How the Body Map counts poster reports
The Body Map puts two kinds of evidence side by side: our grade of the published research, and what people who used a peptide said about it on Reddit and X. This page defines every number on the map.
Where the poster numbers come from
We collect public Reddit and X posts that name a tracked peptide. A language model reads each post once and records, for each peptide: did the writer use it, for which goal, the verdict, side effects from a fixed list, and whether they stopped. We keep only first-hand, non-promotional posts. We store counts, not post text. The data was last extracted on Oct 12, 2026 and the map was rebuilt on Oct 27, 2026. Each card shows the date range of its posts.
Definitions
- Mention
- Any Reddit or X post in our corpus that names the peptide. Mentions are what our datasets and trend charts count. The Body Map does not use them.
- First-hand post
- A post where the writer says they used the peptide themselves, and that is not promotional (no vendor, no affiliate pitch). Each Body Map card states this count.
- Verdict
- A first-hand post that says how it went for one goal: it worked, results were mixed, or it did not work. Posts that say it is too early, or are unclear, have no verdict.
- Goal
- Each verdict is filed under one of four goals: fat loss; building muscle; healing an injury or the gut; sleep, focus, mood or longevity. A card shows the goal that fits its body area, and never borrows another goal's numbers.
- Side-effect mention
- A first-hand post that mentions a side effect from a fixed list. We show one only when at least 5 posts mention it. It counts posts, not people, and is not an incidence rate: people who feel nothing rarely post.
- Stopping
- A first-hand post that says the writer stopped taking it, for any reason.
The 10-verdict floor
A card shows a “Posters say” result only when at least 10 first-hand posters gave a verdict for that goal. Below that, one or two posts swing the share too far, so the card says there are too few posts. The Peptide Game uses a lower floor of 3 because it is a simulation, not a reference.
Research grades and evidence tiers
Each peptide gets a report-card grade for its strongest use, based on the best human evidence. Each grade matches one of our evidence tiers.
| Grade | Tier | Best evidence |
|---|---|---|
| S | Tier 1 | Randomised human trials or meta-analyses |
| A | Tier 2 | Human observational studies or Phase 2 trials |
| B | Tier 3 | Animal trials or open-label human pilots |
| C | Tier 4 | Lab (in vitro) or mechanism studies |
| D | Tier 5 | Anecdotal reports or single cases |
What these numbers cannot tell you
- People who post are not a random sample. Strong results, good or bad, get posted more.
- Nothing is verified: not the product, the dose, or the outcome. Many products are unregulated.
- “Worked” is the poster’s own word, not a clinical result. Quote it with its count, never as a success rate.
- This is not medical advice. Talk to a physician before you start, stop or change any treatment.
The same counts are published as an open dataset: Peptide first-hand outcomes (CC BY 4.0). Back to the Body Map.