Emily Collins, Nutrition Researcher (Supplements & Superfoods)

Calculate a personalized pre-workout stack: caffeine + L-theanine + creatine + beta-alanine + citrulline. Each component has strong evidence individually. Scales caffeine to body weight, applies the 1:2 caffeine:theanine smoothing ratio, and warns about beta-alanine paresthesia. Math, not medical advice. Why a custom stack beats commercial pre-workout: commercial pre-workouts hide ingredient amounts in “proprietary blends” […]

Calculate NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) or NR (nicotinamide riboside) dose. Both are NAD+ precursors. NR (Niagen) has GRAS status + Chromadex commercial protection. NMN had FDA reclassification action in 2022 (status remains debated). Honest framing on longevity evidence. Math, not medical advice. Regulatory and evidence reality check: NMN was effectively reclassified by FDA in 2022 as

Calculate N-acetylcysteine (NAC) dose by goal — liver support, cognitive, PCOS, mucolytic. RCT doses range from 600 mg to 2.4 g/day. The FDA-approved hospital protocol for paracetamol overdose is much higher (and requires immediate medical care). Math, not medical advice. Important: if you’ve taken a paracetamol/acetaminophen overdose, oral NAC supplements are NOT a substitute for

Calculate lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) dose by goal. RCT doses range from 750 mg to 3.2 g/day depending on goal and form. Fruiting body extract delivers ~3-4× the active hericenones per gram vs mycelium-on-grain. Math, not medical advice. The fruiting body vs mycelium trap: most “lion’s mane capsules” on Amazon are mycelium grown on grain

Calculate L-theanine dose by goal — caffeine smoothing (1:2 caffeine:theanine), pre-sleep calm, anxiety. Trial doses 100-400 mg/day. The “caffeine ratio” rule is the most evidence-supported use case. Math, not medical advice. The 100mg caffeine + 200mg theanine combo is the famous “Nootropic stack” backed by Owen 2008 + Haskell 2008 — combination produced better attention/alertness

Calculate an evidence-based immune stack: zinc + vitamin C + vitamin D + elderberry + quercetin by goal. Distinguishes chronic prevention (low daily doses), acute illness (loading doses), post-exposure (high doses for 5-7 days). Math, not medical advice. Honest framing: none of these supplements PREVENT infection in healthy, well-nourished adults with strong evidence. They may

Calculate HMB (β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate) dose. Leucine metabolite (about 5% of leucine converts to HMB). Anti-catabolic — most useful in elderly sarcopenia, bed rest/immobilization, caloric deficit, untrained beginners. Diminishing returns in trained athletes. Math, not medical advice. Evidence asymmetry: HMB shows good results in elderly (sarcopenia prevention), bed-rest patients (muscle preservation), and untrained beginners. In trained

Calculate L-glutamine doses by goal. The most abundant amino acid in the body, with very different evidence levels: strong in critical illness/burns/surgery, moderate in IBD/short bowel, thin in healthy athlete recovery. Math, not medical advice. Honest framing: glutamine is a multi-billion-dollar athletic recovery product, but meta-analyses in healthy trained athletes show minimal benefit beyond placebo

Calculate your daily fiber target by age/sex (IOM AI) with goal-adjusted recommendations for cholesterol, blood sugar, constipation, weight, and GLP-1 side effects. Most Americans get under 15 g/day — RDA gap is 10+ g for most adults. Math, not medical advice. The 80/20 truth on fiber: the average US adult gets ~15 g/day; the IOM

Estimate sodium, potassium, and magnesium losses from sweat during exercise or heat exposure, then see how well your LMNT / Liquid IV / DIY salt-water DOES (or doesn’t) replace them. Population-average math; individual sweat rates vary 3-fold. The 80/20 truth: sweat sodium concentration averages ~1,000 mg/L but ranges from ~300 mg/L (low-salt sweaters) to ~2,000