In REDUCE-IT's mineral oil placebo group, inflammation and cholesterol markers rose over a year, from 2% for lipoprotein(a) to 29% for interleukin-1β, while they barely moved on EPA. Much of the difference between groups came from the placebo going the wrong way.
the research library food, supplements and pregnancy
which supplements have the data
Some supplements have strong human trials. Many do not. You deserve to know which is which.
I sell supplements, so I am the last person who should hand you a soft version of this evidence. These are the large randomized trials, including the ones that found nothing, plus the published work on what is actually inside adulterated products.
12papers
10studies in people
7counterpoints
this page, by tier
- 10 human evidence
- 0 early human
- 1 lab + animal
- 1 background
the short version
what the research found
the headline numbers
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In 25,871 adults followed about five years, 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D3 did not lower invasive cancer or major heart events.
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Purified EPA against a mineral oil placebo cut heart events from 22.0% to 17.2%, but an EPA plus DHA product against corn oil gave 12.0% versus 12.2%. The choice of placebo became the question.
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Across 22 trials in 721 older adults, creatine during strength training added 1.37 kg of lean mass over placebo.
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At a median 368 mg a day for about three months, magnesium lowered blood pressure by about 2 mm Hg across 34 trials.
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From 2007 to 2016 the FDA identified 776 supplements containing unapproved drugs from 146 companies, mostly sold for sexual enhancement, weight loss or muscle building.
the nano angle
Cow's milk exosomes have been loaded with drug molecules and given by mouth to mice, the most concrete oral delivery result in the food vesicle field. It is cell and animal work aimed at drug delivery, and no supplement on the market has shown it.
my honest bottom line
Creatine with strength training, magnesium for blood pressure and iron in documented deficiency have measurable human effects, while vitamin D and general-population omega-3 both missed their main goals in large trials. The biggest limitation sits outside the biology: the FDA flagged 776 supplements with hidden drug ingredients in ten years, so the product in the bottle is its own variable.
evidence at a glance
12 papers
- human evidence10
- early humannone yet0
- lab + animal1
- background1
Includes 1 nano-angle paper and 7 counterpoints.
every title links to the original
the papers
Sorted from the strongest human evidence down to the lab work and background reading. Counterpoints are marked, and they stay in on purpose.
13,078 high-risk adults on statins took an EPA plus DHA formula or corn oil. Heart events were 12.0% versus 12.2%, and the trial stopped early. Gut side effects were more common on omega-3 (24.7% versus 14.7%). Read against REDUCE-IT, it makes the placebo the central question.
VITAL gave 25,871 adults 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day or placebo for a median 5.3 years. It did not lower invasive cancer (793 versus 824 cases) or major heart events (396 versus 409), and deaths were unchanged.
In the same trial, 1 g a day of marine omega-3 did not lower major heart events or invasive cancer. Total heart attacks were lower, but that was a secondary result, not the question the trial was built to answer.
8,179 people on statins with high triglycerides took 4 g a day of purified EPA or placebo. Heart events fell to 17.2% from 22.0%, including fewer cardiovascular deaths, but atrial fibrillation hospital stays rose (3.1% versus 2.1%). This was a prescription drug at a dose no fish oil supplement matches.
971 children with acute stomach bugs in 10 US emergency departments got five days of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG or placebo. Moderate to severe illness was 11.8% versus 12.6%, and diarrhea lasted about the same (49.7 versus 50.9 hours).
show all 12 papersshow fewer
In adults who were low in iron but not anemic, iron lowered self-reported fatigue (standardized difference -0.38) and raised hemoglobin and ferritin. Objective physical capacity, like maximal oxygen uptake, did not improve.
Across 22 trials in 721 adults with average ages of 57 to 70, creatine during strength training added 1.37 kg more lean mass than placebo, with small gains in chest and leg press strength. The gains came with the training, not the powder alone.
Across 34 double-blind trials and 2,028 people, a median 368 mg of magnesium a day for about three months lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.00 mm Hg and diastolic by 1.78. The authors call for better trials.
HOPE-2 gave 5,522 adults with vascular disease or diabetes folic acid, B6 and B12 or placebo for about five years. Homocysteine fell, but heart deaths, heart attacks and strokes combined did not. Stroke alone was lower, and hospital stays for unstable angina were higher.
Cow's milk made a scalable source of exosomes that could be loaded with drug molecules, and the loaded exosomes worked better than free drug in cultured cells and in mice with lung tumors. All of it is preclinical.
From 2007 through 2016 the FDA identified 776 supplements with hidden drug ingredients from 146 companies, one in five with more than one. Sildenafil hid in sexual enhancement products, sibutramine in weight loss products and steroids in muscle builders, and some were flagged again after a warning.
keep reading
more from the library
food, supplements and pregnancy therapeutic diets Mediterranean, DASH, ketogenic and low-FODMAP diets as tested in real trials, retraction included. food, supplements and pregnancy pregnancy, first trimester and beyond Progesterone trials from PROMISE to PROLONG, and the prenatal nutrients with real trial data. exosomes everywhere bacterial vesicles Probiotic and gut bacteria shed vesicles too. What they carry, where they go, and the pushback.
This page summarizes published research for education. It is not medical advice, and nothing here describes what any nanonourish™ product does. Talk with your care provider before changing your diet or starting a supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or taking medication. Summaries by Dr. Kaylan Jackson, PhD, a chemist, not a physician. Citations checked against PubMed and Crossref, September 2026.