Performance
Performance covers what people take around training: creatine, beta-alanine, citrulline malate, protein, electrolytes. It's one of the best-studied categories on the site — several of these compounds have decades of controlled trial data behind a single, well-defined effect. That said, evidence quality still varies within the group, so check the grade on each product rather than assuming the whole category is equally proven.
8 products · sorted by evidence grade
Common questions
Which performance supplements actually have the strongest evidence?
The top tier is all Grade A: creatine monohydrate (the most-studied sports supplement in history, with 5-15% improvements in strength and power), whey protein (reliably increases lean mass and preserves it in a caloric deficit, as long as you hit your total daily protein target), and beta-alanine (Grade A, but only for a narrow window — high-intensity efforts lasting roughly 1-4 minutes). Citrulline malate sits a notch below at Grade B: good evidence for squeezing out more reps to failure and a modest ~4 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure, but moderate effect sizes and some inconsistency across trials.
Does turkesterone actually work, or is it hype?
It's mostly hype — turkesterone is Grade C on The Proof Stack. Marketed as a legal, steroid-like anabolic, it rests on a single 2019 trial of the related compound ecdysterone that newer research hasn't reproduced. Two 2024-2025 randomized placebo-controlled trials testing turkesterone specifically at 500 mg/day found no significant difference from placebo in lean mass, body composition, or handgrip strength after four weeks, and a separate 12-week trial on a commercial ecdysterone product found gains identical to placebo (lab analysis showed that product contained under 1% of its labeled ecdysterone). On hormones, there's no turkesterone-specific human data at all; the only hormone evidence is an 8-week ecdysterone trial at 200 mg/day, which found no change in testosterone or cortisol. If your goal is muscle and strength, put your money on Grade A creatine monohydrate and whey protein instead.
When the evidence changes, we’ll tell you.
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Medical disclaimer. The information on this site is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It does not constitute a diagnosis, treatment plan, or recommendation for any specific health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your supplement regimen, diet, or lifestyle — especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medications, or managing a medical condition.
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