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How PGSS Scores Supplements
Most supplement rankings are nonsense. Not because everyone is evil (although…), but because most lists never tell you what they’re optimizing for.
Here’s the thing. PGSS is not trying to make you feel productive. It’s trying to make your stack make sense.
What we score
We score supplements on three boring factors that actually matter:
- Evidence – how good the human data is (not how confident the marketing is).
- Safety – dose, interactions, contraindications, and whether “side effects” are being treated like a vibe.
- Cost – what it costs to take the dose that was actually studied.
Evidence: we care about the study design
Not all “studies show” are equal.
We prioritize higher-quality human evidence (think well-run randomized trials and meta-analyses), and we treat weak evidence like weak evidence. That doesn’t mean we ignore early signals. It means we label them honestly.
Safety: the part that gets skipped on social media
“Natural” is not a safety profile.
If the benefit is small, the safety bar gets higher. If the evidence is shaky, the safety bar gets higher. If it interacts with common meds, we say so.
Cost: we price the dose that works (not the one that sells)
If a study used 2 grams and a product gives you 200 mg, you’re not buying “science.” You’re buying a label.
PGSS tries to keep the math honest. Boring, effective, and mildly insulting to bad products.
What PGSS will not do
- Promise outcomes.
- Hide uncertainty.
- Turn correlation into a miracle.
- Confuse “popular” with “effective.”
So what should you do with this?
Use PGSS to compare tradeoffs. If you’re building a stack, start with the highest-evidence, lowest-regret options. Then add only what earns its place.
Good news: you don’t need 17 bottles. Bad news: you also can’t outsource judgment to a ranking list.
Disclaimer: PGSS is educational, not medical advice. If you have health conditions, are pregnant, or take medications, talk to a qualified clinician.
More evidence-based breakdowns at PGSS.