Is supplement stacking worth it? The benefits and risks you need to know

Taking supplements to fill a gap in your nutrition plan is a common practice among athletes. Intentionally “stacking” supplements is the practice of combining certain products to enhance their effectiveness. The principle is based on a belief that the benefits of some ingredients are heightened when taking in combination rather than on their own.

Supplement stacking combines ingredients to achieve a targeted nutrition or training outcome. It isn’t a new concept, though it has resurfaced recently with the popularization of certain new products on the market. These products offer a combination of supplements in a single serving on the premise that interactions between ingredients can elevate their effectiveness.

Combining ingredients for effectiveness

It has long been recommended that taking certain vitamins together helps with absorption. A common recommendation is to take vitamin C with an iron supplement to boost the absorption rate of iron. Many athletes already stack their supplements by taking individual supplements at the same time. Newer products on the market are increasingly doing this for consumers.

Is buying a single product with a multitude of ingredients the best option, or are athletes invariably taking more supplements than they actually need or would take if they combined their own? A particular green powder dominating the advertising space on Facebook recently claims its combination of 75 ingredients of multivitamin, multimineral, pre and probiotic and superfoods is more effective at performance and recovery enhancement than taking individual supplements on their own.

That’s a lot of ingredients. It’s up to the athlete to determine if they need to be taking that many supplemental ingredients and if the concentration of each is significant enough. Alternatively, they should consider if it is more effective using fewer supplements taken together as individual products. Either way, it’s important to understand which ingredients combine effectively and which come with risks.

Identifying performance goals

Whether you prescribe to the benefits of supplementation or not is the first consideration. Identify your specific performance goals. Your main focus may be extending endurance, building muscle, increasing speed or supporting recovery. For endurance, one common combination for synergistic effects is branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) combined with electrolytes to support muscle recovery and maintain hydration during intense workouts to support endurance and hydration at the same time.

Pairing creatine with protein has been shown to be more effective at developing muscle strength than when taken separately. For years athletes have been told to take protein and carbohydrates in combination after a workout to enhance adaptation and recovery.

For a pre-workout bump, combining caffeine, beta-alanine and citrulline malate can boost energy levels, leading to higher quality workouts and greater adaptation. Taking BCAAs along with protein powder as a post-workout supplement can be a potent mix for maximum muscle recovery.

Combinations for better health

For immune health, it is believed that combining vitamins C and D with zinc work more effectively when taken together. Taking vitamin D with calcium is thought to increase the absorption rate of calcium to better support bone health. Pairing caffeine and L-theanine or beta-alanineto can enhance mental focus. Folate, which helps mitigate age-related degeneration and health conditions like stroke and cancer, depends on the presence of vitamin B12 for absorption.

It’s just as important to know what to avoid when stacking supplements. Calcium inhibits the absorption of iron, so it is less effective to take an iron supplement if combined with calcium. Make sure to research the risks as diligently as the benefits when creating your own supplement plan.

Understanding the risks

This includes researching products and companies. Individual supplements are sourced in many different ways. Some will have higher heavy metal content than others. Depending on the company, it will invest heavily in testing its ingredients to ensure it is free of illegal substances so you don’t unknowingly ingest a banned substance. Combinations of ingredients offered in a single product should also be researched to ensure you need what you are paying for, or if your money would be better spent on fewer, individual supplements.

Any approach to supplement stacking should include sound advice from a medical professional to ensure you are not inadvertently diminishing the effectiveness of certain ingredients, or putting your health at risk.