The Signal Report // SUPPLEMENTS
Supplements.
What the studies actually measured versus what the label claims, from a formulator who holds his own category to the bar. All reports →
15 in this beat · page 2 of 2
Does Creatine Really Boost Your Brain?
Creatine is a great muscle supplement, and it's now sold hard for your mind. That pitch leans on one 2024 meta-analysis. Read it closely and its overall result was null, and in 2026 a peer reviewer showed it counted the same people more than once. A formulator on how to read a meta-analysis.
Read the report → Report 021 · Supplements · 2026-07-12 · 6 minWhat 'Clinically Proven' Really Means
"Clinically proven" and "scientifically backed" aren't regulated phrases, but the evidence behind them is. The FTC spent 2026 suing companies whose words ran ahead of their studies. A formulator on what the standard actually is, and five questions that pressure-test any label.
Read the report → Report 015 · Supplements · 2026-07-09 · 5 minDoes Reishi Actually Fight Fatigue?
Reishi is the calm mushroom, sold for stress, sleep, and fatigue. There's one genuinely positive human trial behind that, but it ran in diagnosed neurasthenia patients at 5.4 g/day for eight weeks, and the newest 'reishi' study buries it in a five-mushroom blend. A formulator's honest read.
Read the report → Report 008 · Supplements · 2026-07-06 · 5 minDoes Cordyceps Actually Boost Endurance?
A 2026 review of the human trials finds real but inconsistent, low-certainty evidence. And the famous VO2max study wasn't even pure cordyceps, it was a six-mushroom blend, and only worked after three weeks. A formulator's honest read.
Read the report → Report 004 · Supplements · 2026-07-04 · 4 minWhat a Good Lion's Mane Trial Actually Found
The cleanest recent trial gave healthy adults a single dose and measured them. Cognition and mood didn't move, so what does the "clinically shown" copy quietly rest on? Read honestly, with a formulator's disclosure.
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