An observed or measured outcome in a clinical trial to indicate or reflect the effect of the treatment being tested. An endpoint in a human study must be named in advance, so when the study is complete you can objectively deduce whether the treatment altered the variable.

When setting up a treatment or a study, we set an intentional endpoint as a way to measure the expected outcome. Given the uncertain nature of testing and variables, setting a threshold is extremely important for researchers.

We set up an endpoint before the study so that we have an objective stance as to whether the study had a positive outcome or not. As an example, I might say to you, “by taking this probiotic, the endpoint will be an improvement in skin health” and then we would commence the study and deem whether or not it was successful by the outcome of the ‘better skin’ endpoint.

It’s also important to note that an endpoint can be something you can easily notice, or something that’s impossible to notice with the naked eye (e.g. abundance of a certain type of immune cells within your body).