Supplement evidence guide
5-HTP for sleep and mood: what does the evidence show?
What small studies suggest, why serotonin is not a simple answer, and which interactions matter.
5 min read
Browse
A–Z
Browse the substances and product families covered by Science Beneath.
A–Z
Substances and product families covered by the publication.
Substance profile
AOD-9604.
What is known about AOD-9604, a fragment marketed for fat loss, and why a proposed growth-hormone pathway is not evidence of a weight-loss treatment.
4 min read
Peptide evidence guide
ARA-290 (cibinetide): what is the nerve-pain research about?
Why an erythropoietin-inspired peptide attracted interest, and what the early human studies can—and cannot—tell us.
3 min read
Supplement evidence guide
Ashwagandha for stress and sleep: benefits and risks
What short trials suggest, why extracts differ and what is known about interactions and liver injury.
5 min read
Nutrition guide
BCAAs: do they build muscle?
What branched-chain amino acids do, how they compare with protein foods, and what muscle studies actually measured.
3 min read
Supplement evidence guide
Berberine: weight loss, blood sugar and safety
What human studies show, what remains uncertain and why berberine is not interchangeable with a prescribed medicine.
3 min read
Nutrition guide
Biotin (vitamin B7).
What this B vitamin does, where it is found and how to interpret supplement claims.
4 min read
Substance profile
BPC-157.
A plain-language evidence-gap profile: what BPC-157 is, what laboratory studies suggest, and how little human evidence exists.
9 min read
Substance profile
Bremelanotide (PT-141): what is it meant to do?
A practical guide to desire, the prescription product Vyleesi and what its evidence can—and cannot—tell us.
4 min read
Substance profile
Caffeine: energy, sleep and safety
What coffee, energy drinks and supplements have in common, and why amount and timing matter.
5 min read
Substance profile
Cannabidiol (CBD).
A plain-language guide to cannabidiol: what the compound is, why products differ, and what human evidence can—and cannot—show.
9 min read
Nutrition guide
Choline.
An essential nutrient for cell membranes, signalling and metabolism—and how to understand supplement claims.
4 min read
Substance profile
CJC-1295.
CJC-1295 is marketed as a growth-hormone peptide, but limited human data and regulator concerns make confident wellness claims unjustified.
4 min read
Supplement evidence guide
Coenzyme Q10: migraine, statin pain and safety
What studies show about migraine, statin-related muscle pain and heart health, and which interactions need attention.
3 min read
Nutrition guide
Collagen supplements.
What hydrolysed collagen products contain, where small trials suggest possible effects, and why “beauty” or joint claims remain product- and outcome-specific.
6 min read
Nutrition guide
Copper.
What this mineral does, food sources and how to interpret supplement claims.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
Creatine.
What creatine does in muscle, where performance evidence is strongest, and why a familiar supplement is not a universal health treatment.
3 min read
Substance profile
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
A specific cannabinoid—not a synonym for every cannabis product.
6 min read
Nutrition guide
Dietary fibre and psyllium.
How different fibres support digestion and why food fibre and fibre products are not interchangeable.
4 min read
Substance profile
Elamipretide (SS-31): what does the evidence show?
A peptide with a US accelerated approval for Barth syndrome—and important limits on claims about ageing and general mitochondrial health.
4 min read
Substance profile
Epitalon.
A synthetic tetrapeptide discussed in longevity and sleep claims; human evidence and safety information remain limited.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
Folate and folic acid.
What vitamin B9 does, how folate and folic acid differ, and why timing matters in pregnancy.
5 min read
Substance profile
GHK-Cu.
A clear guide to GHK-Cu: a copper-binding peptide used in cosmetic claims and sold as an injectable wellness product with limited human safety information.
6 min read
Peptide stack
GLOW peptide stack.
What the GLOW name usually means, what its ingredients can and cannot tell us, and why a branded stack is not a clinical trial.
4 min read
Supplement evidence guide
Glucosamine and chondroitin: do they help joints?
What knee-pain trials found, why guidelines differ and the interaction with warfarin.
3 min read
Peptide and supplement guide
Glutathione: what does this natural peptide do?
A closer look at the molecule your cells make, the supplements and drips sold in its name, and what evidence can tell us.
4 min read
Substance profile
Ibutamoren (MK-677): what does the evidence show?
Growth-hormone signals, body-composition findings, safety concerns and US regulatory status.
5 min read
Nutrition guide
Iodine.
What this mineral does, food sources and how to interpret supplement claims.
3 min read
Substance profile
Ipamorelin.
An evidence-gap guide to ipamorelin, a growth-hormone secretagogue marketed online despite limited route-specific human safety information.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
Iron: food, low iron, anaemia and supplements
Why iron matters, what a low result can mean and how to weigh supplements and their risks.
13 min read
Peptide stack
KLOW peptide stack.
A careful guide to the KLOW name, its changing ingredient lists, and the gap between ingredient research and evidence for a four-peptide blend.
4 min read
Substance profile
KPV.
An experimental peptide fragment discussed in inflammation and gut-health claims, with no identified human exposure data for drug products in the FDA record.
4 min read
Medicine and evidence guide
Kybella and deoxycholic acid: what does the injection do?
A product-specific look at under-chin fullness, trial results, limitations and risks.
4 min read
Nutrition evidence guide
Lion’s mane: does it improve memory or focus?
