Editorial Policy

Health content is easy to write badly. This page sets out the rules we hold ourselves to, so you can judge whether to trust the numbers on this site.

1. Sources we accept

Every factual claim on MyBodyMath traces back to one of four source types, in descending order of preference:

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in peer-reviewed journals — the strongest evidence for a general recommendation.
Position stands from professional bodies — the International Society of Sports Nutrition, the American College of Sports Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Primary randomised controlled trials, where we name the sample size and population so you can judge how well it applies to you.
The original publication of any equation we implement — we go back to the paper the formula came from rather than copying it off another calculator site.

We do not cite supplement company blogs, influencer claims, press releases, or unsourced numbers that circulate between fitness sites. If a popular claim has no research behind it, we say that plainly rather than repeating it.

2. How we implement formulas

Calculators are written directly from the equation as published, with no undocumented adjustment. Before a calculator goes live it is checked three ways: the equation is verified against the source paper, the output is hand-calculated for at least three test cases across the plausible input range, and the result is compared against at least two independent implementations. Where two published versions of a formula exist — the original and the revised Harris-Benedict, for instance — we state which one we used and why.

Every formula and its arithmetic is published in full on How We Calculate. You should never have to trust a black box.

3. How we handle uncertainty

Every estimating equation in this field has an error margin, and hiding it is the single most common failing of calculator sites. Our rules:

Where a published validation study exists, we quote its accuracy. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, for example, falls within 10 percent of measured resting metabolic rate for roughly 70 percent of people — which also means it misses badly for about three in ten.
We describe the population a formula was derived from. Equations built on sedentary adults of average body composition behave poorly at the extremes: very lean athletes, people with a great deal of muscle, and people with obesity.
We never present an estimate as a measurement. A calculated body fat percentage is an estimate from a tape measure, not a DEXA scan, and we say so on the page.
Where the evidence is genuinely mixed — meal timing, fasting windows, optimal carbohydrate intake — we present the disagreement rather than manufacturing a verdict.

4. What we will not publish

Calorie targets below established safety floors, or crash-diet protocols.
Personalised medical advice, or anything framed as diagnosis or treatment.
Content aimed at readers under 18, for whom growth-adjusted clinical references are the correct tool, not adult equations.
Weight-loss claims stated as guarantees. Energy balance is a strong predictor on average and a noisy one week to week.
Paid placements, sponsored recommendations, or affiliate links inside calculator results. Display advertising is the site’s only revenue and is clearly separated from editorial content.

5. Review schedule

Every calculator page and every article carries a visible “last updated” date. Calculator pages are reviewed at least once a year against current literature and position stands. Articles are reviewed when a relevant meta-analysis or position stand is published, when a reader raises a substantive objection, or on an annual sweep — whichever comes first. A review that produces no change still refreshes the review date, so the date always means “a human checked this then,” not “this was published then.”

6. Corrections

We make mistakes and we fix them in public. When we correct something material — an equation, a cited figure, a recommendation — we amend the page and add a dated correction note at the foot of it. Minor fixes to spelling or phrasing are made silently. We do not quietly delete pages to make errors disappear.

To report an error, use the contact page. Please include the page, the specific claim, and a source if you have one. Reports that come with a citation get answered first.

7. Independence

No advertiser, supplement brand, coach, or app has any say over what appears on this site. Advertising is served programmatically; we do not choose which advertisers appear, and their presence is never a recommendation. If we ever accept sponsored content, it will be labelled as such at the top of the page in plain language.

Policy last reviewed: September 2026.

Last updated September 14, 2026.