Browse the evidence

Supervised resistance training produces greater site-specific muscle hypertrophy and strength gains compared to unsupervised training in resistance-trained individuals.

If you are already experienced with resistance training, working with a coach or trainer who provides real-time feedback and encouragement will likely lead to better muscle growth and strength gains than training alone. The supervision helps you push closer to failure with better technique, which drives adaptation.

Daily undulating programming (DUP) and strategic microcycle construction (e.g., prioritizing high-intensity sessions after low-intensity recovery sessions) can optimize recovery and enhance performance on priority sessions.

Use Daily Undulating Programming (DUP) to schedule high-intensity or high-volume sessions after low-intensity 'easy' sessions. This allows you to recover fully for your priority lifts while maintaining training frequency.

A 5-year Physical Activity on Prescription (PAP) intervention significantly improves metabolic health and mental quality of life in patients with metabolic risk factors, despite a 52% dropout rate.

Engage in a structured, long-term physical activity program (like Sweden's PAP) that includes regular follow-ups and a written prescription. Aim for approximately 3 hours of moderate-intensity activity per week. This approach has been shown to significantly improve metabolic health markers (blood pressure, glucose, lipids) and mental well-being over 5 years, even if adherence is challenging.

Exercise training (ET), including high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training, improves functional status, exercise capacity, and quality of life in HFpEF patients.

If you have HFpEF, engage in regular exercise training, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or moderate-intensity continuous training. This improves your exercise capacity, quality of life, and heart function. It is safe and recommended by guidelines.

Actively considering the health impacts of food choices during the decision-making process significantly increases the nutritional quality of selected foods, independent of an individual's intertemporal discount rate.

To eat healthier, you must actively engage your attention on health consequences during the moment of choice. Simply having nutrition labels available is not enough; you must consciously choose to consider how the food affects your health. You can facilitate this by using visual cues (like star ratings) or prompts that draw your attention to health impacts, which has been shown to lead to significantly healthier selections.

Multicomponent behavioral interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), produce 5-10% weight loss and are essential for addressing psychological barriers and sustaining lifestyle changes.

Engage in structured behavioral programs that include self-monitoring, goal setting, and problem-solving. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is particularly effective for those with binge eating, while Motivational Interviewing (MI) helps resolve ambivalence. These interventions typically yield 5-10% weight loss and are most effective when combined with lifestyle changes and, if necessary, medication.

Consulting with a sports Registered Dietitian (RD) regarding supplement choices is associated with a lower risk of using non-third-party tested supplements.

Talking to a sports dietitian about your supplements significantly lowers your risk of using contaminated products. If you can't see one, ensure you search for information yourself and look for third-party testing logos.

Personalized diet counseling interventions that emphasize specific food behavior goals (increased plant protein, fish, olive oil, fruits/vegetables, nuts) and specific behavior change techniques (self-monitoring, feedback on performance, focus on past success) significantly improve short-term diet quality (HEI-C) in patients with metabolic syndrome.

For patients with metabolic syndrome, personalized diet counseling is effective when it moves beyond general 'balanced meal' advice. Focus on specific, actionable goals like increasing plant protein, fish, olive oil, and nuts. Use behavior change techniques like self-monitoring (e.g., food logs), providing feedback on performance, and focusing on past successes. Avoid excessive goal setting (more than 3 goals per 3 months) as it may hinder progress.

Splitting a lower-body resistance training session into two shorter intra-day sessions increases total training volume (repetitions) compared to performing the same exercises in one long continuous session.

If you can fit two shorter gym visits into your day with a few hours of rest in between, you might be able to squeeze out a few more reps than if you did one long, exhausting session. However, the gain is small (3%), so prioritize the schedule that you can actually stick to.

Supervised combined exercise and dietary interventions significantly improve glycaemic control, comorbidities, and quality of life in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients, with supervised exercise yielding superior outcomes to unsupervised regimens.

Do not rely on unsupervised exercise alone for T2DM management. Engage in a supervised exercise program combined with a personalized dietary plan (such as the Mediterranean diet). Supervised exercise has been shown to significantly improve blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight loss compared to unsupervised efforts.

Interventions using tailored individual lifestyle coaching and interactive group sessions are more effective than those using only passive materials like pamphlets or text messages.

