The science behind your plan.
We start with the published research on every supplement we cover. Before a study can shape a single recommendation, it has to pass all six of these checks. Most never do.
- 01
People, not animals
Only research done on people (human trials). Animal and test-tube studies are left out.
- 02
Fair tests only
Chance decides who gets the supplement (randomised controlled trials), plus reviews that pool those trials (systematic reviews and meta-analyses).
- 03
Published, read in full
Published in scientific journals and read in full, not just the summary (full-text articles, no preprints).
- 04
A real result, not a fluke
The supplement group has to beat the comparison group by a margin that is unlikely to be chance (p-value below 0.05). A result that only leans that way does not count.
- 05
Checked twice
Every result is read from the paper's own tables by two independent checks that must agree (double data extraction). The dose is the one the trial gave.
- 06
Matched to you
Only then is it searched against your answers: your problems, age, sex, training and health. Trials on people like you come first (population matching).
What those checks mean
Research has its own language. Here it is in plain English.
- Randomised controlled trial
- Volunteers are split by chance into two groups. One takes the supplement, the other does not. Because chance decides, the groups start out alike, so a difference at the end comes from the supplement.
- Placebo
- A dummy that looks and tastes like the real thing. It shows how much of an effect is just people expecting to feel better.
- Double-blind
- Neither the volunteers nor the researchers know who got the real thing until the end, so nobody's hopes can nudge the result.
- Statistically significant
- Researchers start by assuming the supplement does nothing: the null hypothesis. A low p-value means the difference they found would be very unlikely if that were true, so the null hypothesis is rejected. Only results that clear that bar can back a recommendation.
Race-day numbers come from trials, not guesses
If you are training for an event, your race-day plan (carbohydrate per hour, caffeine and electrolytes) is built from trials that tested those amounts, led by double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Each number names the study behind it, and where only expert guidance exists, the plan says so.
Why you can trust it
Nothing to sell you
We don't sell supplements, so no recommendation is there to move stock.
The dose that was tested
The dose on your plan is the dose the trial gave, kept within safety limits. Not a rounded-up label dose.
Safety first
Your medicines and health conditions are checked for known clashes, and a supplement that clashes is left out.
The papers, in plain sight
Every recommendation shows the research behind it, so you can read it yourself.