Examine.com

Examine.com is a Canadian company that runs an online encyclopedia covering health, nutrition and supplementation. The website collates scientific research using evidence-based practice methodology. Examine.com is led by Kamal Patel, and includes scientists, editors and peer reviewers.

History

Examine.com was created in 2011 by University of Toronto alumnus Sol Orwell out of his frustration with users on reddit asking the same questions over and over again. Helping shape the site in its early days was Kurtis Frank, who also helped co-found the site. Kurtis Frank had posted on a public forum that he had been doing nutrition research and he wanted it so other people could just access it, get their thoughts and save themselves some time. He was contacted by the other co-founder at Examine, Sol Orwell and they created the website. Sol Orwell had already thought of the idea from his weight loss journey and frustration with info on supplements but was searching for an expert. However, Kurtis officially left Examine sometime in 2018, when his name was removed from the site.

The company began with a focus on supplementation research, but expanded into nutrition as it continued to grow. During the initial research that led to the company's founding, co-founder Sol Orwell noticed that "outlandish claims were muddling the waters" of nutrition and supplementation, leading to the site's standard of evidence-based analysis. In 2014, the company began directly reviewing nutrition research in a digest tailored to the "serious enthusiast or professional".

''Men's Fitness'' named Sol Orwell a 2014 Game Changer for his work on Examine.com and for providing "hype-free, science-sourced information relatable to the masses."

In 2015, ''Forbes'' interviewed Orwell about his "seven-figure business", and ''Fast Company'' included Examine.com as one of the top ten innovative companies in fitness. The company was also incorporated in 2015, with Kamal Patel officially joining as co-founder.

As of September 2016, the website said that it had over 50,000 references.

By 2020, the website was being used by mainstream media like ''The New York Times'' as a supplements reference in the context of strength-building advice and understanding the role of supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The same year, inspired by GiveWell, Examine.com started publicly disclosing the mistakes they had committed and how they were fixing them.

In 2020, Examine.com Director Kamal Patel was named #1 Most Influential Man in Health & Fitness by Men's Health UK.

Company structure

Remaining unbiased is named as a priority in the site's mission statement. Examine.com only reviews research and supplement ingredients, rather than specific products. On the company blog, Examine.com publishes rebuttals to cases of exaggerated marketing of nutrition and supplementation products.

See also

* Natural Standard
* Dietary supplement
* Media transparency
* Comparison of supplements by different brands:
** ConsumerLab.com
** Labdoor, Inc

References

External links

*

{{Evidence-based practice

Companies established in 2011
Internet properties established in 2011
Media analysis organizations and websites
Evidence-based practices