Our Evidence & Editorial Standards
HEALTH MATTERS UK
Clear, responsible health information — grounded in evidence, transparent about its limitations, and written with your wellbeing in mind.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Health information should be something you can trust
There is an enormous amount of health and wellbeing information available online. Not all of it is based on reliable evidence, and it can be difficult to know which advice to trust.
At Health Matters UK, we believe you should be able to understand not only what we are telling you, but why we are telling you.
When we publish health information, we aim to make it clear where the information comes from, how strong the supporting evidence is, who has written or reviewed it, when it was last checked, and where uncertainty still exists.
We will also clearly distinguish scientific evidence from professional perspective and personal experience.
HOW WE RESEARCH
We look beyond the headline
When Health Matters UK makes a health-related claim, we want to understand the evidence behind it — not simply repeat something because it is popular, widely shared or appears in a search result.
We prioritise credible, current sources and consider the quality of the evidence as well as what the research actually says.
NICE & NHS Guidance
Recognised UK health guidance and evidence-based recommendations.
Systematic Reviews
Research that evaluates findings across multiple relevant studies.
Public Health Sources
Trusted UK Government and recognised public-health organisations.
Clinical Guidelines
Guidance from appropriate professional, regulatory and specialist bodies.
Peer-Reviewed Research
Published scientific research relevant to the health question being considered.
Specialist Sources
Authoritative sources relevant to a particular area of health or wellbeing.
A published scientific paper is not automatically strong evidence.
We consider factors such as study design, participant numbers, limitations, conflicts of interest, whether findings have been replicated and how the research fits within the wider body of evidence.
OUR EVIDENCE CLASSIFICATION
Not all evidence is equal
To help you understand the information we publish, Health Matters UK uses five evidence classifications. These show whether information is supported by established research, developing evidence, professional perspective or personal experience.
STRONG EVIDENCE
Supported by high-quality and consistent evidence, such as established clinical guidance, high-quality systematic reviews, meta-analyses or a substantial body of reliable research.
GOOD EVIDENCE
Supported by credible research, but the available evidence may not yet have the strength, consistency or breadth required for our Strong Evidence classification.
EMERGING EVIDENCE
Research is promising or developing, but there is not yet enough high-quality evidence to regard the conclusion as established.
PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Information based on relevant professional training, education or experience that goes beyond what can currently be presented as an established scientific conclusion.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
An individual's lived experience or testimonial. Valuable for understanding personal experiences, but not evidence that another person will experience the same outcome.
“Emerging evidence, professional perspective and personal experience will never be presented as established scientific fact.”
WHEN EVIDENCE DISAGREES
Science doesn't always give us a simple answer
Scientific research develops over time. Studies can produce different results, recommendations can change, and new evidence can challenge what was previously understood.
When credible evidence conflicts, we will not simply select the study that supports the conclusion we prefer.
We look at the bigger picture
When assessing conflicting evidence, we consider:
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the quality and design of the research
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the size and characteristics of the study population
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whether findings have been replicated
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systematic reviews and the wider body of evidence
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recognised clinical guidance
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limitations identified by the researchers
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potential conflicts of interest
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how recent and relevant the evidence is
Where genuine scientific uncertainty remains, we will say so.
We believe acknowledging uncertainty is part of responsible health communication. We will not present developing, conflicting or inconclusive evidence as established fact.
AUTHORSHIP & REVIEW
Know who is behind the information you read
Health Matters UK believes health information should have clear authorship and accountability.
Where appropriate, our health articles and educational resources will identify who created the content, their relevant role or qualifications, when the information was published, and when the supporting evidence was last reviewed.
We will only reference qualifications and experience that are relevant to the subject being discussed and will never use a title or qualification to imply expertise outside someone's actual area of competence.
HOW OUR ARTICLES ARE LABELLED
Written by
Author name and relevant role/qualifications
Published
Original publication date
Evidence reviewed
Date the supporting evidence was last checked
Evidence classification
Strong | Good | Emerging | Professional Perspective | Personal Experience
Specialist review
Shown where an appropriately qualified external professional has reviewed the content
References
Sources used to support the health information
Where a subject extends beyond our own professional competence, we will seek appropriate specialist input where necessary or clearly signpost readers to an appropriately regulated healthcare professional.
“Qualifications matter. Knowing the limits of those qualifications matters too.”
OUR PROFESSIONAL SCOPE
Knowing when someone needs more than we can provide
Health Matters UK provides health education, wellbeing support and related services within the training, qualifications, experience and professional competence of the person providing that support.
