Browse the evidence

A community-based lifestyle intervention program (standard care or intensive) improves lipidemic profiles (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL) in adults at high risk for type 2 diabetes, with greater effectiveness observed in women, those with higher socioeconomic status, and residents of Southeastern Europe.

If you are at high risk for diabetes, a simple annual health check and counseling session can significantly improve your cholesterol and triglycerides, often matching the results of more intensive programs. However, if you are overweight, live in a region with fewer resources, or struggle with emotional eating and underestimating your weight, you may need more targeted support to see these benefits.

Psychological therapies (CBT, MANTRA, SSCM, family therapy) and specific pharmacological treatments (fluoxetine, topiramate for BN/BED; lisdexamfetamine for BED) are effective interventions for eating disorders, though RCTs specifically in the military context are lacking.

If you have an eating disorder, rely on evidence-based psychological therapies (like CBT or MANTRA) and prescribed medications (like fluoxetine or lisdexamfetamine) rather than just diet and exercise. These treatments address the root psychological and neurobiological factors of EDs.

Self-directed learning of cooking skills through independent resources (internet, books, TV) significantly increases the likelihood of possessing high cooking skills compared to not using these methods.

If you are a student or busy adult, you can significantly improve your cooking skills by actively seeking out recipes and techniques online, via books, or TV, rather than waiting for formal instruction. This self-directed approach is statistically linked to higher culinary competence, which in turn supports better diet quality and food security.

High availability and accessibility of fruits and vegetables at home is strongly associated with higher cooking skills, likely by providing the necessary ingredients to practice and refine culinary techniques.

To improve your cooking skills, ensure your kitchen has easy access to fruits and vegetables. The study suggests that having these ingredients available encourages you to practice and refine your cooking techniques, leading to higher overall culinary competence.

High knowledge of cooking terms and techniques is associated with higher cooking skills, suggesting that theoretical understanding supports practical culinary competence.

Learn the names of cooking techniques and terms. This theoretical knowledge is not just academic; it is strongly associated with higher practical cooking skills because it builds confidence and provides a mental framework for preparing food.

Primary care clinicians refer approximately 71% of eligible patients (BMI ≥ 30) to intensive behavioral weight loss interventions, but patient enrollment rates remain low (19% of invited, 40.6% of contacted).

If you are in primary care with a BMI over 30, expect your doctor to refer you to a weight loss program if they have a list of patients like you. However, be prepared that enrollment might be low because doctors often prioritize other medical issues or feel they don't know you well enough. To increase your chances, explicitly express interest in weight management during visits.

Relocation to redeveloped low-income housing reduces waist circumference and abdominal obesity, but does not significantly change BMI or overall obesity prevalence.

Moving to a better neighborhood isn't enough on its own; you likely need to move into better housing that facilitates healthier habits (like better kitchens or water quality). Focus on reducing added sugars, as this specific change was linked to waist reduction in this study.

Pre-existing mental health status (depressive symptoms, loneliness, insomnia) is the strongest predictor of developing or maintaining these conditions during the pandemic, with odds ratios increasing significantly for those with prior symptoms.

If you have a history of depression, loneliness, or insomnia, you are at significantly higher risk for these issues to persist or worsen during stressful times. Proactive mental health management and monitoring are essential for this group.

Women and non-Hispanic White individuals with type 2 diabetes had higher odds of experiencing depressive symptoms and loneliness during the pandemic compared to men and underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, respectively.

Be aware that being female or non-Hispanic White may be associated with a higher risk of depression and loneliness during stressful periods. This may be linked to social factors like living alone or less multigenerational support. Seek out community and social support.

Performing resistance training with light loads (25-30 RM) to volitional failure induces significantly higher perceived effort, discomfort, and displeasure compared to moderate loads (8-12 RM) performed to failure.

If you are struggling to stick with your resistance training program, check your load selection. Training with very light weights (25-30 reps) to failure is significantly more unpleasant and exhausting than using moderate weights (8-12 reps) to failure. Since both can build muscle similarly, choosing moderate loads may make your workouts feel better and help you stay consistent.

A short food-frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) with 50 items provides adequate agreement and reproducibility with a comprehensive 161-item questionnaire for ranking dietary intake of major food groups and macronutrients in men with prostate cancer.

For researchers or clinicians studying diet in prostate cancer patients, using a validated 50-item short questionnaire is a viable strategy. It takes only 15 minutes to complete and accurately ranks patients' intake of major food groups (like fruits, dairy, and seafood) compared to much longer surveys. This reduces participant burden and increases the feasibility of long-term studies, though it may be less accurate for total fat intake.

Adherence to intermittent fasting regimens is generally high (>80%) in short-term studies (≤3 months) but drops significantly in long-term studies (>3 months).

Intermittent fasting is easy to stick to for the first 3 months, but adherence drops significantly thereafter. If you plan to fast long-term, expect a drop in adherence and consider modified approaches (like MADF) to sustain it.

