Why One-Size-Fits-All Supplements Don’t Work (and What to Do Instead)

Still taking the same multivitamin your friend swears by? Here’s why your body deserves more than generic wellness—and how personalized supplements can actually work.

The supplement aisle is filled with promises: “Boost your energy,” “Support your immune system,” “Sleep better tonight.” But if you’ve ever felt underwhelmed—or worse, overwhelmed—by these claims, you’re not alone. The truth is, most off-the-shelf supplements follow a one-size-fits-all formula that doesn’t account for one very important thing: you.

What’s Wrong With One-Size-Fits-All?

  • We all metabolize nutrients differently. Genetics, gut microbiome diversity, and liver enzyme activity all affect how well your body absorbs and uses certain nutrients. A 2020 study in Cell showed striking variability in individual responses to the same dietary inputs, including supplements.
  • Your lifestyle impacts your needs. Stress, sleep, exercise, and even screen time can shift your vitamin and mineral requirements. Someone training for a marathon will need very different support than someone managing chronic stress or poor sleep.
  • Gender and age matter—more than you think. Women in their 30s have different hormonal, cognitive, and cardiovascular needs than men in their 50s. Yet most products treat everyone the same.

The Myth of the Multivitamin

Multivitamins are often seen as a safety net, but recent studies challenge their effectiveness. A 2022 review published in JAMA concluded that “multivitamin use does not appear to improve longevity or reduce disease risk in healthy adults.” That’s not to say vitamins are useless—but taking the wrong ones, or taking the right ones in the wrong form or dosage, is often ineffective and sometimes even counterproductive.

Personalized Supplements: A Smarter Approach

Instead of guessing, personalized supplements start with your actual needs. By combining your health goals, lifestyle inputs, and self-reported symptoms, they build a stack that supports you—not the average person.

  • Targeted support: Fatigue? B-12 Complex and Magnesium may help. Gut issues? Probiotics could be key. But you only need what you need.
  • Fewer pills, better impact: Personalization avoids overload by eliminating unnecessary ingredients. Your stack is efficient, not excessive.
  • Backed by behavior: When supplements align with how you feel and function, you’re more likely to stick with them—and consistency matters.

The STATE Wellness Approach

At STATE, we built a system that does what the supplement industry hasn’t: we start with you. Our quiz captures your inputs—how you move, how you feel, and what your goals are—and uses evidence-based logic to build a personalized 3 product stack.

Then, we make it easy to follow. Clean formulations. Daily habit design. No fluff.

What to Do Instead

If you’re still relying on guesswork, here’s what to do:

  1. Stop taking supplements that aren’t clearly supporting your goals or symptoms.
  2. Take our quiz quiz to identify your ideal stack. 
  3. Focus on consistency, hydration, and real food alongside your supplements.

Bottom Line

One-size-fits-all is easy for brands—but not for your body. Personalized stacks don’t just feel better; they work better. It’s time to upgrade your wellness from random to rational. And it starts with listening to you.

Ready to find your stack? Take the quiz quiz now.

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