We believe responsible practice includes recognising when a person's needs fall outside our professional scope.
WHAT WE DO
We provide education, guidance and support within our areas of competence, helping clients better understand their health and wellbeing and make informed, realistic choices.
We are transparent about the qualifications and experience relevant to the support we provide.
WHEN WE REFER OR SIGNPOST
Where someone's circumstances require assessment, diagnosis, treatment or specialist support beyond our competence, we will encourage them to seek advice from an appropriately qualified or regulated healthcare professional.
This may include a GP, pharmacist, registered dietitian, physiotherapist, psychologist or another appropriate healthcare professional depending on the circumstances.
Health Matters UK does not replace medical care.
Our role is to complement appropriate healthcare through responsible education, wellbeing support and guidance within our professional competence — not to diagnose medical conditions or provide treatment outside our scope.
“Sometimes the most responsible advice we can give is to speak to someone better qualified to answer the question.”
SPECIALIST REVIEW
We don't need to be the expert in everything
Some health and wellbeing subjects require knowledge or expertise beyond our own professional competence.
Where appropriate, Health Matters UK will seek input or review from suitably qualified healthcare professionals or subject specialists rather than presenting ourselves as authorities in areas outside our expertise.
RECOGNISE
We identify when a subject, claim or recommendation extends beyond the competence of the person creating the content.
REVIEW
Where appropriate, we seek input from a suitably qualified professional or specialist with relevant expertise.
DISCLOSE
Where specialist review has taken place, we aim to identify this clearly so readers can see who reviewed the information and their relevant professional credentials.
As Health Matters UK develops, we intend to build relationships with appropriately qualified independent professionals and specialists who can provide additional expertise and scrutiny where required.
Where content has not received independent specialist or clinical review, we will not imply that it has.
COMMERCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Our commercial relationships do not decide what the evidence says
Health Matters UK may recommend, provide or work with selected products, programmes and organisations where we believe they may appropriately support an individual's wider health and wellbeing journey.
Some of these relationships may provide Health Matters UK, Amanda or Gregers with income, commission or another commercial benefit.
DISCLOSE
We aim to clearly identify relevant commercial relationships, commissions, partnerships or other interests that could reasonably be considered when reading our content or recommendations.
SEPARATE
Our educational health content and assessment of evidence will not be altered simply to favour a product, programme or organisation with which we have a commercial relationship.
REVIEW
Products and programmes are not exempt from scrutiny because we use, recommend or benefit commercially from them. We will apply the same commitment to evidence and responsible communication.
If credible evidence conflicts with a commercial interest, the evidence takes priority.
Health Matters UK is not built around any single commercial product, supplement, diet programme or external company. These may be tools that form part of wider individual support where appropriate, but they do not define our approach to health and wellbeing.
Personal experience does not override evidence.
We may sometimes share our own experiences of products or programmes. When we do, we will identify these appropriately as personal experience. A positive personal experience does not establish that another person will experience the same result and will not be presented as scientific proof of effectiveness.
“Our recommendations should earn your trust on their merits — not because we have something to sell.”
NUTRITION & SUPPLEMENTS
A testimonial is not the same as evidence
Nutrition and supplement information can be particularly vulnerable to exaggerated claims, personal anecdotes and marketing messages being presented as scientific fact.
Health Matters UK applies the same evidence standards to nutritional products and supplements that we apply to other health information.
Our own positive experience with a product does not change the level of scientific evidence supporting it.
EVIDENCE
We consider the quality and relevance of available scientific evidence before presenting health information about a nutritional product or supplement.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Personal experiences and testimonials will be clearly distinguished from scientific evidence and will not be used to guarantee or imply that another person will achieve the same outcome.
AUTHORISED CLAIMS
Where UK rules require nutrition or health claims to be authorised, we will aim to ensure that claims we make are permitted and that the relevant conditions for using them are met.
MEDICAL CLAIMS
We will not knowingly present a food or nutritional supplement as preventing, treating or curing a medical condition where such a claim is not legally permitted.
“It worked for me” and “research shows that it works” are two different statements.
Both can have a place in an honest conversation, but Health Matters UK will clearly distinguish between them.
“Products don't receive a lower evidence standard because we like them, use them or sell them.”
REVIEWS & CORRECTIONS
Our information should evolve when the evidence does
Health and scientific evidence develops over time. New research is published, professional guidance changes and recommendations that were appropriate when an article was written may later need to be reconsidered.
