Rung 1 of 7
Human RCT
A prospective trial in human participants with randomised allocation and a control arm, reporting the outcome this claim is about.
Last updated
Qualifies
- Allocation to groups is randomised and made before the outcome is measured.
- There is a control arm — placebo, an active comparator, or documented standard of care.
- The outcome supporting this specific claim is a reported endpoint, not an incidental observation.
- Participant number and effect size are reported, with a measure of uncertainty.
- Trial registration is recorded, or its absence is stated on the record.
Does not qualify
- A single-arm study, however large, and however the paper describes itself.
- Allocation decided by clinician or participant preference — that is observational, rung 2.
- A trial of a different route, formulation or salt than the claim describes.
- A conference abstract with no published methods. It caps at rung 2 until the full paper exists.
- Post-hoc subgroup findings presented as trial endpoints.
What this rung does not license you to say
A rung 1 claim about one outcome says nothing about any other outcome. A trial establishing glycaemic control does not grade a claim about hair growth, muscle retention, or anything else the same molecule is sold for. This is the single most common misreading in this category.
For example Semaglutide and body-weight reduction: multiple randomised, placebo-controlled trials with pre-registered weight endpoints.
Claims currently on this rung
The claim index is generated from the record set and is not built yet.
When it is, this section lists every claim across all 196 records sitting at
human_rct — which is what makes the ladder auditable rather than decorative.