Supplement Hype reports the state of evidence and grades claims. It is not a substitute for a doctor or pharmacist and does not diagnose, treat, or cure anything. Read the full disclaimer →
By goal
Ranked by the strength of human evidence — not popularity. 5 entries touch this goal. Each is graded claim by claim, because the same supplement can be strong for one use and weak for another.
strong for one thing, oversold for the rest
Strong for lowering high triglycerides. The blanket 'everyone needs fish oil for their heart' is a much weaker claim.
Marketing intensity 75 of 100. Evidence strength 60 of 100. Verdict: Slightly overhyped.
more than skeptics admit, less than the ads claim
More evidence than pure skeptics grant, far less than the beauty marketing - and mechanically it's just an incomplete protein you digest.
Marketing intensity 82 of 100. Evidence strength 45 of 100. Verdict: Overhyped.
the absorption nobody mentions
Some real signal for joints, buried under whole-body cure-all hype - and curcumin is barely absorbed unless it's formulated for it.
Marketing intensity 78 of 100. Evidence strength 45 of 100. Verdict: Overhyped.
the joint staple with modest, messy evidence
A huge-selling joint supplement with surprisingly mixed data. Chondroitin may modestly help pain; glucosamine's effect is weak; and the popular combo often fails to beat placebo.
Marketing intensity 70 of 100. Evidence strength 38 of 100. Verdict: Overhyped.
hair-and-nails hype that can break your blood tests
Helps hair and nails only if you're genuinely deficient - which is rare. For everyone else it's a placebo with a real side effect: it can throw off lab results.
Marketing intensity 78 of 100. Evidence strength 28 of 100. Verdict: Severely overhyped.
Based on human evidence, the best-supported options here are Omega-3 (EPA/DHA fish oil). Each is graded claim by claim — open a card for the sources.
Watch out for Biotin — the marketing runs well ahead of the human evidence for these.