Just because I take a supplement does NOT in any way mean that you should as well.
As a practicing family medicine doctor, there are only three supplements that the data convinced me to take.
In this article, I’ll share what they are, why I take them, and some of the science behind them — so you can understand the reasoning, not just the conclusion.
Table of Contents
- Why I Take Omega-3
- How Omega-3 Impacts Brain and Heart Health
- Why B Vitamins Are Critical for Omega-3 to Work
- The Multivitamin I Designed (and Why)
- Why I Supplement with Vitamin D (But at a Lower Dose)
- The Unique Additions in My Multivitamin
- The Benefits of MicroVitamin+ Powder
- The Third Supplement I Take for Sleep
- Final Thoughts
- References
Why I Take Omega-3
The first supplement I take relates to brain and heart health.
The thought of not remembering who my children are because I’ve developed dementia in the future is terrifying to me.
So I was relieved when scientists finally understood why some Omega-3 studies showed that Omega-3 boosts memory and cognition, while other times omega-3 didn’t seem to help at all.
Essentially, it appears that we can’t just take Omega-3 and expect to see cognitive benefits. There are other factors that are critical to achieving a good result, and I’ll cover those shortly.
First though, I want to cover heart health because many people actually cause more harm than good with respect to Omega-3.
We can see the benefits of omega-3 from the VITAL trial. It tested the effects of omega-3 supplements in over 25,000 adults for five years [1].
A result that stood out in this trial related to the risk for heart attacks. It was 28% lower for those taking omega-3 supplements compared to a placebo [1].
A few years later, a meta-analysis done by the Mayo Clinic drew on 40 separate studies of the impact of omega-3. Supplementation was linked to a 13% reduction in heart attacks and a 35% reduction in fatal heart attacks [2].
That’s the benefit of Omega-3 — but like I said, many people use Omega-3 supplements incorrectly and actually cause more harm than good.
In 2024, a new study looked at over 400,000 people, and 31.4% took omega-3. The group that took omega-3 had a 13% higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation [3].
We see this concern in the randomized controlled trials as well. For example, the STRENGTH study showed a 69% increased risk of atrial fibrillation in the group who took omega-3 [4].
That study used 4 grams of Omega-3.
But the VITAL trial, which did not find any increased risk of atrial fibrillation, used a much lower dose of 840 mg.
So personally, I use a dose of around 1 gram of Omega-3 to lock in the heart benefits and minimize the risks.
How Omega-3 Impacts Brain and Heart Health
Omega-3 is made up of two important fats called DHA and EPA.
DHA is like a building block for our brain. It helps make the walls of our brain cells soft and flexible. This is good because it lets brain cells talk to each other easily, promoting thinking, learning, and memory.
EPA is like a firefighter in our brain. Sometimes, tiny "fires," or inflammation, can happen in our brain, which isn't good. Chronic inflammation in the brain has been linked to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
So, based on how these fats work, there’s very good reason to be excited about the potential that omega-3 can improve brain performance and reduce the risk of dementia.
But there’s been a bit of a puzzle about how omega-3 supplements can help in the real world, because the data has been inconsistent.
On the one hand, we see a strong association in observational studies between omega-3 and brain health.
For example, the Framingham Offspring study found that people with the highest levels of DHA in their blood had a 49% lower chance of getting dementia over 7 years [5]. In other words, they could live an extra 4.7 years without dementia.
We also see that people with lower DHA levels have more buildup of sticky protein clumps called amyloids in their brains, whereas people with higher DHA levels tend to have healthier brain volumes [6].
And when we look at a meta-analysis that combined 21 observational studies together, again we see that as dietary intake of DHA increases, the risks of developing dementia decrease [7].
This data looks compelling. But these are observational studies. All they show us is that two things are associated with each other. In this case, that’s omega-3s like DHA and brain health. But they don’t tell us about causation.
To figure out if omega-3 really improves brain health, we need to look at randomized controlled trials.
This is where things get confusing.
