Articles

• Do you need protein powder to build muscle? — Not necessarily. Protein supplements added modest gains to weight training, and total daily protein may matter more than the product.
• Do probiotics actually work? What the trials show — Some probiotics may reduce antibiotic-linked diarrhoea and C. difficile diarrhoea. Evidence for gut health, IBS and intensive care is weak or conflicting.
• Does turmeric (curcumin) reduce pain and inflammation? — Short trials suggest curcumin eases knee arthritis pain. The evidence is limited, and rare liver injury has been reported.
• Does collagen supplementation help skin, joints or bones? — Some trials report small gains in skin moisture and knee pain. Bone evidence rests on one 12-month trial, and funding bias is a concern.
• Does coffee actually dehydrate you? — Trials show moderate coffee hydrates daily drinkers as well as water. Caffeine can cause a mild diuretic effect in high doses, but regular intake blunts it.
• Does creatine cause hair loss or damage your kidneys? — Clinical trials show creatine does not damage healthy kidneys, while fears of hair loss trace back to a single unrepeated study of twenty rugby players.
• Does fish oil prevent heart disease? Large trials disagree — Large trials disagree. Pooled data show little overall effect on heart events, and high-dose omega-3 raises atrial fibrillation risk.
• Do you need a vitamin D supplement? — Large trials find vitamin D pills rarely prevent fractures, colds, heart events or early death. Who might benefit, and where the limits are.
• Does magnesium help you sleep? — Small trials suggest magnesium may help a little with insomnia, but a 2026 review says the evidence does not support it as a routine treatment.