Best Supplements 2026, According to Experts, From Vitamin D to Zinc

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With stress levels rising and people looking for ways to boost their immunity levels and get proper nutrition, wellness experts say this could be an ideal time for you to start a supplement routine. Adding a couple of easy-to-take supplements to your daily food intake and exercise regimen could go a long way towards keeping you healthy — and sane.

The Best Supplements to Try Right Now

“Ideally, you’d get all of your nutrients from a healthy diet, but the reality is that many people struggle to eat well and that certain nutrients are difficult to get, even with a well-planned diet,” says Samantha Cassetty, a registered dietitian and nutrition and wellness expert. “Beyond just meeting your basic needs, certain supplements can optimize your well-being. Though full-fledged deficiencies are rare,” she continues, “I often see insufficiencies—people taking in inadequate amounts of certain nutrients. In these cases, supplements can be helpful and are easy to take regularly.”

These supplements may not curb all your wintertime sickness blues, but experts say they all play an important function into your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Whether you’re looking to boost your immune system, heal your gut, or just need to calm some anxious thoughts, here are the best supplements to take right now.

1. Multivitamins

“While there isn’t one specific supplement that is the magic pill for immunity, you can consider a daily multivitamin if you feel your diet isn’t filled with a colorful array of fruits and vegetables,” Patel says. “The micronutrients essential for adults can often be found in most multivitamins.”

2. Vitamin C

Everyone knows that the best way to get vitamin C is through fresh fruits and vegetables, but as grocery stores continue to face the squeeze of inflation, that’s easier said than done. And while a number of meal delivery services and grocery delivery companies have stepped up to deliver fresh produce to your door, you can’t beat the convenience of a vitamin supplement.

“This vitamin is very important for your health,” Patel stresses. “It acts as a powerful antioxidant, which helps to fight free radical damage caused by the environment, processed foods, and stress, which eventually causes cellular damage. Vitamin C acts to neutralize these free radicals, preventing this inflammation,” she explains.

Need more proof of its benefits: As a result of vitamin C’s anti-inflammatory activity, Wuhan University in China started clinical trials to assess high-dose vitamin C infusion as treatment against severe acute respiratory illnesses associated with the coronavirus.

3. Pre-Workout

Effective workouts mean a healthier body overall, which is why pre-workout is another one of the best dietary supplements you can take. The key, however, is to find a pre-workout that relies primarily on amino acids rather than just caffeine. Amino acids, such as beta-alanine, are naturally produced by the liver and found in meat and poultry, and they help the body work harder for longer.

4. Vitamin D

“Vitamin D is hard to come by in food, and while you can get it from sunshine — which activates your body to make it — most of us don’t get sufficient, unexposed sun time,” Cassetty says. Those popular light therapy lamps can mimic the appearance of sunshine, but they won’t have the additional health benefits of vitamin D.

“Vitamin D supports a healthy immune system, and supplementation has been shown to protect against respiratory infections,” Cassetty says, “so if you aren’t already taking it, you might want to consider it.”

5. Zinc

“A number of studies have found that when using zinc lozenges during a cold, the duration of the cold was reduced by one day,” Patel says. “While its specific mechanism is unknown, theories include that it prevents the [cold] virus from entering cells and/or that it decreases the inflammatory cytokines in the blood.”

In addition to boosting immunity, Zinc also has a number of additional benefits, including helping to speed up the healing of wounds, improving brain function, and helping the treatment of acne. These quick-dissolve tablets are easier to take than traditional pills or capsules, too.

6. Magnesium

If you just need to calm down a little bit, you’ll want to keep some magnesium in your medicine cabinet. “Magnesium is a relaxation mineral,” Cassetty explains. “It helps counter the effects of stress in your body and supports a healthy sleep cycle, so it’s especially relevant right now. It’s also involved in your immune response.”

Though magnesium is found in common pantry items, like whole grains, beans, and nuts, studies have shown that up to 80% of Americans have a magnesium deficiency.

Cassetty recommends taking magnesium in powder form (mixed with water). “Magnesium is a larger mineral so pills are hard to swallow,” she says. “The most common form of magnesium pills — magnesium citrate — can cause stomach discomfort and a laxative effect,” Cassetty says.

7. Probiotics

“Your gut hosts the majority of your immune functioning, so it’s important to maintain the integrity of your GI tract,” shares Cassetty. “That takes a multi-pronged approach that involves eating a diverse, high-fiber diet, including colorful foods that are rich in polyphenols, and enjoying fermented foods, like yogurt, regularly. This strategy makes sure that you’re feeding the beneficial bacteria as well as consuming foods that supply them.”

Still, probiotic supplements can come in handy, both if you don’t have access to fermented foods easily, or if you want to add an extra boost to your gut health and digestive health.

“If you’re shopping for a probiotic, look for one that has strains that have been clinically shown to produce the response you’re looking for,” Cassetty says. Nella Probiotics, for example, has been clinically validated to show improved sleep quality, increased energy, and better digestion. In a departure from typical probiotics, Nella uses strains that come from the stool of athletes for increased performance (no, seriously). Five-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Nathan Adrian, six-time world champion wrestler Adeline Gray, and ultramarathon runner Kyle Pietari are among the athletes sharing their fecal matter for the benefit of humanity.