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Chapter 3 · § 3.1 · Recipe

The Universal Four

Creatine, vitamin D₃, magnesium glycinate, omega-3 — about $40 a month.

By · Updated March 2026 · Last reviewed March 2026 · ~6 min

Problem

Your supplement stack has fifteen bottles. Most of them are there because a podcast host or a Substack you trust recommended them. You cannot say, for any given one, what specific marker moves if you take it. Where do you start cutting — and what, if anything, should everyone keep?

Solution

Keep these four. About $40 a month. Earn the rest from your data.

SupplementDoseCost/yrGradeWhy it's universal
Creatine monohydrate 5 g/day $60 A Best evidence-to-cost ratio of any supplement ever. Muscle, cognition, cheap.
Vitamin D₃ dose to 40–60 ng/mL $60–$120 A Most adults are low. Confirm on 25-OH first, then dose.
Magnesium glycinate 400 mg elemental, from glycinate $120–$180 A−/B+ Most adults below replete. Glycinate for bioavailability, not to GI-upset you.
Omega-3 (EPA+DHA) 2–4 g/day $180–$360 A Especially if triglycerides or hs-CRP elevated.

Total: about $40/month. That is the universal stack. Everything you add on top of it should be there because your specific data said so.

✦ Tip Vegetarians and people who avoid fish: algal-oil EPA+DHA is a real equivalent at the 2–3 g/day range. Check the label for actual EPA+DHA, not just "omega-3," which can include ALA that converts poorly in humans.

Discussion

The question I ask for every supplement before it makes the list: what blood marker changes if I take it, and am I willing to test to find out? These four all pass. Most of what gets marketed does not.

Creatine is the clearest example of an under-appreciated cheap win. Decades of outcome data for skeletal muscle. Increasingly convincing mechanistic and trial work for cognition and mood. No meaningful downside at 5 g/day. If you are reading this and you do not take creatine and you do not have a specific kidney contraindication, start.

Vitamin D is the clearest case for testing before dosing. A lot of people end up on 5,000 IU/day without ever checking their 25-OH — fine if they started at 22 ng/mL, excessive if they started at 48. Test, dose, re-test in 90 days.

△ Warning Every new supplement is a potential drug-supplement interaction. If you are on prescription medication — especially anticoagulants, SSRIs, statins, or any immunosuppressant — confirm with your physician before adding any of these.

See Also

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