Every Claim We’ve Checked
All 62 claims we have checked, grouped by subject — supplements, training, sweeteners, diets, sleep and the rest — each with its confidence rating.
Every claim on this site has been checked against the primary research and given one of four confidence ratings. There are 62 of them so far, and this page is all of them, grouped by subject.
If you would rather browse by how confident we are, the Established, Supported, Preliminary and Unsupported pages do that instead.
- established (11)
Settled. Large, consistent evidence and the direction is not contested. - supported (16)
Real, with good evidence behind it — but smaller or less certain than Established. - preliminary (11)
Something is here and nobody can tell you what yet. Unresolved on purpose. - unsupported (24)
Checked, and the evidence does not back the claim.
Sweeteners (7)
Sugar substitutes, and the studies people quote about them.
- Are Sugar Alcohols Bad For You? The Real Problem Is Digestive
supported - Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad For You? The WHO Hedged — Here’s Why
preliminary - Is Diet Soda Bad For You? Better Than Regular — With One Catch
preliminary - Is Erythritol Bad For You? The One Sweetener Worth Watching
preliminary - Is Stevia Bad For You? “Natural” Is Not a Safety Category
preliminary - Is Sucralose Bad For You? The DNA Headlines Skipped One Sentence
preliminary - Is Aspartame Bad For You? Two WHO Reports, One Headline
unsupported
Supplements (13)
What the tub claims, and what the trials found.
- Creatine Benefits: They Screened 250 Supplements. Two Survived.
established - Does Creatine Make You Gain Weight? Yes — 1.9 Pounds. The Fat Didn’t Move.
established - How Much Creatine Should You Take? 3 To 5 Grams — And You’re Already Most Of The Way There
established - Is Creatine Safe? Yes — And the Blood Test Explains the Panic
established - Does Protein Keep You Full? Yes — But a Potato Beat Everything
supported - Magnesium Benefits: It Lowers Blood Pressure. It Does Not Fix Your Cramps.
supported - Protein for Fat Loss: It Works — Your Target Is Probably a Third Too High
supported - Ashwagandha Benefits: The Cortisol Drops. Feeling Better Is a Separate Question.
preliminary - Berberine Benefits: “Nature’s Ozempic” Is 1.9 Pounds. Ozempic Is 34.
unsupported - Do Fat Burners Work? 21 Trials, and the Effect Crosses Zero
unsupported - Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss? Nobody Checked The Hair Until 2025
unsupported - Does Creatine Help You Lose Weight? No — And It Will Move Your Scale the Wrong Way
unsupported - Fish Oil Benefits: The Real One Needs a Prescription
unsupported
Sleep, stress and recovery (3)
The parts of fat loss that happen when you are not training.
- Does Exercise Grow New Brain Cells? Yes — But Not Four Times Faster
supported - Does Lack of Sleep Cause Weight Gain? Yes — But Not How You Think
supported - Am I Overtraining? The Quiz — and Why No Score Can Answer It
unsupported
Meaning and connection (1)
Heat, cold and sweat (3)
Saunas, ice baths and sweat suits — heat, cold, and what they actually move.
- Does Sauna Burn Fat? The 400-Calorie Claim Came From a Wristwatch
preliminary - Do Cold Plunges Burn Fat? What Human Research Actually Shows
unsupported - Does Sweating Burn Fat? No — 84% of It Leaves Through Your Lungs
unsupported
Diets and eating patterns (6)
Whole approaches to eating, checked one claim at a time.
- Does Fiber Help You Lose Weight? Yes — But the Average Is Easy to Misread
supported - Is Intermittent Fasting Better Than Just Eating Less?
preliminary - Do Detox Teas Work? Nobody Will Name the Toxin
unsupported - Does Cutting Carbs Burn Fat? The First Week Is Water
unsupported - Does Food Combining Work? One Trial in Ninety Years Says No
unsupported - Negative Calorie Foods: Celery Gets 86% of the Way There
unsupported
Hormones (7)
Blood levels, what they mean, and what moves them.
- How to Increase Testosterone Naturally: One Thing Works, and It Isn’t a Supplement
established - Does TRT Work? Clearly For Sex Drive. Not At All For Energy.
supported - Free vs Total Testosterone: A Normal Number Can Hide a Low One
supported - Do Testosterone Boosters Work? Not One Product Has Ever Been Tested
unsupported - Does Lifting Weights Increase Testosterone? Yes — And It Made No Difference
unsupported - Normal Testosterone Levels by Age: The 300 Cutoff Came From Older Men
unsupported - Should You Get Your Testosterone Tested? The Guideline Says No — In One Sentence
unsupported
Training (7)
Whether a given kind of exercise does what it is sold as doing.
- Does Lifting Weights Burn Fat? Yes — Your Scale Can’t See It
established - Does Running Burn Fat? Yes — But Not in the “Fat Burning Zone”
established - Does Walking Help You Lose Weight? Yes — 10,000 Steps Was a Trademark
supported - How Many Steps a Day? About 7,000 — and It Buys More Than Your Heart.
supported - Can You Burn Fat Off One Specific Body Part?
unsupported - Do Waist Trainers Work? Nine in Ten Took It Off Before the Trial Ended
unsupported - Does Cardio Burn Muscle? No — the People Doing Both Still Gained
unsupported
Body composition (2)
What your body is made of, and what the scale can and cannot see.
- Does Metabolism Slow With Age? Yes — at 60, Not 30
established - Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat? Yes — But Not Enough to Explain Your Scale
established
Food and drink (13)
Individual foods, and the claims attached to them.
- Do Eggs Raise Cholesterol? Yes, About 5 mg/dL. The Fight Is Over Whether It Matters.
established - Is Canned Tuna Healthy? Yes — But You’re Probably Draining the Best Part
established - Does Chewing Gum Burn Calories? Yes — About 3.6 an Hour
supported - Is Oatmeal Good For Weight Loss? A Little. But Instant Oats Score Worse Than Granola.
supported - Is Olive Oil Good For You? Yes — But Not Compared To The Oils You’ve Been Told To Fear
supported - Is Red Meat Bad For You? Processed Meat Is The Real Answer
supported - Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits: One Is Real, One Was Retracted
preliminary - Does Coffee Help You Lose Weight? A Little — Nobody Knows How Much
preliminary - Does Drinking Water Help You Lose Weight? A Little. Just Not How They Said.
preliminary - Are Seed Oils Bad For You? Both Sides Are Quoting Half The Evidence
unsupported - Does Lemon Water Help You Lose Weight? No. And It Doesn’t Alkalise You Either.
unsupported - Is Canola Oil Bad For You? The Thing It’s Accused Of Was Bred Out Fifty Years Ago
unsupported - Is Vegetable Oil Bad For You? It Was — And That Part Has Been Banned
unsupported
Guides
Round-ups built from the verdicts above. They carry no confidence rating of their own, because a guide is not a single claim — each entry inside links to the verdict that justifies it.
- Best supplements for muscle growth — ranked by evidence tier. No products named, nothing for sale.
- Healthy habits — the habit verdicts regrouped by what they act on, each with what it costs you in time, money and effort.
Nothing here is medical advice. This is journalism — we read the research and report what it says. For anything about your own health, talk to a clinician.