Glossary

Evidence Tier

Updated February 22, 2026

Evidence tiers are a practical label for how dependable a signal is before using it to shape stack ranking.

Why it matters

This helps avoid overconfidence from weak or highly specific studies.

4-level evidence ladder

• Anecdote
• Preliminary
• Mechanistic
• Robust human outcome

For every tier, expect different reliability in dose direction and timing generalizability.

Context limitations

Most supplement outcomes are dose-, timing-, and population-specific.

What helped one sample may not transfer cleanly to your mix.

Ranking reliability mapping

• Lower tiers shift recommendations toward "monitor closely" and reduce confidence-weight.
• Higher tiers increase recommendation stability and reduce immediate caution burdens.

Cross-site references

• Evidence quality metadata
• Recommendation confidence

Uncertainty

• Evidence is limited on how tiers map across compounds with short half-lives.
• Evidence is limited on tier stability when stacks are changed quickly.

How this appears in Unfair

Unfair maps tiers to warning language, rationale strength, and confidence thresholds.

Clinical safety note

Even high-tier evidence should be interpreted with your clinician context when symptoms are severe or persistent.