Browse · 26 breakdowns

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Filter by what a compound is, how strong the evidence behind it is, and what the trials actually found. The three filters combine, so you can ask for what this publication grades highly — or for what it does not.

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Title card reading Magnesium, with a bottle marked Mg and loose capsules on a pillow beneath a crescent moon. SupplementsMixed Magnesium for sleep quality Does taking magnesium before bed actually help you fall asleep faster or sleep through the night? Title card reading Testosterone, with a labelled vial and syringe beside an anatomical heart crossed by an ECG trace. HormonesNot supported Testosterone replacement and the heart Does testosterone replacement therapy increase cardiovascular risk? Title card reading L-theanine plus caffeine, with a cup of green tea and a mug of coffee either side of overlapping circles containing a brain. NootropicsSupported L-theanine and caffeine for focus Does the combination beat caffeine on its own — and how would we know? Title card reading LGD-4033, with a labelled bottle beside a desk calendar marked with twenty-one study days. SARMsSupported LGD-4033 for muscle growth Does ligandrol build muscle in healthy men — and what did its trial run long enough to detect? Title card reading RAD-140, with an empty specimen rack and a single sealed folder on a bare laboratory bench. SARMsUntested RAD-140 for muscle growth Does RAD-140 build muscle in humans — and is "selective" doing the work people think it is? Title card reading Cardarine, with a research folder tied shut beside a small treadmill and a stopwatch, ringed by a laboratory mouse and a warning triangle. SARMsUntested Cardarine for endurance Does GW501516 improve endurance performance in humans? Title card reading Ashwagandha, with roots and leaves beside a stone mortar and pestle, ringed by diverging arrows and a question mark. SupplementsMixed Ashwagandha for stress Does ashwagandha actually make people feel less stressed? Title card reading Omega-3, with a fish beside gold softgel capsules and a blood sample vial, ringed by a lipid molecule and a falling chart. SupplementsSupported Omega-3 for triglycerides Does omega-3 lower triglycerides — and does that translate into fewer heart attacks? Title card reading TB-500, with a roll of gauze and a first-aid tin beside an eye drop bottle, ringed by an eye, a molecule and a crossed-out tendon. PeptidesUntested TB-500 for injury recovery Does TB-500 accelerate healing of muscle, tendon or ligament in humans? Title card reading MK-677, with a capsule and pill bottle beside a plate and fork, ringed by a rising line, a flat line, water droplets and a glucose meter. PeptidesNot supported MK-677 for muscle and strength Does ibutamoren build muscle or make people stronger? Title card reading Caffeine, with a mug of black coffee, scattered beans and a balance scale with calibration weights. SupplementsSupported Caffeine for performance and alertness Does caffeine actually improve exercise performance and mental sharpness? Title card reading Resveratrol, with dark grapes, a glass of red wine and a labelled vial, ringed by a molecular pathway and diverging arrows. LongevityMixed Resveratrol for metabolic health Does resveratrol improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes? Title card reading Lion’s Mane, with a shaggy mushroom on a log slice beside an open notebook showing a neuron sketch. NootropicsMixed Lion's Mane for memory and focus Does Hericium erinaceus improve cognitive function in humans? Title card reading Vitamin C, with a halved orange and a tissue box beside a calendar of crossed-off days, ringed by a crossed-out shield. SupplementsNot supported Vitamin C for preventing the common cold Does taking vitamin C regularly stop you from catching colds? Title card reading BPC-157, with a peptide vial on a metal tray beside an unlabelled box, ringed by a laboratory mouse, a tendon fibre and an empty chart. PeptidesUntested BPC-157 for tendon and soft-tissue healing Does BPC-157 accelerate healing of tendons, ligaments, or gut tissue in humans? Title card reading NMN, with an hourglass beside a labelled bottle, ringed by a rising molecule icon and a flat horizontal line. LongevityNot supported NMN for slowing aging Does taking NMN improve any measured health outcome in humans? Title card reading Creatine, with a tub of powder, a scoop and a shaker bottle, ringed by a muscle fibre, research papers and a water molecule. SupplementsSupported Creatine monohydrate for strength and lean mass Does taking creatine alongside resistance training build more muscle and strength than training alone? Title card reading Retatrutide, with a labelled injector pen ringed by GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptor icons and a stack of identically sealed research papers. PeptidesSupported Retatrutide for weight loss The largest weight-loss results ever published for a drug of this kind — and the lowest grade we have given to a compound that clearly works. Title card reading Semaglutide, with a labelled injector pen on sage leaves, ringed by appetite, stomach, weight and heart icons. PeptidesSupported Semaglutide for weight loss The best-evidenced compound on this site — and the only one shown to prevent heart attacks, not just move a scale. Title card reading Tirzepatide, with a labelled injector pen on sage leaves, ringed by GLP-1 and GIP receptor icons. PeptidesSupported Tirzepatide for weight loss The largest weight loss of any approved drug, and a head-to-head win over semaglutide — with independent replication that amounts to 24 people. Title card reading Growth hormone, with a level balance scale weighing a 1990 research paper against a growth hormone vial, a gavel resting beside it. HormonesNot supported Growth hormone for anti-aging An industry built on twelve men, six months, and no placebo group — and what the seventeen years of controlled trials that followed actually found. Title card reading DHEA, with two weathered stone busts behind a bottle of DHEA capsules, ringed by male and female symbols, a steroid molecule and a prohibition sign. HormonesNot supported DHEA for anti-aging Tested more thoroughly than almost anything else we grade — two years, restored hormone levels, and no benefit. The one positive finding belongs to the hormones it turns into. Ginkgo biloba title card: fan-shaped leaves and a labelled bottle resting on two bound trial reports, ringed by a flat line chart, a crossed-out shield, a calendar and a brain icon. NootropicsNot supported Ginkgo biloba for preventing dementia Two multi-year trials in nearly six thousand older adults, one publicly funded and one paid for by the manufacturer. Both found nothing. Modafinil title card: a blister pack of tablets on a prescription slip beside a desk clock, ringed by diverging arrows, an eye, a controlled-substance document and a maze. NootropicsMixed Modafinil for cognitive enhancement It works for the sleep disorders it is licensed to treat. Whether it makes a rested person think better is a different question, with a messier answer. Rapamycin title card: an amber pill bottle on a lab bench with a mouse cage behind it, ringed by a mouse, a lone data point on an empty axis, a crossed shield and a prescription slip. LongevityMixed Rapamycin for slowing aging The best lifespan result ever produced in mice, and a single 114-person human trial whose positive findings were confined to women on the higher dose. Metformin title card: foil tablets beside a research folder tied shut and a blank clipboard, ringed by an empty axis, a dumbbell with a downward arrow, an empty jar and a prescription slip. LongevityUntested Metformin for slowing aging The trial meant to settle this has never enrolled anyone. The question that has been tested twice is whether metformin blunts what exercise does.