When we look at the randomized controlled trials, the results are mixed. For example, in a 2006 trial, Omega-3 supplements did not improve brain performance compared to a placebo [8].
Then, in 2010, another trial didn’t show a benefit either [9].
But a 2019 study found something different. This time, omega-3 supplements improved brain performance by 7.1% and reduced dementia symptoms by 22.3% [10].
So, how do we make sense of these mixed results?
Why B Vitamins Are Critical for Omega-3 to Work
The first clue to solving the puzzle came from a study that wasn’t about omega-3 at all.
In 2010, a big study called the VITACOG trial was done [11].
Over two years, the people taking B vitamins had 29.6% less brain shrinkage than the other group.
But here’s the interesting point that relates to Omega-3.
In 2015, researchers looked at the VITACOG data again and found something fascinating.
It turns out the benefits of B vitamins for brain health were only seen in people with high levels of omega-3 in their blood [12].
And get this — for people with high omega-3 levels, B vitamins didn’t just reduce brain shrinkage by 29.6%, they reduced it by a whopping 40% [12].
But for people with low omega-3 levels, B vitamins didn’t help at all.
This means omega-3 seems to work best for the brain when you also have healthy B vitamin levels.
Why? Researchers think that B vitamins help make something called phosphatidylcholine, which is needed to carry omega-3 into the brain. Once the omega-3 gets to the brain, that’s when it can start to help [10].
While this is very exciting, it is just one dataset. We need more studies before we can say this with certainty.
But now, at least, we can make sense of the mixed results we saw in earlier trials. It isn’t enough to take omega-3 — you need adequate B vitamin levels for it to be effective for brain health.
The Multivitamin I Designed (and Why)
So how can we make sure we’re getting enough B-vitamins?
A healthy diet always comes first. Leafy green vegetables, beans, lentils, and fish — especially salmon — are great sources of B vitamins.
To make sure that I reach the recommended intake of all the B-vitamins every single day, however, I wanted to add a supplement. And since B isn’t the only vitamin that matters, I started looking at multivitamins. But I discovered a number of problems with everything I found on the market.
Most importantly, the doses were often far too high. It’s as though the logic is this: If a little of a vitamin is good, a ton of it is going to be really good. But the reality is far different. It’s possible to have too little of a vitamin — and it’s possible to have too much. With some vitamins, like A and E, we can risk toxicity [13].
Vitamin E has grown in popularity because of its antioxidant properties and claims that it can increase lifespan, prevent cancer, and combat heart disease.
But supplementing with it is a bad idea.
First, vitamin E deficiency is rare except in individuals with unusual health conditions. That’s because it’s found in a wide variety of foods. So for most of us, we’re getting plenty of this vitamin already.
Second, a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by the US Preventive Services Task Force in 2022 found with moderate certainty evidence that there is no net benefit of supplementation with vitamin E for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer [14].
Not only is there no net benefit, there’s a possibility of harm. Antioxidant supplements like Vitamin E can interfere with the benefits from exercise [15].
Plus in the SELECT randomized controlled trial, Vitamin E supplements appeared to increase the risk of prostate cancer [16].
So I don’t want to supplement with Vitamin E. Nor do I want to supplement with Vitamin A. That same 2022 US Preventive Services Task Force study notes that too much vitamin A can weaken our bones, damage the liver, and cause birth defects [14].
Why I Supplement with Vitamin D (But at a Lower Dose)
I also wanted to take Vitamin D — but at the correct dose.
We now know the large doses of vitamin D that have been popular recently can risk negative health impacts.
For instance, a 3-year clinical trial in Canada tested the impact of different daily doses of vitamin D. One group took 400 IU, another 4,000, and a third 10,000. Researchers were looking specifically at how this affected bone density. What they found was shocking. Those higher doses didn’t improve outcomes. In fact, they made things worse. Bone density in the wrist decreased by about 2.4% in the 4,000 IU group and 3.5% in the 10,000 IU group [17].
