Browse the evidence

Knowledge of sports nutrition among gym-goers is often moderate but flawed, leading to the misidentification of protein as the primary energy source for muscles and the supervaluation of protein intake.

Many gym-goers mistakenly believe protein is their main energy source. In reality, carbohydrates are your primary fuel for workouts. Understanding this distinction helps you fuel your training effectively without over-relying on protein supplements.

RYGB surgery leads to a conditioned avoidance of high-fat foods, where patients continue to find fat palatable ('like') but reduce consumption ('want') due to negative gastrointestinal feedback.

You may still enjoy fatty foods, but your body has likely learned to limit them through conditioning. This is a normal, healthy adaptation to surgery, not a sign of failure.

Maternal depression during pregnancy is significantly associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), suggesting that screening for depression may reduce GDM risk.

If you are pregnant, pay attention to your mental health. Depression during pregnancy is linked to a higher risk of gestational diabetes. Talk to your doctor about screening for depression to help protect your health and your baby's.

Public health reformulation of ultra-processed foods (UPF) fails to reduce population-level health harms because industry growth strategies (combatition, swotification, fashion spiral, demand-pumping) drive aggregate UPF consumption upward, negating individual product improvements.

Do not rely on 'reformulated' or 'light' UPFs as a health strategy. The food industry uses reformulation to maintain growth and market share, often increasing total consumption through strategies like smaller, more frequent portions ('portion paradoxes') and novelty marketing. To improve health, the most effective intervention is reducing the overall availability and consumption of the UPF category, not just tweaking its ingredients.

A DPP-inspired lifestyle intervention providing low-cost, minimal-support options (simplified diet plans, YMCA membership, weekly phone calls) fails to produce significant weight loss in indigent, obese adults, whereas behavioral engagement (using the provided YMCA membership) and older age are associated with success.

For low-income individuals, simply giving them gym access or diet sheets is not enough to drive weight loss. Success requires active behavioral engagement, such as actually using the gym membership, and often benefits from older age or more intensive, individualized support to overcome logistical barriers like transportation and childcare.

High financial costs of healthy food and gym memberships act as primary barriers to weight loss, making unhealthy lifestyle habits more accessible and affordable than healthy ones.

If you live in an area where healthy food is expensive, do not blame yourself for choosing cheaper options. Focus on reducing waste, buying in bulk, and utilizing free physical activities like walking or outdoor exercise, while avoiding the high cost of gym memberships.

No single vegetable oil crop is inherently 'good' or 'bad'; the environmental and social impact depends entirely on the production system, trade practices, and local context.

Don't just look for 'palm oil-free' labels. Focus on supporting sustainable certification and production practices. No oil crop is inherently evil; the impact depends on how and where it is grown. Consider the broader environmental trade-offs of different oils.

Individual dietary advice to reduce salt intake fails to produce clinically important reductions in cardiovascular mortality or morbidity in normotensive or hypertensive populations.

Relying solely on your own willpower to reduce salt intake through advice is unlikely to significantly lower your risk of cardiovascular death or events. The evidence suggests that individual behavioral changes are hard to sustain and have limited clinical impact on mortality. Consider that structural or environmental changes to food sources might be more effective than individual dietary advice alone.

The presence of markets (grocery stores) in one's local food environment is negatively associated with obesity and abdominal obesity, although this association may not be significant when accounting for city-level clustering.

Having grocery stores nearby is associated with a lower risk of obesity, although this effect might be influenced by broader city-level factors. If you have access to markets, use them to stock up on healthy foods. However, be aware that your overall city environment also plays a role.

Post-liver transplant lifestyle interventions must prioritize psychological coping and emotional resilience before addressing physical diet and exercise prescriptions to ensure adherence and effectiveness.

If you have had a liver transplant, do not force yourself into a strict diet or exercise routine until you feel emotionally stable. Your medical team should address your anxiety and coping mechanisms first. Once you feel mentally ready, start with small, guided physical activities tailored to your specific recovery stage.

A technology-based intervention combining weekly telephone counseling with WiFi scale monitoring is not effective in reducing excess gestational weight gain among women with overweight or obesity compared to treatment as usual.

For pregnant women with overweight or obesity, using a WiFi scale and weekly phone calls with a dietitian starting in the second trimester does not appear to be enough to prevent excessive weight gain compared to standard care. The intervention failed to show benefits, suggesting that more intensive or earlier-starting interventions may be required for this high-risk group.

Passive information and encouragement delivered via mail or email does not provide additional clinical benefits for cardiovascular risk factors (weight, BMI, waist circumference, smoking) compared to usual care alone.

Sending patients regular emails or letters with health tips and encouragement is not enough to change lifestyle habits like smoking or weight. While blood pressure may improve due to standard care or the Hawthorne effect, passive digital/mail interventions do not add value. To change behavior, patients need active, sophisticated support systems, not just information.

