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I run a supplement review website and I am about to tell you NOT to buy most supplements. Sounds counterproductive, right? But my job is to be honest — and the honest truth is that the supplement industry is full of overpriced, overhyped products that do absolutely nothing.
I have wasted hundreds of pounds over the years on supplements that promised the world and delivered nothing. Here are the ten worst offenders so you can avoid making the same mistakes I did.
The Waste of Money List
1. BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids)
What they promise: Faster recovery, reduced muscle soreness, muscle growth.
Why they are a waste: BCAAs are three amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) found in every protein source. If you eat any amount of protein — whether from food or a whey protein shake — you are already getting all the BCAAs you need. A single scoop of whey protein contains more BCAAs than a full serving of most BCAA supplements.
The maths: A tub of BCAAs costs £15-25. A tub of whey protein costs the same but gives you complete protein with BCAAs included. You are literally paying extra for something you already get for free in your protein shake.
What to buy instead: Whey protein. It contains BCAAs plus all the other essential amino acids. Job done.
Money saved: £15-25 per month
2. Testosterone Boosters
What they promise: Increased testosterone, more muscle, higher libido, more energy.
Why they are a waste: This is the biggest scam in the supplement industry. Not a single over-the-counter testosterone booster has been shown to meaningfully increase testosterone levels in healthy young men. The ingredients they use — tribulus terrestris, D-aspartic acid, fenugreek — either do not work at all or produce increases so small they are biologically meaningless.
The uncomfortable truth: The only thing that significantly increases testosterone is actual testosterone (prescribed by a doctor for legitimate medical conditions). Everything in a bottle at your supplement shop is marketing fiction.
What actually works: Sleep 7-9 hours, lift heavy compounds, maintain a healthy body fat percentage, manage stress, eat enough calories and healthy fats. These free lifestyle factors have more impact on testosterone than any supplement ever will.
Money saved: £20-40 per month
3. Fat Burners
What they promise: Accelerated fat loss, boosted metabolism, reduced appetite.
Why they are a waste: Fat burners are essentially overpriced caffeine pills with some green tea extract and cayenne pepper thrown in. The only ingredient that actually does anything is caffeine — and you can get that from coffee for 10p.
No supplement burns fat. A calorie deficit burns fat. You could take every fat burner on the market and if you are not in a calorie deficit, you will not lose a single gram of fat.
What actually works: Eat in a calorie deficit (consume less energy than you burn), maintain high protein intake (read my protein guide), train with weights to preserve muscle, and be patient.
Money saved: £20-35 per month
4. Mass Gainers
What they promise: Easy weight gain, massive calorie surplus, muscle building.
Why they are a waste: Read the ingredients label on any mass gainer. The first ingredient is almost always maltodextrin — which is basically sugar. You are paying £30-50 for a tub of sugar mixed with a small amount of protein.
The maths: A typical mass gainer serving has 50g of sugar and 25g of protein. You could get the same thing by eating a bowl of rice with a scoop of cheap whey protein — for a fraction of the price, with actual nutritional value.
What to buy instead: Regular whey protein + eat more real food. Oats, rice, pasta, peanut butter, eggs — all cheap, calorie-dense, and infinitely better for you than sugar powder.
Money saved: £25-40 per month
5. Glutamine
What they promise: Improved recovery, immune support, gut health.
Why they are a waste: Your body produces glutamine on its own and you get plenty from food. Supplementation has been studied extensively and shows no benefit for recovery or muscle building in healthy people who eat adequate protein.
The only people who may benefit from glutamine supplementation are those with serious gut conditions or burn patients. If you are a healthy gym-goer, your money is better spent elsewhere.
Money saved: £10-20 per month
6. CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
What they promise: Fat loss, improved body composition.
Why they are a waste: CLA showed some promise in animal studies but the effects in humans are negligible. We are talking about maybe 0.1kg of fat loss per week at best — an amount so small it is within the margin of error of any bathroom scale. For £15-20 per month, that is terrible value.
What actually works: Calorie deficit + training. Same as always.
Money saved: £15-20 per month
7. Detox and Cleanse Supplements
What they promise: Remove toxins, cleanse your liver, reset your body.
Why they are a waste: Your liver and kidneys are detox machines that work 24/7 for free. They do not need help from a £25 bottle of herbs. The entire concept of “detox supplements” is not supported by any credible scientific evidence.
If your liver actually needed help detoxing, you would be in hospital — not browsing supplement websites.
What actually works: Drink enough water, eat vegetables, limit alcohol, sleep well. Your organs will handle the rest.
Money saved: £15-30 per month
8. Waxy Maize Starch / Dextrose / Carb Powders
What they promise: Rapid glycogen replenishment, faster recovery, insulin spike for nutrient delivery.
