Examine.com

Not to be confused with Examiner.com.
Examine.com
Web address Examine.com
Type of site
 Wiki, database
Available in English
Launched 2011
Alexa rank
 Negative increase 23,251 (May 2015)[1]
Current status active

Examine.com is a Canadian company that runs an online encyclopedia focused on health, nutrition, and supplementation. The website's goal is to collate scientific research on supplementation and nutrition using evidence-based practice methodology. The Examine.com team includes scientists, editors, and peer reviewers from multiple academic and research institutions.[2] Though originally focused on supplementation research,[3] the company's growth[4] has allowed it to expand into direct analysis of nutrition research.[5][6]

History

Examine.com was founded in 2011 by University of Toronto alumni Sol Orwell and Kurtis Frank, a dietetics graduate from the University of Guelph, to serve as an evidence-based compendium on supplementation and nutrition.

By 2013, Examine.com referenced approximately 17,000 citations to back up the claims on over 150 supplement pages. To help their average reader understand the big picture behind each supplement, Examine.com introduced a color-coded "Human Effect Matrix" that summarized the effects each supplement has on people.[7] Today, the website has over 33,000 citations.[8]

In 2014, the company began reviewing nutrition research directly by publishing the Examine.com Research Digest.[9] The digest is meant for the "serious enthusiast or professional,"[10] and reviews recent nutrition studies. The same year, Men's Fitness named Sol Orwell a 2014 Game Changer because he "recognized the need for hype-free, science-sourced information that was relatable to the masses,"[11] and for his work on Examine.com.

In 2015, Forbes interviewed Orwell about his "seven-figure business,"[12] and Fast Company recognized Examine.com as one of the top 10 innovative companies in fitness[13]

Philosophy

To ensure an unbiased viewpoint, Examine.com has no affiliation with any supplement company and reviews only research and supplement ingredients, not individual products.[14][15] Remaining neutral is core to the site's function and mission statement. During the initial research that led to Examine.com, co-founder Sol Orwell realized "outlandish claims with 'supporting' evidence, a.k.a rat studies and/or petri-dish studies, were muddling the waters" of nutrition and supplementation, which led to the site's philosophy of evidence-based analysis.[16] Today, Examine.com frequently publishes critiques of popular stories in the media and rebuttals to exaggerated marketing of nutrition and supplementation products.[17][18][19]

Co-founder Kurtis Frank believes "a database is a magnitude better than a blogroll or a news feed, which disregards past evidence." His long term goal for Examine.com is to create "the largest database of supplemental information that is both accurate and digestible."[20]

Controversy

In 2014, Examine.com accused the authors of a paper published in Nutrition & Metabolism of plagiarizing[21] a section of the Examine.com page on alcohol. The paper was withdrawn[22] by the journal and a retraction was issued.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Examine.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  2. ↑ "About Examine.com". Examine.com. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "A new website for supplement answers". Men's Fitness. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Co-Founder of Examine.com". SignalTower.co. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "We finally bridged the gap". Examine.com. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Q&A: What Supplements Should I Take?". Men's Fitness. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Human Effect Matrix Takes Guess Work Out of Buying Supplements". Greatist.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "List of Supplements". Examine.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "We finally bridged the gap". Examine.com. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Q&A: What Supplements Should I Take?". Men's Fitness. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "Game Changers 2014: Sol Orwell". mensfitness.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "A Young Entrepreneur's Passion For Hacking His Diet Sparks A Seven-Figure Business". Forbes. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Of 2015 In Fitness". Fast Company. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Game Changers 2014: Sol Orwell". mensfitness.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  15. ↑ Tavis Piattoly (10 December 2014). "Unbiased Source On Nutrition Research". Mysportsdconnect.com (Podcast). My Sports Dietitian Connect. Event occurs at 4:22. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Interview With Sol Orwell From Examine.com". Nutritionstripped.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  17. ↑ "Is low-carb really the best weight loss diet?". Examine.com. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "High-Protein Diets Linked to Cancer: Should You Be Concerned?". Examine.com. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Do muscle building supplements cause testicular cancer? A deeper look at the latest study on MBS usage and testicular cancer". Examine.com. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "Interview - Kurtis Frank and Sol Orwell of Examine.com". International Society of Sports Nutrition. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "This picture sums it up". Facebook. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Author of alcohol paper retracted for plagiarism defends copy-and-paste strategy". RetractionWatch. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  23. ↑ "Retraction: Alcohol consumption and hormonal alterations related to muscle hypertrophy: a review". Nutrition & Metabolism. Retrieved 27 May 2015.

External links

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