How We Review
Every ranking, review, and evidence grade on this site follows the same documented process. This page describes exactly what we do — and, just as importantly, what we don't.
What we evaluate
- Purity & ingredients — what's on the label and in published COAs, and whether there are needless fillers.
- Third-party testing — independent lab certifications (e.g. NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, USP) for banned substances and label accuracy.
- Evidence match — whether the dose and form actually match what the research used.
- Value — price per serving relative to overall quality.
- Brand reputation — track record, transparency, and support.
Evidence grades (A–D)
Health claims get a per-benefit grade based on the human evidence behind them:
- A — Strong: multiple well-conducted human trials or meta-analyses with consistent results.
- B — Moderate: some good human trials, with limitations in size, duration, or consistency.
- C — Limited: preliminary or mixed human evidence; mechanistic plausibility without solid outcomes data.
- D — Insufficient: no reliable human evidence for the claimed benefit. We say so plainly.
What we don't do
- We do notbuy and test products ourselves, and we never claim hands-on or lab testing we didn't do. Rankings stand on published third-party certificates, COAs, and manufacturer specifications.
- We do not accept payment for placement. Manufacturers have no input on scores.
- We do notlet affiliate commissions influence a verdict — if the evidence says a product or ingredient doesn't work, we publish that.
Sourcing and citations
Health claims cite primary sources — NIH resources, peer-reviewed journals, and position stands from relevant scientific bodies. Safety-relevant pages carry interaction and population callouts driven by the same sourced data.
Updates
Product links and availability are re-verified on a schedule, and every page shows a visible last-updated date. If you spot something out of date, tell us — corrections ship fast.