# Can Dietary Supplements Support Muscle Function and Physical Activity? A Narrative Review

## TL;DR

This review explores whether dietary supplements can help improve muscle function and physical activity, especially in non-athletes and older adults.

## Contribution

The paper highlights the potential of dietary supplements to support muscle health and introduces the emerging role of the gut–muscle axis.

## Key findings

- Some supplements may help optimize muscle health when combined with exercise or in cases of nutrient deficiency.
- Inflammation plays a central role in muscle-related cellular events.
- Real-world clinical benefits of supplements remain to be fully confirmed.

## Abstract

Dietary supplementation is commonly used by athletes to gain muscle mass, enhance performance, and improve recovery. Most adults engage in insufficient physical activity. Yet healthy muscles are also critical for activities of daily living (ADLs), maintaining a good quality of life and positive ageing. There is growing interest in whether dietary supplementation is of value, particularly among subgroups such as the occasionally active, the ill and elderly, and peri- and menopausal women. By focusing on function, performance, mass and strength, ADLs, exercise-induced muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness, this review sought to examine muscle health through a nutritional lens. Further, to look at the potential benefits and harms of some commonly proposed dietary supplements in non-athlete adults, while exploring the emerging role of the gut–muscle axis. Inflammation appears central to cellular events. Several supplements were identified that, alone or in combination, may help optimise muscle health, particularly when combined with exercise or where a deficit may exist. Although supportive evidence is emerging, real-world clinical benefits remain to be substantiated. Though dietary supplements are generally safe, their regulation is less stringent than for medicines. Adherence to recommended dosage, seeking medical advice regarding possible side effects/interactions, and obtaining supplies from reliable sources are recommended.