Education library
The reference shelf for clearer claims.
Look up key terms, product types, research designs, and official sources as you use the class or Claim Check Workbook.
Vocabulary
Key words in plain language.
- Peptide
- A short chain of amino acids, which are building blocks of proteins. The word names a broad group of molecules, not a specific product.
- Active ingredient
- The part meant to produce an effect. It is only one part of a finished product.
- Formulation
- The full product recipe and form. It includes the ingredient form, inactive ingredients, strength, and whether it is a pill, liquid, or another form.
- Mechanism
- An explanation of how an effect may happen. A possible explanation is not proof that a product helps people.
- Indication
- A disease, condition, or use that an approved product is allowed to claim on its label.
- Off-label use
- Use of an approved product in a way that is not listed on its approved label. This is a decision for a licensed clinician and patient.
- Endpoint
- A result that a study is designed to measure. The main result should be chosen before researchers study the data.
- Biomarker
- A body measurement, such as a lab value. It may not show how a person feels, functions, or lives.
- Adverse event
- A health problem that happens during a study or while a product is used. This does not always prove that the product caused it.
- Randomization
- Placing people into study groups by chance. This helps make the groups more alike before treatment starts.
- Blinding
- Keeping people from knowing which study group someone is in when possible. This can reduce bias.
- Systematic review
- A planned way to find, review, and combine studies that answer one clear question.
Status map
Five product categories.
| Category | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Approved product | What it meansA specific drug or biological product that FDA has approved for the uses on its label. | What to checkCheck the exact name, formula, route, approved use, and label. |
| Compounded drug | What it meansA drug prepared for a patient need under compounding law. The finished drug is not FDA-approved. | What to checkAsk why compounding is needed, what quality rules apply, and how results and problems will be watched. |
| Investigational product | What it meansA product being studied. A trial listing does not prove that it worked or was approved. | What to checkCheck the study status, design, results, published reports, and people studied. |
| Research-use material | What it meansA material sold for laboratory research. That does not make it a medicine or mean it is fit for personal use. | What to checkRead the whole sales page. One disclaimer does not prove product quality or erase other claims. |
| Unknown or unclear | What it meansThe right choice when you cannot confirm the product, formula, source, route, or status. | What to checkList the missing information instead of guessing. |
Evidence ladder
Different designs answer different questions.
- 1
Laboratory or cell research
Studies cells or lab systems. It can show how something might work, but not what happens in a person.
- 2
Animal research
Studies effects and early safety signs in animals. The same results may not happen in people.
- 3
Case report or series
Describes one person or a small group. It can raise a question but is weak proof of cause and effect.
- 4
Observational human study
Looks for patterns without assigning a treatment. Other differences between groups may affect the result.
- 5
Randomized controlled trial
Can give stronger evidence of cause and effect when the study is well designed and has a fair comparison.
- 6
Systematic review or meta-analysis
Reviews many studies together. Its answer is only as strong as the studies and review method.
A higher step is not always better, and a lower step is not useless. Ask whether the research design fits the claim. Then check how well the study was done.
Peptide Claim Check
Run CLAIMS in order.
End with one sentence that says what the source supports and what it does not prove.
- C
Capture
Copy the exact words. Also note nearby images, personal stories, captions, and limits.
- L
Locate
Follow the links until you reach the original study, official label, regulator page, or trial record.
- A
Assign
Name the exact product category. Use unknown when you cannot verify it.
- I
Identify
Name the research type and the question it can answer.
- M
Match
Compare the product, formula, route, people, result, length, and size of the effect.
- S
State
Write down what is still unknown about benefits, harms, quality, and whether the evidence applies.
Primary sources
Start close to the record.
Use current government databases and labels for official product status. Use trial records and original studies for research details. A summary or sales page can point you to a source, but it should not replace the source.
See the method in action