And emerging evidence shows there are some additional risks with older adults we need to be aware of. Too high a dose of vitamin D may actually weaken muscles. In one study of women with low vitamin D, the intervention group took 2,800 IU of vitamin D daily for 3 months. In the end, their handgrip strength fell by 9% and their leg strength by 13% [18].
And high doses can also increase the risk of falls [19].
Vitamin D is a complex topic, but overall I want to supplement with 1,000 IU.
The Unique Additions in My Multivitamin
I also wanted to supplement with Vitamin K2 in the form of MK-7 at 90 mcg, and Magnesium.
But I wanted a specific form. With many vitamins and minerals, they can come in more than one chemical formula. Take magnesium, for instance. There are several possible forms you’ll find in supplements, including magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, and magnesium glycinate. Forms can differ in their bioavailability and their effects. Often, the forms I saw weren’t the ones that research said would work best.
And then there’s the concern about whether the label matches what’s in the supplement, whether fillers are used, etc.
So you can see that I had quite a list of requirements that I wanted from a multivitamin and mineral, and I couldn’t find one that met my expectations.
I ended up taking a bit of a drastic step. I thought, “Why not just design my own supplement?” So that’s exactly what I did.
I assembled a list of everything I wanted in a multivitamin and mineral, including evidence-backed doses and forms. And then I found a high-quality supplement manufacturer in the USA so I’d know exactly what I was getting.
The result was MicroVitamin: All the important vitamins and minerals, in one convenient daily form, without fillers, from a source I could trust. But just because I take a supplement, that in no way means you should, too.
And something that’s great about designing a multivitamin is that it’s easy to make changes when new research comes out or I see room for improvement. In the latest formula, version 7, I tweaked the form of Vitamin B6 from Pyridoxine hydrochloride to the bioactive form called PLP. Your body can use this form straight away, without relying on a liver conversion step. It supports neurotransmitter production and homocysteine recycling.
I also improved the mineral forms. Glycine forms are great because each mineral is bound to the amino acid glycine, letting them ride on amino acid transporters for better absorption while staying gentle on the gut.
Plus glycine itself is a key building block of collagen, it’s a precursor for the antioxidant glutathione, and it supports key metabolic pathways.
Manganese, Zinc, and Boron were already in their glycinate forms in formula 6, so in version 7 I completed the switch by moving Chromium, Copper, and Selenium to glycinate forms as well. This lifts bioavailability even further, cuts down on stomach irritation, and helps the minerals reach the enzymes that depend on them.
And of course there are no fillers or binders, and the vegetarian capsule is titanium dioxide free.
MicroVitamin is produced in the USA by an FDA-approved and GMP-certified facility, as well as in Canada, UK, Europe, and Australia, to make sure that it’s high quality.
The Benefits of MicroVitamin+ Powder
Many of the ingredients I’ve mentioned so far are familiar. But there are some things that aren’t typical that I also wanted to include in MicroVitamin.
For instance, there’s hyaluronic acid. It provides crucial structural support in the skin, keeping it plump, hydrated, and smooth. A number of studies have shown positive impacts on metrics like moisture and wrinkles. For example, a 2021 study found wrinkles decreased by 18.8% with hyaluronic acid supplements [20].
A larger 2023 study of 129 people again demonstrated skin improvements from hyaluronic acid supplements [21].
I also included TMG for exercise performance. It works by accelerating the recycling of ATP, our cells’ energy storage, and enhancing muscle protein building [22].
TMG also lowers homocysteine levels, which we talked about earlier, and may augment the benefits of Omega-3 and B-Vitamins on cognitive performance [23].
With MicroVitamin+ Powder, I added four more ingredients. This allowed me to bring some things I was taking separately together into one daily supplement.
The first is collagen peptides. These are formed by breaking collagen into smaller pieces that are easier for the body to use. Collagen is a crucial ingredient within our skin, giving it firmness and elasticity. A meta-analysis in 2023 looked at 26 randomized controlled trials of collagen peptides. The evidence shows that collagen supplements significantly improve skin hydration and elasticity [24].
