Ingredient evidence index

Every ingredient we have read the trials for, with the outcomes it was measured on. Each entry links to the measured effect and the population it was measured in, because an ingredient name alone does not tell you whether it works.

Grades run from A to C and follow a published rule rather than an impression. The criteria are set out in how we grade evidence, so a grade here can be checked rather than trusted.

• Berberine — A plant alkaloid with real glucose effects in trials and a bioavailability problem that undercuts most of them.
• Lactobacillus Paracasei — A probiotic species whose infectious-disease effect is real but small, and whose most-advertised benefit did not appear in trials.
• Psyllium Husk — A soluble fibre from Plantago seed with a real and moderate LDL effect, and no reliable effect on triglycerides or HDL.
• Resistant Starch — A fibre fraction that reaches the colon intact. The strongest pooled effects are on insulin and HbA1c, with a caveat about what it was compared against.

For a single table of every measured outcome across all ingredients, see thetrial effect sizes reference.