1. Are the studies quoted on humans?
(Helping animals does not guarantee it will work on people).

2. Are those subjects of similar age, gender and health of the target consumer?
(Helping someone twice your age or the opposite gender or someone who has never worked out before does not guarantee it will work on the target consumer.)

3. Is the study published in a scientific journal?
(For example: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise or International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Physiology as opposed to an in-house magazine or newspaper.)

4. Does the ad quote raw data rather than percentages?
Gaining or losing 10 pounds in 8 weeks is straightforward. Gaining or losing twice as much is impressive but without raw data twice as much could be two pounds verses one pound. Or a 50% improvement sounds great but if the raw data shows three seconds faster verses two seconds faster in a 5 mile run after 8 weeks of using their product your opinion may change.

5. Is the dosing in the study the same that is recommended?
It is not uncommon for a positive study to have used much more than the label recommends. When a companies recommended dose is much lower than the study they quote, rest assured the low amount is due to a worry about the side effects or toxicity. Conversely if the product were completely safe you would expect the company to over recommend since the more you take the more money they make.