The Supplement Paradox: What Do Women Runners Actually Need?
Episode overview
Walk into any supplement aisle—or spend five minutes on social media—and you’ll find an endless list of things women runners are supposedly missing: iron, collagen, creatine, magnesium, omega-3s, vitamin D, beetroot and more.
But which supplements do we actually need? And how are we supposed to choose when the answer changes depending on our diet, training, health, age and stage of life?
In this episode, Ashley and Trax compare their own surprisingly long supplement lists before bringing in three experts to help them sort through the noise. The answer isn’t the simple checklist they hoped for. Instead, they learn why every supplement should have a specific job—and why food, adequate fueling and individualized testing need to come first.
They also dig into the nutritional needs that can change during postpartum, perimenopause and menopause; why a “normal” lab result may not tell the whole story for an active woman; and what to look for before buying anything off the shelf.
In this conversation
Why there is no universal supplement list for women runners
When supplements can fill a real nutritional or performance need
Why food and adequate fueling should remain the foundation
How postpartum, perimenopause and menopause can change nutritional needs
Why protein becomes increasingly important as women age
What women runners should understand about iron, ferritin and vitamin D
The research behind creatine, collagen, magnesium, omega-3s and beetroot
Why “normal” lab ranges may not be optimal for every athlete
How underfueling affects muscles, recovery and bone health
Why women should begin thinking about bone health before menopause
How to identify supplements that have been independently tested
Why trying a supplement for 90 days—and honestly assessing whether it helps—can prevent an expensive routine that isn’t doing anything
Meet the guests
Nicole Sliva Farnsworth, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, is a board-certified sports dietitian specializing in performance nutrition, low energy availability, perinatal sports nutrition and eating disorders. A former Division I heptathlete at Harvard, she is the associate director of sports nutrition at WHSP Medical and a research associate at the Women’s Health, Sports & Performance Institute.
Catherine Kruppa, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, is a registered and licensed dietitian, wellness coach and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics. She is the founder of Advice for Eating and previously served as director of nutrition for USA Diving. Catherine is also a competitive runner who has completed 24 marathons, qualifying for Boston in 20 of them.
Dr. Sarah Berg, MD, FACOG, MSCP, is a board-certified OB-GYN, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner and founder of Selfority, an evidence-based menopause education platform. She has spent more than a decade helping women understand the physical changes that can accompany perimenopause and menopause.
Resources mentioned
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