The second extra ingredient in MicroVitamin+ Powder is psyllium husk. Psyllium husk is a soluble fibre. Research shows it is effective in relieving constipation [25], reducing cholesterol [26], and helping with weight management [27].
Then there’s creatine. It acts like an emergency battery pack for our muscles to help enable high-intensity, short bursts of movement. Hundreds of peer-reviewed studies have evaluated the impact of creatine supplements on exercise performance. A strong majority of them have found a significant improvement in exercise capacity [28].
Finally, MicroVitamin+ Powder includes additional taurine. A recent meta-analysis summarized growing evidence about taurine’s impact on metabolic health. It found that taurine decreased fasting blood sugar levels, blood pressure, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, HbA1c, and insulin levels [29].
The Third Supplement I Take for Sleep
With MicroVitamin+ Powder, I was feeling like I had my supplement intake dialed in pretty well. But something was still missing. And in this case, timing was crucial. So that’s why I take a third supplement just before bedtime.
The supplement is actually called Sleep, and I designed it with the three key ingredients research has shown can improve measures of sleep quality.
The first is melatonin. But it’s the dose that’s key to get right, because many supplements have huge doses of melatonin, which is not what I want.
Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced in our brains as we’re exposed to darkness. One of its roles is to help regulate our 24-hour cycle of sleeping and being awake.
In a meta-analysis of 14 studies, melatonin was shown to reduce the time it took to fall asleep [30]. Another review showed improved sleep quality [31].
So what is the ideal dose? Unfortunately, many melatonin supplements are anything but low dose. You can buy even up to 10 mg doses over the counter. Yet we have no idea the long-term consequences of taking such high doses of melatonin. All the studies we have at the moment are short term.
The body produces between 10 to 80 micrograms of melatonin at night [32]. About 15% of the melatonin in a supplement is absorbed by the body [33].
So Sleep includes just 300 micrograms, enough to match levels naturally produced by the body. For melatonin to work properly, it’s crucial to take it about 2 hours before wanting to fall asleep, so that it has time to shift the sleep-wake cycle.
The second ingredient is magnesium, in the form of magnesium glycinate. A meta-analysis from last year examined randomized controlled trials of magnesium supplements to improve sleep. Five out of the 8 included trials reported improvements in at least one aspect of sleep [34].
Finally, Sleep also includes glycine, which I mentioned earlier. In addition to other benefits, it also helps with sleep.
Studies have shown that glycine taken before bed improved subjective sleep quality, increased deep sleep, lessened daytime sleepiness, and even improved performance on memory tests the next day [35,36].
Importantly, glycine didn’t disrupt sleep architecture. This means the normal pattern of sleep stages wasn’t upset. Many common medications that help people sleep can disrupt these stages, leaving us feeling groggy and less alert the next day [36].
This means glycine gives us some of the benefits of traditional medications that promote sleep, but without the side effects.
Final Thoughts
These are the only three supplements I take: Omega-3, MicroVitamin (or MicroVitamin+ Powder), and Sleep.
But just because I take a supplement does not mean you should. My choices are based on my review of the evidence and my personal health goals.
If you want to better understand one of the most complex supplements of them all, make sure to check out my in-depth article on Vitamin D so that you know how to lock in the benefits and minimize the risks.
References
1. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1811403
2. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(20)30985-X/fulltext
3. https://bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000451
4. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2773120
5. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/12/2408
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27532692/
7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523121356
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17030655/
9. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/186835
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30958356/
11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2935890/
12. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523277655
13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532916/
14. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2793446
15. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional
16. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4169010/
17. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31454046/
18. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29931459/
19. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076017300808
20. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34933842/
21. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10661223/
22. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28426517/
23. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3610948/
24. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10180699/
25. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9535527/
26. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30239559/
27. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27166077/
28. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1186/1550-2783-4-6
29. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11099170/
30. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022395619309872
31. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33417003/
32. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4138917
33. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10883420/
34. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38817505/
35. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2006.00193.x
36. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00262.x
