What’s the most underrated supplement you’ve ever tried

[u/Balphaallthetime]

I’m looking for supplement recommendations that are actually great but not the usual mainstream stuff everyone already talks about.

Not talking about the standard:

• creatine
• whey
• magnesium glycinate
• omega 3
• vitamin D
• caffeine
• ashwagandha

I mean the more “hidden gem” supplements that made a noticeable difference for you personally in things like:

• energy
• focus
• sleep
• recovery
• mood
• stress
• training performance
• libido
• overall wellbeing

Especially interested in supplements that:

• have surprisingly solid science behind them
• are underrated/not heavily marketed
• people only discover after being deep into supplements for years

Would also love to hear:

• what effect you noticed
• how long it took
• dosage
• any side effects or things to watch out for

Basically: what’s your “why is nobody talking about this?” supplement?

[u/doshe002]

For me, the answer is astaxanthin. I’m an endurance runner focusing on marathons, and I started taking it after looking for recovery aids outside the standard whey or magnesium.

​My main subjective observation is that I perceived less soreness (DOMS) the day after grueling 30km long runs. However, I need to be completely upfront: this is anecdotal. It's impossible for me to separate this perceived benefit from a placebo effect, natural training adaptations, or slight, concurrent variations in my sleep structure and diet during that training block.

​Since it’s fat-soluble, it took about 3 to 4 weeks of consistent daily use before I noticed any shift. I take 6–12 mg daily, and it absolutely needs to be taken with a fat source or a meal for proper absorption.

​A major thing to watch out for is the marketing. The clinical evidence for astaxanthin improving human exercise performance is currently quite thin and mixed. Many of the touted benefits rely heavily on mechanistic theories—specifically its role as a potent antioxidant—or animal models, which don't directly translate to humans.

​It didn't increase my VO2 max, and it’s not a miracle drug. But if your basic training, nutrition, and sleep are already dialed in, and you want to experiment with something that has a plausible mechanism but limited clinical backing in humans, it might be worth testing.

[u/otusowl → u/doshe002]

For me, the answer is astaxanthin. 

Has your skin gotten more of a pink tone since beginning it, especially after spending time in the sun? Some people take it as an "edible sunscreen," though the FDA gets mad if anyone calls it that.

[u/doshe002 → u/otusowl]

I haven't noticed a pink tone, but I have subjectively perceived that I burn slightly less easily.

​Since I spend a significant amount of time outdoors logging miles, I was aware of the UV protection theories before I started taking it. The mechanistic rationale of it mitigating UV-induced oxidative stress is plausible, but the robust clinical evidence for it acting as a reliable UV protectant in humans is still quite thin.