Time-restricted eating (TRE) with a maximum 10-hour daily eating window is feasible for adherence during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy in individuals at increased risk of gestational diabetes, but it does not improve glycemic control or cardiometabolic outcomes compared to usual care.

If you are pregnant and at risk for gestational diabetes, trying a 10-hour eating window (e.g., 9 AM to 7 PM) for 5 weeks is safe and feasible, but do not expect it to lower your blood sugar or weight. You may feel hungrier in the evenings, but you can still adhere to the schedule. Consult your doctor before starting.

Primary care providers' lack of familiarity with anti-obesity medications (AOMs) and concerns about drug safety are primary barriers to prescribing pharmacotherapy for obesity.

If you are a provider, your hesitation to prescribe weight loss medication due to 'safety concerns' or 'lack of familiarity' is a major barrier to patient care. The paper suggests that increased familiarity with newer, highly effective AOMs (like semaglutide) and updated training can overcome these barriers. You should prioritize updating your knowledge on current pharmacotherapy guidelines to ensure patients receive evidence-based treatment.

Prior use of anti-obesity medications (AOMs) does not alter patient motivations for seeking bariatric surgery, as patients prioritize health and longevity regardless of prior pharmaceutical weight loss history.

If you are considering bariatric surgery, your history of using weight loss drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy likely won't change your reasons for wanting surgery. Most patients, regardless of drug history, want surgery to live longer and feel healthier, not just to hit a specific number on the scale. You can still use these drugs after surgery to help you lose even more weight if you are open to it.

Lower educational attainment is associated with higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, although this association becomes less pronounced after adjusting for other socioeconomic and demographic variables.

Education level is linked to health outcomes, with less education correlating with higher rates of hypertension and diabetes. Public health efforts should focus on providing accessible, easy-to-understand health information and care for individuals with lower educational attainment to reduce these disparities.

Higher socioeconomic status (income and education) is associated with higher recognition of nutrition labels, yet this recognition does not necessarily translate to actual usage or improved dietary intake, particularly in elderly and low-education populations.

Knowing a label exists isn't enough; you must be able to read and use it. If you are older or have less formal education, standard back-of-package labels may be too complex. Advocate for or look for front-of-pack 'at-a-glance' labels (like warning labels or traffic lights) which are easier to process quickly. Recognition of labels correlates with higher income and education, so be aware that these tools may be less effective for you without additional education on how to interpret them.

Financial policy measures, such as fiscal interventions, are required to effectively reduce meat consumption, as individual voluntary changes alone are insufficient.

Support policies that make healthy, sustainable food more affordable and accessible. Individual efforts are important, but systemic change through policy is necessary for widespread impact.

In Malaysian reproductive-age women, diabetes mellitus and passive smoking are significant predictors of bone fractures, whereas active smoking and physical activity levels are not.

For women aged 35-49, avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke is crucial for bone health, potentially more so than avoiding active smoking. Managing diabetes is also critical, as it significantly increases fracture risk. These factors outweigh micronutrient intake levels in predicting fractures.

Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies (EBTs) such as ESG and intragastric balloons are largely unknown to patients, with 78.2% unaware of their existence as weight loss options.

Most patients do not know that endoscopic weight loss procedures (like ESG or balloons) exist. If you are seeking weight loss, ask your provider about all options, including endoscopic therapies, as they may not be discussed unless you ask.

Sustained ad libitum consumption of an ultra-processed diet for two weeks does not significantly alter sweet or salty taste detection thresholds or preferences compared to an unprocessed diet.

Eating ultra-processed foods for two weeks does not change your basic ability to taste salt or sugar, nor does it change what you prefer. If you are overeating on these foods, look at factors like eating speed or energy density rather than assuming your taste buds have adapted.

Seasonal variations in glycemic control (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) in older adults with type 2 diabetes are preserved and not disrupted by lifestyle modifications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

For older adults with type 2 diabetes, do not assume that pandemic-related lifestyle changes (like staying home more) will necessarily disrupt your seasonal blood sugar patterns. The body's seasonal metabolic rhythm (typically better control in autumn, higher in spring) appears robust and may persist even when daily habits change. Focus on managing these known seasonal fluctuations in your treatment plan rather than expecting lifestyle changes to reset your baseline metabolic rhythm.

Obesity spreads through social networks via clustering, where individuals' BMIs converge toward the majority BMI of their social neighbors, creating self-sustaining clusters of weight status.

Your social circle significantly influences your weight. If your close friends are overweight, you are statistically more likely to gain weight, regardless of your personal efforts. Recognizing this social contagion is the first step to mitigating it.

Greater dietary diversity (variety of foods) is associated with suboptimal eating patterns, higher energy intake, and increased risk of weight gain and obesity in adult populations.

Stop trying to eat a wide variety of foods as a strategy for weight loss. Instead, focus on eating a healthy pattern that emphasizes plant foods, protein, low-fat dairy, and limits sweets and processed foods. Variety in the context of a modern food environment often leads to consuming more calories and less healthy options.