Tier S
Carotenoid · skin · eye · cardio
Astaxanthin
Haematococcus pluvialis natural ester. Skin barrier, eye fatigue, cardiovascular adjuncts. 58 PubMed anchors and four-market regulatory status.
Browse ingredients
Evidence Library
Six flagship ingredient families form the spine of this library. Each anchor card opens into a cluster of related sub-source ingredients · all PubMed-anchored, with FDA, EFSA, and ANVISA cross-market regulatory status.
Evidence Tiers
Tiers reflect the volume of human supplementation evidence — how extensively the ingredient has been studied (meta-analyses, RCTs and total human studies of taking it), counted identically for every ingredient by reproducible PubMed query. They measure evidence depth, not effect size; each dossier states whether the finding is positive, mixed or null. Regulatory status does not affect the tier.
- Tier SOverwhelming volume — deep on every axis (≥ 30 meta-analyses AND ≥ 60 RCTs AND ≥ 200 human studies), or overwhelming on a single axis (≥ 150 meta-analyses, or ≥ 300 RCTs, or ≥ 1,000 human studies).
- Tier AStrong volume — ≥ 15 meta-analyses, or ≥ 30 RCTs, or ≥ 5 meta-analyses on a substantial base (≥ 80 human studies).
- Tier BModerate volume — at least one meta-analysis, or ≥ 10 RCTs, or ≥ 30 human studies; a real but not-yet-deep literature.
- Tier CEmerging — little human supplementation literature: no meta-analysis and only a small trial base; mechanistic or few-trial signal, replication pending.
Each dossier explains its specific stratification, including negative-finding transparency and any correction history.
Six flagship anchors
Tier B
Carotenoid · metabolic · brown algae
Fucoxanthin
Brown-algae carotenoid. UCP1 thermogenic mechanism, metabolic adjunct signal. Two direct human RCTs (metabolic and cognitive endpoints), no meta-analysis yet · conservative claim framing.
Tier C
Protein · NMPA novel-food · single-cell
Yeast Protein
Saccharomyces cerevisiae single-cell protein. NMPA novel-food approval pathway, complete EAA, RNA-reduced isolate. DIAAS framework alongside dairy and plant proteins.
Tier S
Lipid · EPA + DHA hub · 25-year RCT
Omega-3
EPA + DHA hub with 25-year cardiovascular RCT history. GISSI, REDUCE-IT, STRENGTH, VITAL anchored. Five EFSA Reg 432/2012 verbatim claims and two FDA qualified health claims.
Tier S
Vitamin · bone · immune · muscle
Vitamin D3
Cholecalciferol with the VITAL trial dataset (n = 25,871). FDA SSA authorized claim for bone-osteoporosis risk reduction, six EFSA Reg 432/2012 verbatim, four ANVISA functional claims.
Tier A
NAD+ precursor · longevity adjunct
NMN
β-Nicotinamide Mononucleotide. NAD+ salvage substrate, sirtuin co-substrate, mitochondrial biogenesis. TGA Permissible Ingredient Determination (2025) with 500 mg/day adult ceiling.
Other Hot Ingredients
Beyond the six flagships — additional ingredients, each accuracy-reviewed before it goes live, grouped by category.
