Evidence Grading & Methodology
How we turn a messy literature into an honest, outcome-level grade — and where human judgment enters.
Last updated: July 11, 2026
Synptide grades evidence at the level of a specific outcome, not a whole compound. A compound can have strong evidence for one use and none for another, and collapsing that into a single score is how hype gets manufactured. Every graded claim on a compound profile carries one of the grades below.
The evidence-grading framework
| Grade | Label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| A | Established | Replicated controlled human evidence, or an approved use. |
| B | Supported | Meaningful human evidence, with limitations. |
| C | Preliminary | Early, small, uncontrolled, or inconsistent human evidence. |
| D | Preclinical | Animal, cell, or mechanistic evidence only — not shown in humans. |
| E | Unsupported | No credible evidence supports the claim. |
| U | Unknown | Evidence is insufficient to characterize the claim. |
When we assign a grade, we weigh:
- Study design (randomized and controlled beats observational beats anecdote)
- Sample size and replication across independent groups
- Population relevance — does the studied population resemble the reader?
- Endpoint quality (a hard clinical outcome beats a surrogate marker)
- Effect magnitude and consistency
- Risk of bias, funding, and conflicts
- Duration and the strength of the safety evidence
- Whether a regulator has independently reviewed the data
We deliberately do not compute a grade from a tidy formula and present it as objective truth. Judgment is unavoidable — for example, in deciding whether two small trials "replicate" or whether a surrogate endpoint is meaningful. Where judgment is doing the work, we say so on the page.
Human evidence vs. preclinical evidence
Animal, cell, and mechanistic findings are graded D — Preclinicaland are never described as if they establish effectiveness or safety in people. Many popular "research peptides" have genuinely interesting rodent data and essentially no controlled human data; our grading keeps that distinction visible instead of blurring it.
How we label regulatory status
A compound's regulatory status is shown as a badge on every profile. The visual treatment is intentionally restrained: an approved medication and a research chemical must never look equivalent.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FDA-approved | Approved by the FDA for one or more indications. |
| Investigational | In human clinical trials; not yet approved. |
| Not FDA-approved | No FDA approval for the uses discussed here. |
| Research chemical | Sold for laboratory research only; not approved for human use. |
| Withdrawn | Previously available, later withdrawn from the market. |
| Status varies by jurisdiction | Regulatory status differs meaningfully between countries. |
Dose language
We keep six kinds of "dose" strictly separate and never merge them into a single number: the approved dose, the label titration schedule, the dose studied in a trial, auser-entered value in a calculator, an online anecdotal dose, and a medical recommendation. Only a clinician can make the last one, and this site never does.
When grades change
Evidence moves. When new data shifts a grade, we record it in the publicevidence-change log with the old grade, the new grade, and the source that prompted the change — so the history is visible, not silently overwritten.
This is not medical advice
Everything here is a summary of published research for education. It is not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a recommendation to take anything. Decisions about medication, supplements, or training belong with a qualified clinician who knows your history. See our medical disclaimer.