For that reason, publishing health information is not the end of our responsibility for it.
Where appropriate, Health Matters UK content will display when its supporting evidence was last reviewed.
SCHEDULED REVIEW
Health information will be periodically reviewed to help ensure that important guidance, evidence and references remain current.
EARLY REVIEW
We may review content sooner when significant new research is published, recognised guidance changes, relevant regulations change or a credible concern is raised about something we have published.
UPDATE OR REMOVE
Where information is no longer adequately supported, we may update, qualify, correct or remove it rather than knowingly leave outdated health information in place.
CORRECT OPENLY
If we identify a material error, we will correct it. Where appropriate, significant corrections or changes will be identified so readers can understand what has changed.
Changing our position because better evidence has become available is not a failure of our evidence process.
It is evidence that the process is working.
We welcome responsible challenge.
If a reader, healthcare professional, researcher or other appropriately informed person believes that something we have published is inaccurate, outdated or unsupported, we welcome them bringing it to our attention so that we can review the evidence.
Later, when we build the functionality around this page, we can connect this to your normal Contact Us route rather than publishing another email address.
“Our commitment is to getting the information right — not to defending something simply because we published it.”
SOCIAL MEDIA & SHORT-FORM CONTENT
Shorter content shouldn't mean lower standards
Social media can make valuable health information more accessible, but complex health subjects cannot always be accurately explained in a single post, graphic or short video.
Health Matters UK applies the same underlying commitment to evidence and responsible communication to our short-form content as we do to our longer health articles and educational resources.
ACCURATE
We will not knowingly change or oversimplify scientific information in a way that alters its meaning simply to make content more attention-grabbing or shareable.
CONTEXT
Where a health topic requires greater explanation, we will aim to provide appropriate context or direct readers towards a fuller Health Matters UK resource.
TRACEABLE
Where practical, important health claims should be capable of being traced back to credible evidence, guidance or the fuller referenced content supporting them.
A health claim does not become more reliable because it has been liked, shared or repeated thousands of times.
Popularity, personal testimony and social-media engagement are not substitutes for evidence. Equally, we will not dismiss information simply because it originated on social media — we will look for the credible evidence behind the claim before deciding what weight it deserves.
We won't use fear to create engagement.
Health Matters UK will aim to avoid sensationalising health risks, overstating research findings or using unnecessary fear to encourage clicks, shares, enquiries or purchases.
“The format may be shorter. Our responsibility for what we say isn't.”
EVIDENCE BEFORE OPINION
You should be able to ask us: “How do you know?”
Health and wellbeing are personal. People have different experiences, circumstances, beliefs and preferences, and those experiences deserve to be heard.
But personal experience and professional opinion are not automatically scientific evidence.
When Health Matters UK presents something as a health fact, we want to be able to explain what supports that statement and how confident we can reasonably be in the conclusion.
WHAT WE KNOW
Where evidence is well established, we will explain what the available research and recognised guidance supports.
WHAT WE THINK
Where we provide a professional perspective based on relevant training or experience, we will distinguish this from established scientific evidence.
WHAT WE DON'T YET KNOW
Where evidence is limited, conflicting or still developing, we will communicate that uncertainty rather than presenting a definitive answer that the evidence cannot support.
Sometimes “we don't know yet” is the most responsible answer we can give.
Uncertainty is not something we need to hide. It is part of science, and being transparent about it helps people make better-informed decisions.
Evidence should also be understandable.
Our aim is not simply to provide a list of scientific references. We want to explain what the evidence means in clear, accessible language while preserving the important context, limitations and uncertainty behind it.
“Don't simply take our word for it. Ask what the evidence says.”
OUR COMMITMENT
Evidence. Transparency. Responsibility.
Health Matters UK will continue to develop these standards as our knowledge, services and professional network grow.
Our commitment is to provide health and wellbeing information that is responsible, understandable and grounded in the best evidence available to us.
We will not knowingly make a health claim simply because it is popular, commercially convenient or supports something we sell.
We will aim to follow the best available evidence, communicate uncertainty honestly, remain within our professional competence, disclose relevant commercial interests and update our information when better evidence becomes available.
Where a question requires expertise beyond our competence, we will say so and, where appropriate, signpost or seek input from someone suitably qualified.
You shouldn't have to simply trust us.
You should be able to see why we believe what we say.
Health Matters UK provides health education and wellbeing support within our areas of professional competence. Our information is not a substitute for individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.