Supplements for desk workers

The desk-worker stack — rationale by ingredient

Vitamin D3 1,000–2,000 IU/day

Indoor workers in temperate climates have substantially elevated rates of 25-OH-D below 30 ng/mL. Test if you can; otherwise empirical supplementation at 1,000–2,000 IU is reasonable. Mood, immune function, and bone health all benefit. Take with a fatty meal.

Lutein + Zeaxanthin 10 mg + 2 mg/day

The macular carotenoids accumulate in the retina and may modestly reduce digital eye strain symptoms (Stringham 2017 and others). Don't expect dramatic effects in the short term; the more meaningful endpoint is the age-related macular degeneration risk reduction over decades for users with high blue-light exposure.

Omega-3 1–2 g EPA+DHA/day

The dry-eye and meibomian-gland evidence is the desk-worker-specific case — many people on screens 8+ hours develop chronic dry eye. Mood and cardiometabolic benefits round out the rationale. Re-esterified TG forms absorb best with a fat-containing meal.

L-Theanine + caffeine (200 mg + 100 mg) as the morning stack

The 2:1 L-theanine:caffeine combination has the best-evidenced cognitive-without-jitter profile. Time-bound caffeine to before noon to avoid sleep disruption — sleep is the bigger cognitive lever than any nootropic stack.

Magnesium glycinate 300–400 mg/evenings

Helps the neck-shoulder tension that accumulates by Wednesday. Glycinate is well-tolerated and contributes mild calming via glycine. The bigger lever is actually getting up to walk every 30–60 minutes; magnesium is a small adjunct.

Creatine monohydrate 3–5 g/day

The non-obvious desk-worker pick. Creatine's cognitive evidence — particularly under sleep restriction — has strengthened in recent meta-analyses. The lean-mass and bone-density benefits matter if you're at the desk eight hours but only at the gym three; creatine modestly preserves muscle.

Psyllium husk 5–10 g/day

Prolonged sitting reduces bowel motility for some users; psyllium is the most-evidenced fiber for regularity and also has the side benefit of modest LDL reduction. Start at 5 g/day with plenty of water and titrate up.

Collagen peptides 10 g/day with vitamin C (if tendon/joint complaints)

Modest case for tendon and connective-tissue support. Effect is slow — judge at 12+ weeks. Useful if the chronic mouse-arm or wrist tendinopathy of long screen sessions is part of your picture.