---
title: 'Ditch 90% of Your Supplements (My Honest List After 10 Years)'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=zAPps22ft_w'
video_id: 'zAPps22ft_w'
date: 2026-07-30
duration_sec: 566
---

# Ditch 90% of Your Supplements (My Honest List After 10 Years)

> Source: [Ditch 90% of Your Supplements (My Honest List After 10 Years)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=zAPps22ft_w)

## Summary

This video presents a minimalistic supplement stack based on scientific evidence, recommending only a few key supplements like astaxanthin, glycine/NAC, omega-3s, creatine, and magnesium. It argues that most people can ditch 90% of their supplements and focus on these core ones for skin, anti-aging, cardiovascular health, and fitness. The goal is to create a realistic, affordable routine that covers major health systems.

### Key Points

- **Astaxanthin for Skin, Eyes, and Heart** [00:44] — Astaxanthin improves skin moisturization by 10-15% and elasticity by 3-10% at 2-12 mg/day. It reduces digital eye strain in children and improves lipids: lowers LDL by 3.5%, raises HDL by 3%, and reduces hs-CRP by 19-26% at >12 mg/day for >12 weeks.
- **Glycine and NAC for Antioxidant and Blood Sugar** [02:08] — Glycine and NAC boost glutathione, protect against oxidative stress. Glycine (5g three times/day) reduced HbA1c from 8.3% to 6.9% in type 2 diabetics. Single 5g glycine with 25g glucose lowers postprandial glucose by over 50%. Glycine also improves sleep and is 30% of collagen.
- **Omega-3s for Longevity and Brain Health** [04:18] — Higher omega-3 index (>7.55%) associated with 15-18% lower total mortality risk. Highest DHA quintile (>6.1%) had 49% lower Alzheimer's risk. Omega-3s improve lipids, inflammation, and skin UV protection.
- **Creatine for Muscle and Brain Benefits** [06:08] — Creatine improves strength and high-intensity exercise performance by 5-15%. Emerging evidence for cognitive benefits during sleep deprivation, but not a general brain booster. Avoid if maximizing VO2 max or want extremely dry look. No evidence for hair loss.
- **Magnesium for Stress, Sleep, and Energy** [07:43] — 45-50% of population deficient. Magnesium supplementation reduces inflammation, blood pressure, waist circumference, improves insulin sensitivity and cholesterol. Acts as insurance for overall health.
- **Realistic Stack Summary and Cost** [08:38] — Stack covers skin, inflammation, blood sugar, lipids, fitness, and sleep. Optionally add vitamin D and K2 if sunlight insufficient. Total cost estimated at around $50 per month.

### Conclusion

This minimalistic stack covers the most important health systems with evidence-based supplements at a reasonable cost of around $50 per month. The video encourages viewers to focus on these essentials rather than taking dozens of pills daily.

