I have a medical degree. I work as a Regulatory Specialist in clinical trials for drugs and medical devices. In plain English: I'm one of the people in the room when a company decides how to test a product, what to tell the FDA, what claims they can make, and what they conveniently leave out of the marketing copy.

I built Kristina Does Research because of a specific kind of frustration. The more time I spent in this industry, the more I realized that the gap between what researchers and regulators know, and what the average person actually hears, is vast. And the people most hurt by that gap aren't scientists. They're your mom, your cousin, your friend, your Target-shopping, TikTok-scrolling family members who are genuinely trying to take care of themselves.

So I started writing. Not for my colleagues. Not to show off credentials. For the people who've been failed by both the industry and the educators - either sold expensive nonsense by brands, or lectured at by experts who never once made the information feel relevant to their actual Tuesday morning at CVS.

You know the "Rich BFF" concept — the friend who happens to be a financial advisor and tells you what your bank doesn't want you to know at brunch? That's what I'm doing, but for the health and wellness industry. I'm the friend who works in the system and will tell you, in plain human language, exactly how it works.

This newsletter is not academic or meant to be patronizing. It's not going to make you feel dumb. What I am going to do is hand you the same knowledge I use every day at work - translated into something you can actually use the next time you're standing in Target trying to decide if that probiotic is worth it.

#GutTok has over 2 billion views on TikTok. Your feed is full of “gut reset” protocols, probiotic sodas, and supplements promising to fix your skin, mood, energy, and your bloating…simultaneously. As someone who reads clinical trial data for a living, here’s my honest three-second take on the main categories:

✔️ Legit: Fiber. Just fiber. Boring, unsexy, works.
The single most evidence-backed gut health intervention costs about $8 and lives in the oatmeal aisle. Only 5% of Americans meet their daily fiber intake. Gut bacteria survive on dietary fiber, which means the most effective thing you can do for your microbiome is eat more of it. Every gastroenterologist will tell you this. TikTok will not, because fiber doesn't have an affiliate link.

❓Ehhh. It Depends: Probiotic supplements are useful for specific things, not everything.
The American Gastroenterological Association does not recommend probiotics for most digestive conditions. They do have real evidence behind them for specific strains in specific situations, but "this probiotic gummy will clear your skin, fix your anxiety, and boost your immunity" is not what the clinical data supports. The strain matters. The dose matters. The condition you're trying to address matters enormously. A generic probiotic blend addressing "general wellness" is often spending $40 on something your yogurt does for free.

❗Hype*: Poppi, Olipop and "gut-healthy" sodas.
Poppi was literally sued in 2024 for misleading consumers: their prebiotic soda contained so little inulin (2g) that researchers said it would need to be 25x higher to meaningfully impact your gut microbiome. "Prebiotic soda" sounds like health. It is, at most, a slightly better alternative to regular soda. The marketing is doing extraordinary work relative to the science, which is doing almost nothing.

* Drink them if you enjoy them! Just don’t count on them as your gut health intervention.

TLDR: eat fiber, be specific about your probiotic if you use one, and enjoy your prebiotic soda as a soda - not a supplement. You just saved yourself $50/month and the vague feeling that you're doing something good for your gut when you're mostly just drinking flavored water with a lab coat on it.

What's the one product you've been on the fence about — and want me to actually look into?

Could be something you keep seeing on TikTok. Something your doctor mentioned. Something your friend swears by that you're skeptical of. Something you've been buying for years and you're suddenly not sure about. Hit reply, tell me what it is. I read every single one, and the products that come up most often will become a future issue… or a "Decode This Label" episode on Instagram. Either way, your question gets answered.

Like what you see? Share with a friend, colleague or frenemy.

Thanks for being here. Genuinely. Whether you’ve been reading since Issue 1 or this landed in your inbox completely randomly - you are exactly who this is for. The person who wants to make smarter decisions, but hasn’t had anyone in their corner to explain it without making them feel like they should have paid more attention in biology class.


That changes now. I’m your insider.