Why they are a waste: These are literally just sugar or starch with fancy packaging. A banana, a handful of jelly babies, or a bowl of rice does exactly the same thing for a fraction of the cost. The “insulin spike” marketing is based on outdated bro-science that has been largely debunked.
What to buy instead: Food. Actual food. A banana costs 15p.
Money saved: £15-25 per month
9. Expensive “Designer” Protein
What they promise: Superior muscle building, exclusive formulas, premium results.
Why they are a waste: Some brands charge £50-70 for a tub of protein that is nutritionally identical to a £20 tub. The protein molecule is the same. Your muscles do not care about fancy packaging or celebrity endorsements.
I have compared premium and budget proteins side by side. The results? Identical muscle building. The expensive ones might taste marginally better, but you are paying 2-3x more for that privilege.
What to buy instead: Applied Nutrition Critical Whey — quality protein without the premium markup.
Money saved: £20-40 per month
10. “All-in-One” Supplements
What they promise: Everything you need in one product — protein, creatine, vitamins, BCAAs, glutamine, and more.
Why they are a waste: Jack of all trades, master of none. These products try to include everything but end up underdosing everything. You might get 15g of protein (not enough), 2g of creatine (not enough), a sprinkle of BCAAs (unnecessary), and trace amounts of vitamins (useless doses). All for a premium price.
What to buy instead: Buy your supplements separately. Whey protein + creatine + Vitamin D bought individually gives you proper doses of everything at a lower total cost.
Money saved: £10-30 per month
Total Potential Savings
| Useless Supplement | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| BCAAs | £20 |
| Testosterone Booster | £30 |
| Fat Burner | £25 |
| Mass Gainer | £30 |
| Glutamine | £15 |
| CLA | £15 |
| Detox | £20 |
| Carb Powder | £15 |
| Designer Protein (premium over standard) | £25 |
| All-in-One | £20 |
| Total wasted per month | £215 |
| Total wasted per year | £2,580 |
That is over £2,500 per year if someone bought all of these. Even buying just 2-3 of them wastes £500-1,000 annually. Put that money towards better food, a gym membership, or the supplements that actually work.
What IS Worth Your Money
I have a full breakdown of this in my supplement guide, but the short version:
- Whey Protein — convenient protein source (~£20/month)
- Creatine Monohydrate — proven strength builder (~£4/month)
- Vitamin D — essential in the UK (~£0.70/month)
- Magnesium — sleep and recovery (~£2.50/month)
- Omega-3 — joints and inflammation (~£7.50/month)
Total for everything that actually works: under £35/month.
How to Spot a Scam Supplement
- Proprietary blend: They are hiding the doses because they are underdosed
- Before and after photos: Almost always fake, paid models, or different lighting and pump
- Celebrity endorsements: They are paid to say it works, not because it works
- “Clinically proven”: Check which clinic. Often it is the company own lab with a tiny study
- Free trial offers: These often auto-enrol you into expensive subscriptions
- Too good to be true claims: If it sounds like a miracle, it is not
Frequently Asked Questions
If BCAAs are useless, why do so many people take them?
Marketing. BCAA products are cheap to manufacture but sold at high margins. Companies sponsor athletes and influencers to promote them. People see their favourite fitness influencer drinking BCAAs and assume they need them. It is brilliant marketing but terrible science.
My favourite fitness influencer promotes a testosterone booster. Is it legit?
No. They are being paid to promote it. If testosterone boosters worked, every man in the world would take them. The fact that they require aggressive marketing by paid influencers tells you everything about how well they work.
Are there ANY fat burning supplements that work?
Caffeine mildly increases metabolic rate (by about 3-5%). That is it. A cup of coffee or a caffeine tablet for 3p gives you this benefit. Everything else in fat burners is window dressing. The real fat burning supplement is a calorie deficit.
I already take some of these. Should I stop immediately?
If you feel like they help you, the placebo effect is powerful and real. But if your goal is to save money and spend it on things that actually move the needle, yes — redirect that budget towards the basics that work.
The Bottom Line
The supplement industry wants you to believe you need a cupboard full of products to build muscle or lose fat. You do not. Five proven supplements costing under £35 per month will outperform a £200 collection of hyped-up nonsense every single time.
Be skeptical. Read labels. Follow the science. And keep your money for things that actually work.
Ready to buy the stuff that works? Start here:
- My Complete Supplement Stack (Under £50/month)
- Do You Actually Need Supplements? Full Guide
- Best Whey Protein UK 2026
- Best Creatine UK 2026
Last updated: March 2026. All opinions are my own based on personal experience and scientific evidence. I earn affiliate commissions on the supplements I recommend — but I only recommend what I personally use and believe works.