the truth is, glutamine is nothing more than an amino acid, which we get through protein. It doesn’t have magical properties, and it’s not even an essential amino acid. Meaning, even if we don’t get enough of it through food, the body is perfectly capable of creating as much as it needs to meet its needs.
 
Research on the importance of glutamine supplementation for muscle gain and athletic performance doesn’t look good, either.
 
This can be said about almost all products on the market: test and growth hormone boosters, mass gainers, BCAAs, and more.