An influencer citing "studies" isn't the same as evidence. Most research referenced in supplement marketing comes from company-funded trials, test tubes, or mice at doses no human would realistically take. Checking what independent, peer-reviewed research actually shows takes about five minutes — and it's free.
What makes Examine.com different
Examine.com is an independent database summarizing clinical research on supplements and nutrition. It doesn't sell supplements, doesn't run ads, and doesn't use affiliate links — its stated funding model is user subscriptions for its more detailed content, with a substantial amount of ingredient-level information available for free. That structure removes the financial incentive to overstate an ingredient's benefits that most supplement-adjacent content operates under.
How to actually read the Human Effect Matrix
Search a specific active ingredient (not the brand name on the bottle — search "ashwagandha" or "creatine monohydrate," not "Super-Max Energy Blend") and you'll see the Human Effect Matrix: a table grading the level of evidence (roughly A to D, strongest to weakest) for specific outcomes — strength, anxiety, blood sugar, and so on — based on aggregated randomized controlled trials, not opinion.
The three-step check before buying
- Find the active ingredient on the actual ingredients label, not the marketing name on the front of the package.
- Check the evidence grade for the specific outcome you actually care about — an ingredient can have strong evidence for one effect and weak evidence for another entirely different claim on the same label.
- Compare the clinical dose to what's actually in the bottle. Examine.com's dosing guidance tells you the amount research shows is needed for an effect — cross-check this against the milligrams per serving on the product you're considering. "Pixie dusting" — including a fashionable ingredient at a negligible, ineffective dose just so it can appear on the front label — is common enough that this step alone catches a lot of weak products.
🔎 Do the dose check automatically: run your product through our free Supplement Ingredients Auditor →, then track whether it's actually working with our free Supplement Tracking Diary →.
See also: for conservative, medically-reviewed guidance, what the NHS actually recommends on vitamins and supplements.