Carotenoids & Botanicals
Tier A Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Ayurvedic adaptogen (withanolides) · stress/anxiety systematic-review + meta-analysis (Akhgarjand 2022) plus a ~28% serum-cortisol reduction RCT and a sleep-quality (PSQI) meta-analysis · honest caveats: a rare liver-injury (DILI) safety signal, not a testosterone booster, and prohibited as a food supplement in Brazil. Open dossier → Tier B Rhodiola (rosea) Adaptogen (rosavins/salidroside) · SHR-5 RCTs report improvement in stress-related fatigue and cortisol response, but a systematic review calls the broader fatigue evidence contradictory — an honest preliminary signal, not a treatment claim. Open dossier → Tier A Saffron (Crocus sativus) Stigma extract (crocin/safranal) · ~10 meta-analyses and ~11 RCTs on depression-rating scales report effects broadly comparable to standard antidepressants, plus retinal (AMD) and metabolic signals — small/short trials, a research finding, not a treatment for any mood disorder. Open dossier →
NAD+ & Cellular
Tier S CoQ10 (Ubiquinone) Mitochondrial electron-transport cofactor and membrane antioxidant · anchored by the Q-SYMBIO double-blind RCT (n=420, 300 mg/day) reporting lower all-cause mortality in chronic heart failure, plus a statin-associated muscle-symptom meta-analysis — strong but single-trial-anchored, with null trials disclosed. Open dossier → Tier B PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) Redox cofactor (BioPQQ disodium salt) · small Japanese RCTs at 20 mg/day report attention/working-memory signals in older adults — but no meta-analysis exists yet, and the popular sleep/energy framing is mechanistic only; graded B (preliminary). Open dossier → Tier B Urolithin A (Mitopure) Mitophagy-inducing gut-microbiome metabolite · RCTs at 500-1000 mg/day report muscle-endurance and mitochondrial-biomarker gains in middle-aged/older adults — mostly secondary endpoints and developer-affiliated, with the primary endpoints often null; FDA GRAS (GRN 791). Open dossier →
Vitamins & Minerals
Tier A Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone) Activates osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein via γ-carboxylation · MK-7/MK-4 RCTs report modest bone-mineral-density and arterial-stiffness effects in postmenopausal populations · warfarin users must consult a clinician first. Open dossier → Tier S Folate (Vitamin B9) One-carbon metabolism cofactor for DNA synthesis and methylation · periconceptional folic acid lowering neural-tube-defect risk is among the most evidence-supported recommendations in nutrition (MRC 1991 + Czeizel 1992 RCTs), with an EU/FDA authorized disease-risk-reduction claim. Open dossier → Tier S Magnesium Essential mineral and cofactor for 300+ enzymes · a 34-RCT meta-analysis found small blood-pressure reductions (about −2 mmHg) and modest sleep-onset improvements in older adults — effect sizes are modest and widely overstated on social media. Open dossier →
Proteins & Amino Acids
Tier B L-Theanine Tea-derived amino acid · 6+ monotherapy RCTs and 2 systematic reviews cover relaxation, attention (especially with caffeine), and sleep-quality markers · effect sizes modest, with the caffeine-synergy signal the most replicated. Open dossier → Tier S Taurine Conditionally essential amino acid · 2024 meta-analyses report small reductions in blood pressure and metabolic-syndrome markers · not a stimulant (energy-drink alertness is caffeine), and EFSA rejected all taurine health claims — research findings on markers, not a disease treatment. Open dossier → Tier S L-Carnitine Mitochondrial fatty-acid shuttle · a 37-RCT meta-analysis found a modest ~1 kg body-weight reduction in overweight adults (effect attenuates over time); the heart and cognition evidence belongs to distinct esters (PLC/ALCAR), not plain L-carnitine — a research finding, not a weight-loss drug. Open dossier →
Omega-3 & Fatty Acids
Tier S Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) The most-evidenced supplement category · large RCTs and meta-analyses describe triglyceride-lowering and, at pharmaceutical EPA doses (REDUCE-IT), cardiovascular-event effects in specific patient populations · general-population prevention trials (VITAL, ASCEND) were more mixed, so the honest read is dose- and population-dependent. Open dossier → Tier S Fish Oil The most-studied marine EPA+DHA delivery form · anchors the triglyceride and anti-inflammatory-marker evidence · what matters on a label is the actual EPA+DHA content (not total oil weight) plus oxidation/purity — a research-described nutrient, not a disease treatment. Open dossier → Tier B Algae Oil (vegan DHA) Algae-derived DHA (often with EPA) · RCTs show it raises the omega-3 index comparably to fish oil, making it the plant-based route to the same long-chain omega-3 evidence base, without the marine source — bioequivalence is the documented finding, not a superiority claim. Open dossier →