How many trials sit behind the claim?
Type what someone is selling or arguing about. This asks PubMed live and shows the paper, trial and review counts, with a link so you can re-run every number yourself.
What do the counts look like for topics we already checked?
On 30 October 2026 we counted 3,954 papers typed as randomized controlled trials for resistance training, 732 for creatine supplementation, and 0 for BPC-157. The evidence ladder shows them side by side.
The ladder uses narrower search phrases than a single word, so a short phrase such as "creatine" here will show a larger number than the ladder does. The gap between a well-studied topic and a thinly studied one is the point, so run the topic you were sold, then run a well-studied one, and compare.
How does it count?
It searches PubMed for your exact phrase in the title or abstract, then narrows by the publication type that the database's indexers assign. Randomized controlled trial, systematic review and meta-analysis are PubMed's own labels, and each number links to the search that produced it.
What can this not tell you?
- A count is not a verdict. A topic with many trials can still be a poor bet for you, and one with few can still be fine.
- It matches your exact words. A brand name, a spelling variant or a synonym will give a different count, so try the common names.
- A paper that mentions a topic is not a trial of it, and the trial label can lag for new papers.
- It does not read the papers, judge their quality, or say whether they were positive.
Where next?
Read how we grade a topic on the Copium Meter, the rules on the methodology page, or send us a claim to check. This is not medical advice, and whether anything suits you is a question for a clinician.