#supplements

Articles tagged: supplements

12 articles

L-carnitine: 18 randomised trials, endurance edges up slightly β€” and not one of them found any β€œfat burning”

L-carnitine: 18 randomised trials, endurance edges up slightly β€” and not one of them found any β€œfat burning”

In Russia, L-carnitine is searched for about 100 thousand times a month on Yandex, almost always as a fat burner. A systematic review from October 2026 gathered 18 placebo-controlled studies: some of them do show an endurance gain, but fat oxidation during exercise did not change after a single dose or after weeks of supplementation. We look at why, and at the one condition under which carnitine actually gets into muscle.

nutritionsupplementsscience
Maxim Belyaevβ€’
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Creatine without training: 1.1 kg more lean mass in 12 weeks in 45–65-year-olds β€” and how much of it may be water

Creatine without training: 1.1 kg more lean mass in 12 weeks in 45–65-year-olds β€” and how much of it may be water

In a double-blind RCT from Texas A&M University, 10 grams of creatine a day added about a kilogram of lean mass and a little strength in people aged 45–65, even without training. We look at why the no-training groups had just 13 people each, what DXA counts as β€œmuscle”, how creatine skews the creatinine blood test, and what a masters runner should take from it.

nutritionsupplementshealth
Anna Severovaβ€’
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Pickle juice for cramps: 49 seconds shorter in the lab, zero change in the blood β€” what we know about the shots McDonald's handed out before the Chicago Marathon

Pickle juice for cramps: 49 seconds shorter in the lab, zero change in the blood β€” what we know about the shots McDonald's handed out before the Chicago Marathon

Before the Chicago Marathon McDonald's gave away free 60 ml bottles of pickle juice, and at IRONSTAR Sirius, a Russian triathlon series, coach Suren's team handed out brine with and without vinegar in random order for a study. We look at what is known: a reflex in the mouth rather than β€œtopping up salt”, a fresh meta-analysis of cramp risk factors, and how much pickle juice to drink.

runningtriathloninjury-prevention
Dmitry Volkovβ€’
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Caffeine gum: 25 studies, an effect size of 0.195 and exactly zero in people who already drink a lot of coffee

Caffeine gum: 25 studies, an effect size of 0.195 and exactly zero in people who already drink a lot of coffee

Caffeine gum is leaving its military niche and moving into running, and interest in it keeps growing. A meta-analysis published in September 2026 gathered 25 studies and 390 participants: the gain is real, it is statistically significant and it is also tiny. And in some people it is absent altogether β€” we look at who exactly, and at why you have to chew for ten minutes.

nutritionsupplementsscience
Ekaterina Gromovaβ€’
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SARMs in recreational athletes: a five-year ban for three substances, and only 52% of products that contain what the label says

SARMs in recreational athletes: a five-year ban for three substances, and only 52% of products that contain what the label says

On 11 September 2026 USADA handed a five-year ban to a 49-year-old recreational triathlete: a sample taken at an ordinary city race contained ostarine, ligandrol and exogenous testosterone. A good moment to work out what SARMs are, why nobody has ever shown an effect of theirs on endurance, and how they end up inside people who never deliberately took anything.

supplementshealthscience
Maxim Belyaevβ€’
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Carnosine: 299 participants, 12 weeks at 2 grams a day and two significant results out of 126 comparisons

Carnosine: 299 participants, 12 weeks at 2 grams a day and two significant results out of 126 comparisons

Carnosine is a dipeptide that buffers acid in muscle; it and beta-alanine are sold as supplements to fight β€œacid build-up”. The largest RCT to date (JISSN, 2026) found no difference from placebo in any of seven tests across the whole group. An effect surfaced in only two subgroups. We explain why that is weaker than it sounds, and what beta-alanine does that carnosine does not.

nutritionsupplementsscience
Ekaterina Gromovaβ€’
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Paraxanthine instead of caffeine: what 14 rowers and 12 runners revealed about the β€œclean stimulant” made from a coffee metabolite

Paraxanthine instead of caffeine: what 14 rowers and 12 runners revealed about the β€œclean stimulant” made from a coffee metabolite

The liver turns about 70% of caffeine into paraxanthine, and now it is sold on its own β€” as a stimulant without the insomnia and jitters. In a 2026 RCT in rowers, paraxanthine by itself did not speed up a 2000 m test, and in a 2024 study of a 10 km run it did not change finishing time at all. It disrupted sleep after an evening session less β€” but that was measured with a questionnaire.

nutritionsupplementsscience
Andrey Leskovβ€’
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