A 3-month multicomponent mobile health intervention (smartphone app + smart band + brief counseling) produces statistically significant but clinically modest weight loss and body composition improvements in overweight/obese adults compared to brief counseling alone, but these benefits are not maintained at 12 months after device removal.

Using a smartphone app and fitness tracker for 3 months can help you lose a small amount of weight and improve body composition if you are overweight or obese. However, this benefit disappears after 3 months if you stop using the devices. To maintain weight loss, you must transition the habits learned during the 3-month period (like self-monitoring and dietary awareness) into your daily life without relying on the technology.

Three weeks of total meal replacement (TMR) at 1120 kcal/day increases dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) activation and enhances its inhibitory functional connectivity over the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex in response to food cues, compared to a typical food-based diet (TD).

If you are struggling with food cravings, a short-term (3-week) period of consuming only meal replacement shakes (around 1120 calories) may help 'reset' your brain's response to food. Unlike eating normal food in portions, this approach appears to strengthen the brain's executive control centers (dlPFC) and their ability to inhibit reward centers (nucleus accumbens) when seeing food. This leads to greater weight loss and reduced cravings compared to just eating less of regular food.

Adding weekly group support to the 5:2 diet improves short-term adherence and weight loss (at 6 weeks), but this advantage diminishes and becomes statistically non-significant by 12 months.

If you start the 5:2 diet, try to get some form of support for the first 6 weeks, such as a group session or a buddy system. This will help you lose more weight initially. However, be aware that this advantage may fade after a year, so focus on building sustainable habits rather than relying solely on support.

Smartphone-only apps for weight management produce a modest but statistically significant reduction in body weight and BMI in adults with overweight or obesity, but this effect is limited to a 4-6 month window and diminishes thereafter due to lack of personalization.

Use a smartphone app for weight loss if you can commit to using it daily for 4-6 months. Expect modest results (SMD -0.33) and be prepared for weight regain if you stop using it. To maximize success, choose an app that offers some level of personalization or feedback, as generic apps have high dropout rates. This is not a long-term solution without human support or advanced AI customization.

Manipulating energy density does not significantly alter the total amount of food consumed (in grams), meaning volume intake remains constant.

Do not worry about shrinking your portions. When you lower the energy density of your food (e.g., by adding vegetables), you can eat the same amount of food by weight. This helps maintain satiety and makes the diet easier to follow long-term.

Consumers infer product 'cleanliness' and health benefits primarily through peripheral cues on front-of-pack labels (e.g., organic logos, 'free-from' claims, short ingredient lists) rather than central processing of back-of-pack nutritional data.

When evaluating 'clean label' products, do not rely solely on front-of-pack claims like 'organic' or 'free-from'. These are often marketing heuristics. To truly assess healthfulness, you must inspect the back-of-pack ingredient list and nutrition facts, as consumers often overestimate the health benefits of products with these labels due to 'halo effects'.

Prolonged sitting time is associated with a 30% higher risk of endometrial cancer and a 30% higher risk of colorectal cancer, independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Try to minimize prolonged sitting throughout the day. Even if you exercise regularly, breaking up sitting time can further lower your risk of endometrial and colorectal cancers.

Higher levels of moderate and vigorous physical activity are robustly associated with increased gut microbiome diversity, independent of major dietary factors and BMI.

Aim for regular moderate (e.g., brisk walking) or vigorous (e.g., running, cycling) physical activity. This study suggests that doing so is strongly linked to a healthier, more diverse gut microbiome, regardless of your exact diet or weight. You don't need to be an athlete; consistency in movement is the key lever identified here.

Oncology clinicians should adopt the 'Assess, Advise, Refer' (EIM) framework to standardize exercise referrals, as current referral rates are low despite high patient interest.

Clinicians: Make exercise a vital sign. Ask about activity, advise on its importance, and refer to a program using the EIM tools. This is a low-time, high-impact step.

There is a significant gap between recommended dietary fiber intakes and actual population intakes across Europe, with few countries providing guidance on specific fiber types to help close this gap.

If you are not meeting your fiber goals, generic advice is likely not enough. Look for specific guidance on which foods to prioritize. The problem is not just lack of will, but lack of clear direction on which fiber sources to target.

Urbanization and associated lifestyle changes (physical inactivity, dietary shifts, stress) are primary drivers of the increasing prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in the Asia-Pacific region.

Living in an urban area in the Asia-Pacific region significantly increases your risk of Metabolic Syndrome due to lifestyle factors like less physical activity and dietary changes. To counter this, prioritize regular physical activity and mindful eating habits, as these are modifiable factors that can reduce your risk despite your environment.

Sedentary time (sitting, TV watching) independently increases type 2 diabetes risk, with each hour of TV watching increasing risk by 3.4%, regardless of physical activity levels.

Minimize your total sedentary time, especially television watching. Each hour of TV watching increases your diabetes risk by 3.4%, regardless of how much you exercise. Stand up, move, or walk for short periods throughout the day to break up long sitting spells, as this has beneficial metabolic effects independent of formal exercise.