The Supplement Edit: Cutting Through the Noise.

I have spent 25 years in marketing. I know how products are positioned, how claims are crafted, and how a value proposition is built to make you feel like you cannot afford not to buy something.

So when I scroll past yet another supplement being touted as the answer to optimising my hormones, boosting my metabolism, and improving my recovery, I do not just see a product. I see the strategy behind it.

And the wellness space is particularly good at this right now. It is not just influencers anymore. It is biohackers, longevity experts, performance gurus, all speaking with absolute certainty about what your body needs and why you are currently falling short without it. The value propositions are polished, the language is aspirational, and the urgency is carefully engineered.

It is compelling. It is persuasive. And more often than not, it is hype dressed up in a very good brief.

So this is my edit. What actually belongs in a health stack, what the evidence supports, and what I would quietly put back on the shelf.

One Size Does Not Fit All

There is a quote that has stayed with me since attending a Health and Longevity Summit earlier this year. Naveen Jain, CEO of Viome, said it best: "So it doesn't matter what it is that you're trying to take. It can be good or bad. So there is no such thing as universal healthy food. There is no such thing as universal healthy supplement. So here is the basic thing, just one thing, if you can remember, anytime you hear everyone should take this — unless your name is everyone, just don't do it."

This is one of the most useful filters I have come across in this space. Because what works brilliantly for one person can be completely ineffective, or even harmful, for another. This is not just about personal preference. It is about biology, genetics, existing health conditions, and the medications you are already taking. And contraindications, the medical term for when a supplement or drug is inadvisable due to your specific circumstances, are far more common in this space than the marketing would ever have you believe.

Take St John's Wort. Widely marketed as a natural remedy for low mood and menopause symptoms, it sounds harmless enough. But according to the Mayo Clinic, it interacts with a significant list of medications including antidepressants, blood thinners, contraceptives, statins, certain cancer treatments, and heart medications. Far from a benign herbal supplement.

Ashwagandha is another one that sounds natural and therefore safe. It has centuries of traditional use behind it and is now in everything from sleep gummies to stress teas. But it can interfere with thyroid function, is not recommended for people with autoimmune conditions, and interacts with certain medications. Natural does not automatically mean universally safe.

The research on supplementation, particularly for women, is still in its early stages. We are working with incomplete information in a space that is moving considerably faster than the science can keep up with. So before we get into what the evidence actually supports: always check with your doctor, always consider your own medical history, and always be a little suspicious of anything that promises to work for everyone.

My Personal Stack: The Tried and True

Supplements, for me, fill genuine gaps. They are not a substitute for eating well, sleeping well, or moving consistently. And given how under-researched this space is for women specifically, I have become more selective, not less, over time.

The supplements I take consistently are backed by decades of solid research and championed by voices I have written about before and genuinely respect. If you read Top of the Pods, you will recognise these names. Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Dr. Stacy Sims, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and Dr. Peter Attia approach supplementation with rigour rather than hype, and what is striking is how much their core stacks overlap, regardless of whether they are speaking to men or women.

My daily stack:

• Multivitamin

• Vitamin D3

• Omega 3-6-9

• Magnesium Citrate (evenings, primarily for sleep and recovery)

  
  

Weekly:

• K2

• B12

  
  

This is not a trendy stack. It is a consensus one. D3 and K2 work together for bone and cardiovascular health. Omega-3s are foundational for inflammation and brain function. Magnesium is the quiet workhorse, especially when you train hard and consistently. B12 matters more than most people realise, particularly if you have pulled back on red meat.

Creatine is on my radar. The research is widely backed and the benefits are hard to ignore, both for muscle function and brain health. I want to add it. In my case I need to get a few things checked first, which is itself a good reminder that even the most evidence-backed supplements need to be considered in the context of your own situation.

What I've Stepped Back From

Collagen was one I let go of quietly. Probiotics I no longer supplement because I fixed that at the source. If you have not read Your Gut Is Talking. Are You Listening?, that piece explains how I resolved over a decade of gut issues through food, not capsules. Fermented foods, fibre, olive oil, diversity of plants. No supplement required.

Green powders and protein powders I side-lined in favour of whole, natural food sources. Less processing, more intention. If you are eating well and eating varied, you generally do not need them. A well-constructed plate does the job better than a scoop of something in a shaker bottle.

Vitamin C follows the same logic. I get it almost entirely from food, and high doses in concentrated supplement form have some contraindications for me personally. Whole food sources are simply the better fit.

The Noise End of the Spectrum

The further you move from the evidence, the louder and more sophisticated the positioning tends to get. As someone who has spent a career in marketing, I recognise the playbook. Here is my honest read on the ones generating the most noise right now.

Metformin: Originally a diabetes medication, now being discussed in longevity circles as a potential anti-aging drug. The interest is not entirely without basis, but it is a prescription medication being talked about casually as though it were a vitamin. The long-term effects in non-diabetic populations are not yet well understood. This one stays firmly in the hands of your doctor.

Peptides: The new frontier and the noise is significant. Some have legitimate clinical applications. Many are being sold in grey markets with minimal regulation and even less long-term data. Proceed with serious caution.

NAD/NMN: The science is genuinely interesting and the longevity angle is compelling. But the marketing is running well ahead of the evidence, and the interaction profile with existing medications is real and under-discussed.

The Bottom Line

My approach has become simpler over time. Respect the tried and true. They earned that status for a reason. Be genuinely curious about what is emerging but hold fire until the evidence catches up. No stack, however well researched, is universal.

Style over substance is everywhere in this space. The antidote is not cynicism. It is discernment, patience, and a willingness to do your own homework rather than outsource your decisions to whoever has the loudest platform. Know your biology. Know your circumstances. Stay in tune with both. And when in doubt, less is almost always more.