The supplement market is huge—the U.S. market alone approaches $70 billion annually! While many supplements can be extremely efficacious, many others can also be either benign (having no effect at all) or even harmful. Due to the lack of FDA regulation in this industry, it’s difficult to fully know not only whether a supplement can do what it claims it can (is there truly research behind the marketing?), but also to know if what you are purchasing is even what the label claims it to be. This topic could be a whole book by itself, but a good rule of thumb is to prioritize supplements that are third party tested and certified safe for sport. Although supplements that opt to undergo this third party testing are often more expensive, this certification helps to ensure (but doesn’t guarantee) overall quality and safety, along with economic peace of mind that you aren’t just purchasing sugar pills!