## Transcript

a month swallowing 20, 30, sometimes 40 pills a day and wasting 5 to 10 minutes every morning just to take their stack. At some point it stops being health full-time job. So in this video I'm going to outline you a realistic
I'm going to build this stack by looking at the main systems and functions you'd really want to support. That means covering categories like skin anti-aging defense, energy production and methylation, cardiovascular and
Basically the goal is to create a supplement stack a realistic supplement stack that is broad enough to be useful but simple enough that a normal person supplement is astaxanthin which I think
carotenoid that acts as a powerful antioxidant. It's going to cover skin anti-aging and UV protection, eye health, inflammation, and lipids. The protecting against UV radiation from the sun. A 2021 systematic review and
meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that oral astaxanthin supplementation at a dose of 2 to 12 mg a day was able to improve skin moisturization by about 10 to 15% and elasticity by 3 to 10%. Secondly,
astaxanthin protects the eyes as well for the same reason. A 2025 randomized controlled trial on children aged 10 to 14 showed that 4 mg a day of astaxanthin reduced digital eye strain and improved visual fatigue. Astaxanthin also
improves traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. In this 2020 meta-analysis of clinical trials, astaxanthin supplementation at a dose of over 12 mg a day for over 12 weeks was seen to reduce hs-CRP by 19 to 26%.
Doses below 12 mg didn't have an effect on CRP. In the same meta-analysis, they also found that astaxanthin at a dose of 12 mg a day had the most consistent effect in raising HDL by about 3%. Another 2022 meta-analysis of clinical
trials showed about a 3.5% decrease in LDL cholesterol from astaxanthin doses of 4 to 20 mg a day. Moving on with glycine and NAC that are amino acids, it's going to cover skin anti-aging, antioxidant defense, inflammation,
sleep, and blood sugar. They have in several clinical trials showing that the improves body composition, metabolic health, muscle strength, inflammation, and mitochondrial function in elderly people. NAC and glycine both increase
powerful antioxidant that protects the brain, the heart, the liver, and the skin. Glutathione levels decline with age, and NAC is one of the supplements that could help to maintain antioxidant defense during aging. Glycine alone also
has some interesting effects. Just like NAC, it has been seen to extend lifespan in mice. In humans, glycine helps with collagen synthesis because it makes up 30% of collagen, as well as support sleep, inflammation, and blood sugar
regulation. In type 2 diabetics, supplementing 5 g of glycine three times a day reduced hemoglobin A1c by about 1% more than placebo from 8.3% to 6.9% in
the glycine group versus 8% to 7.6% in the placebo group. They also saw reduced inflammation. In people with type 2 diabetes, individuals with a hemoglobin A1c over 9% have significantly lowered license status than those with a
hemoglobin A1c below 6%. It doesn't necessarily mean that low glycine causes diabetes, but it means that glycine is used in diabetes for regulating blood sugar, and raising license status might help to reduce blood sugar and
glycation. Even a single ingestion of 5 g of glycine in one sitting with 25 g of glucose in a drink has been seen to reduce the postprandial glucose response by over 50% compared to glucose alone. Glycine has been seen to improve sleep
as well by lowering body temperature and promoting inhibitory neurotransmitters. Collagen is 30% glycine, and taking 15 g of collagen before bed has been seen to reduce the number of awakenings during the night. If I had to choose between
only taking collagen or only taking glycine, then I would take only glycine, especially if I was on a budget. Now, optimally, you want to get both. You want to get 10 g of collagen peptides and maybe 10 g of glycine, because 10 g
of collagen only gives you 3 g of glycine, which is not enough. The optimal glycine dose for skin anti-aging, antioxidant defense, growth and blood sugar protection, you want to get something like 5 to 10 g of glycine.
afford to take both, but if you had to have omega-3s, which are going to cover long-term cardiovascular disease and blood vessel health, blood lipids, and inflammation. I personally think that
omega-3s, at least covering your daily omega-3 intake, whether from diet or people would need to do for long-term longevity. That's because of what's long-term marker of your intake of omega-3 fats, whether from food sources,
such as fish, seafood, or sea vegetables. You could also take omega-3 supplements for this. There's consistent research linking a higher omega-3 index Alzheimer's, and overall mortality. A 2021 meta-analysis of 17 studies showed
that people with the highest omega-3 index, over 7.55%, had a 15 to 18% lower risk of total mortality. A 2022 study also found that the risk of Alzheimer's disease amongst the highest red blood cell DHA quintile,
over 6.1%, was 49% lower compared to the lowest quintile, below 3.8%. The omega-3 index associated with the lowest risk of heart disease mortality is over 8%, whereas an index of less than 4% is linked to the greatest risk. There's
supplementation improves cognitive function, lowers lipids, lowers inflammation consistently, and improves various aspects of health, such as some skin anti-aging benefits by protecting the skin against UV radiation
again. So, based on the evidence, it's best to keep your omega-3 index close to arteries less susceptible to atherosclerosis, it's going to keep your to keep your brain healthy. Now, whether you achieve it with diet or supplements
doesn't really matter that much. Yes, the diet is better, but if you're not supplement. Next, we have creatine, which is the most notorious sports supplement. It's going to cover muscle strength and power and some aspects of
this list is because creatine is going in terms of physical performance out of any other supplement, aside from maybe you a lot of energy to exercise. Creatine is the most effective muscle
are dozens of clinical trials showing that. The strongest and most consistent supplementation can improve strength and high-intensity exercise performance by about 5 to 15%, particularly when combined with resistance training. There
is an emerging interest in creatine's brain benefits, which is why a lot of people are taking up to 20 to 30 g of creatine per day. You definitely don't need such large amounts every day. Very high doses, like 20 to 30 g, have been
cognitive decline during sleep deprivation, but they don't improve creatine isn't a brain-boosting supplement. The only time when you don't want to take creatine is when you have kidney damage or suboptimal kidney
maximize your VO2 max adaptation, then it's best not to take creatine because your VO2 max gains will be lower if you're taking creatine. If you're also trying to get super shredded, super dry, and super diced, then maybe avoid
creatine because creatine does make you hold on to a little bit of water. Now, that water weight is mostly water inside your muscles, not fat, but it might when it comes to hair loss, then there's no evidence that creatine would cause
hair loss, although some people swear by it. So, you need to look at whether or magnesium, which is going to cover magnesium status, stress, sleep, inflammation, and energy production. The reason magnesium is a safe bet is
because 45 to 50% of the population is deficient in magnesium and up to 75% are day. That's because a lot of things deplete your magnesium. The soil is depleted of magnesium and magnesium containing foods aren't the most popular
foods such as pumpkin seeds or seafood. A deficiency of magnesium on the other hand can have one of the most detrimental consequences on your overall and anxiety, increases blood sugar, increases blood pressure, increases
lipids, and increases the risk of arrhythmias. In clinical trials, inflammation, decreases blood pressure, decreases waist circumference and body weight, improves insulin sensitivity, and improves cholesterol profile. So,
fruit for a lot of people. Even if you're not particularly deficient in magnesium, taking a magnesium supplement can be sort of an insurance policy to magnesium, especially if your diet isn't very diverse. Overall, I think this is a
pretty realistic and minimalistic for most people. Astaxanthin and glycine for skin health, astaxanthin and glycine and NAC and omega-3 for inflammation, glycine and magnesium for blood sugar, astaxanthin and omega-3s for blood
lipids, creatine for sports and fitness, and glycine and magnesium for sleep. As and vitamin K2 into the stack if you're not getting enough sunlight or if you live up in the north. And all of this would cost you probably around $50 per
initial investment, it's going to cost more than that, but if you average it it's going to be around $50 a month. This doesn't mean that there aren't effective and beneficial. You don't need to take a lot of supplements. I
supplement stack, but there are supplements with evidence-based benefits. Check out my video where I rank 100 supplements from worst to best rank 100 supplements from worst to best next.