I go through phases of supplement mania. While I always take a multivitamin, calcium, and B12, I vary the other supplements. I'm a bit fickle. If I read about something that is supposed to help this or that condition, I try it out for a while. I guess I give up on certain supplements when I begin to wonder if they're really necessary. Are they really doing anything for me? Am I wasting money?
Recently I found this wonderful visualization of supplement effectiveness by Information is Beautiful. Not only is it pleasing to look at, it condenses actual research on supplements into a visual format so it's easy to see what works for various conditions. You can either click on the supplement name to see the condition, or when you roll your mouse over to the right of the chart a condition checklist appears.
Stick above the Worth it Line and you've got yourself a supplement that is probably doing something for you besides emptying your wallet.
Links to the article and the interactive graphic.
As new research emerges, the visualization will be updated with it. So, bookmark it and check for yourself before spending money on snake oil.