What small human trials of Hericium erinaceus found, and where brain-health claims go beyond the evidence.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
Magnesium.
A mineral involved in hundreds of body processes, with supplement claims that need to be separated from deficiency treatment and medication use.
8 min read
Research evidence guide
MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD: what does the evidence show?
What a phase 3 trial found, why the therapy setting matters, and how regulated access differs by country.
5 min read
Substance profile
Melanotan II.
Why Melanotan II’s tanning and sexual-function marketing should be treated as an unapproved-drug and product-quality question.
3 min read
Sleep and supplement guide
Melatonin for sleep: what does the evidence show?
How the body clock, jet lag, insomnia and product safety are different questions.
6 min read
Substance profile
MOTS-c: what is the mitochondrial peptide?
Why it is discussed for exercise, energy and ageing—and what has actually been studied.
4 min read
Supplement and medicine evidence guide
N-acetylcysteine (NAC): medicines, supplements and evidence
Why overdose treatment, mucus-thinning medicines and supplement claims are separate questions.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
NMN and healthy ageing: what does the evidence show?
A closer look at NAD, a small human trial and the gap between a blood marker and a longer life.
6 min read
Nutrition guide
Omega-3 fatty acids.
How ALA, EPA and DHA differ, what fish and algal oils contain, and why supplement marketing should not be confused with cardiovascular evidence.
7 min read
Peptide guide
Oxytocin: what does the “love hormone” actually do?
From childbirth and milk release to the science of trust, understand the same messenger in very different contexts.
3 min read
Nutrition guide
Probiotics.
Why strain, product and outcome matter when interpreting probiotics research.
7 min read
Nutrition guide
Protein bars.
How to read a protein bar label, compare it with ordinary food, and separate convenience from claims about performance or health.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
Protein drinks.
What a protein shake can add to a diet, what labels leave out, and why convenience is not the same as a proven performance benefit.
3 min read
Substance profile
Psilocybin: what the research shows
A plain-language guide to psilocybin, the brain and the evidence behind claims about depression and lasting change.
12 min read
Substance profile
Retatrutide.
A plain-language guide to retatrutide’s three biological targets, the human trials reported so far, and why trial results are not the same as an approval.
9 min read
Substance profile
Selank.
A synthetic peptide discussed online for anxiety and cognition, with limited independently established clinical evidence and unresolved product-quality questions.
3 min read
Nutrition guide
Selenium.
What this mineral does, food sources and how to interpret supplement claims.
5 min read
Substance profile
Semaglutide.
A plain-language guide to semaglutide: one peptide medicine, different products, different authorised uses, and evidence that should not be mixed together.
10 min read
Substance profile
Semax.
A synthetic peptide researched mainly in Russian-language contexts and sold online as a nootropic; its human evidence, product quality and regulatory status vary by jurisdiction.
4 min read
Substance profile
Sermorelin: what does the growth-hormone signal actually do?
The story of Geref, the human studies and what is—and is not—known about adult wellness claims.
4 min read
Supplement evidence guide
St John’s wort: does it help depression, and is it safe?
What trials found, why products differ and which medicine interactions matter.
5 min read
Substance profile
TB-500.
What TB-500 means in online peptide marketing, what is actually known about the molecule, and why recovery claims outrun human evidence.
4 min read
Substance profile
Tesamorelin.
What tesamorelin does, what Egrifta products are authorised for in the United States, and what the trials measured.
4 min read
Substance profile
Thymosin alpha-1: what is this immune-related peptide?
The story behind thymalfasin, Zadaxin and the different questions studied in people.
5 min read
Substance profile
Tirzepatide.
A plain-language guide to what tirzepatide is, how GIP and GLP-1 signals fit together, what human trials measured, and what remains uncertain.
12 min read
Supplement evidence guide
Turmeric and curcumin: benefits and risks
What a knee-pain trial found, why formulations differ and what regulators say about liver injury.
4 min read
Nutrition evidence guide
Urolithin A: does it improve muscle or slow ageing?
What a gut-derived compound does in research, what human trials have measured and where the claims go further.
3 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin A: forms, food and supplement risks
Explore the forms in food and supplements, what research shows, and the questions that matter in everyday use.
7 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin B1 (thiamin).
What this B vitamin does, where it is found and how to interpret supplement claims.
3 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin B12.
Why B12 matters for nerves and blood cells, where it comes from, and why absorption matters.
9 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin).
What this B vitamin does, where it is found and how to interpret supplement claims.
3 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin B3 (niacin).
What this B vitamin does, where it is found and how to interpret supplement claims.
5 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid).
What this B vitamin does, where it is found and how to interpret supplement claims.
3 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin B6: food, mood claims and nerve safety
How to understand B6 in foods and supplements, what mood research actually found, and why labels can add up.
7 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin C and colds: what does the evidence show?
Food, deficiency and the difference between preventing a cold and shortening its symptoms.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin D.
What vitamin D does for bone health, what supplementation trials do not show, and why more is not automatically better.
10 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamin E: food, supplements and cancer evidence
What vitamin E does, why food and high-dose supplements are different, and what the SELECT trial found.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
Vitamins and multivitamins.
How vitamins work, when supplements can help, and why a broad multivitamin is not a universal health intervention.
4 min read
Nutrition guide
Zinc.
What this mineral does, food sources and how to interpret supplement claims.
5 min read