For lasting dietary changes, seek programs that offer personal coaching and group interaction. Simply reading pamphlets or receiving text messages is unlikely to be enough. Look for programs that involve trained professionals and interactive sessions.

Early response to treatment (≥5% weight loss in 3 months) is a strong predictor of long-term success; non-responders should switch therapies.

Monitor your weight closely in the first 3 months of starting a new obesity medication. If you haven't lost at least 5% of your body weight, talk to your doctor about switching to a different therapy. Early success is the best predictor of long-term success.

Adhering to the MyPlate dietary pattern (focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein) reduces central adiposity (waist circumference) in overweight, low-income patients, offering a practical alternative to calorie counting.

Follow the MyPlate guidelines: fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, one-quarter with whole grains, and one-quarter with quality protein. You do not need to count calories. This approach helps reduce belly fat (waist circumference) and is easier to stick to long-term than strict calorie counting, especially if you find tracking numbers stressful.

Cognitive-behavioral treatment for obesity, delivered in weekly group sessions for 4-6 months, typically produces an 8-10% reduction in initial body weight, which is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in chronic conditions.

Commit to a structured program that meets weekly for 4-6 months. Focus on tracking your food and activity, setting specific weekly goals, and learning to handle setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures. To keep the weight off, stay in touch with the program or a support group after the initial 6 months.

Structured behavioral lifestyle interventions (BLIs) with frequent feedback and support produce clinically meaningful weight loss (≥5%) in overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes, regardless of specific diet or exercise components.

For T2DM patients, the specific diet or exercise type matters less than the structure of the support. Choose a program that offers frequent feedback, regular monitoring, and social support. Consistency in attending sessions and receiving feedback is more critical than the specific 'brand' of diet or exercise.

Time-restricted eating (TRE) with a 9-hour eating window (1000–1900 h) is non-inferior to standard individualized dietetic guidance for improving HbA1c and glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes over a 6-month period.

If you have type 2 diabetes, try limiting your daily eating to a 9-hour window, specifically between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM. You do not need to restrict calories explicitly, but you will likely eat less spontaneously. This approach is just as effective as standard dietitian advice for lowering HbA1c and may be easier to stick with because it is simpler. Ensure you are not on medications that require strict meal timing (like insulin or sulphonylureas) without medical supervision.

Reducing ultra-processed food intake after a colorectal cancer diagnosis is associated with lower cardiovascular disease mortality compared to maintaining or increasing UPF intake.

If you have had colorectal cancer, cutting back on ultra-processed foods after your diagnosis can significantly lower your risk of dying from heart disease. Even a moderate reduction (e.g., 2-3 servings per day less than before) is associated with better outcomes.

Ultraprocessed foods contribute to weight regain and hinder weight loss maintenance by increasing caloric intake and body fat gain, independent of macronutrient composition, due to their palatability and marketing.

Focus on reducing ultraprocessed foods rather than obsessing over macronutrient ratios. Studies show that even when matched for fat, sugar, and fiber, ultraprocessed foods lead to greater calorie intake and fat gain. Prioritizing unprocessed foods supports weight maintenance by reducing the drive to overeat.

Successful long-term weight loss maintenance is strongly predicted by high levels of physical activity (200-300 min/week) and behavioral strategies like self-monitoring, rather than just the amount of initial weight loss.

To maintain weight loss, aim for 200-300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. This is a key trait of successful maintainers. Combine this with self-monitoring (weighing yourself, tracking food) and portion control. Remember, how much you lose initially doesn't predict long-term success; your ongoing behaviors do.

Cardiac rehabilitation involving moderate-intensity endurance exercise (≥150 min/week) combined with resistance training (3 sessions/week) improves functional capacity, cardiovascular risk factors, and weight loss in patients with obesity.

If you have obesity and cardiovascular risk, aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise (like brisk walking) and 3 days of resistance training (weights) per week. This is a standard recommendation to improve your heart health and fitness. Start slowly and consider a supervised program if you have existing heart conditions.

Lifestyle interventions (diet and exercise) reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in individuals with prediabetes, but the benefit is primarily established for those with Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and may not apply to those with isolated Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG).

If you have prediabetes, lifestyle changes are your first line of defense. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week and a healthy diet. Even if you don't lose the full 7% of your body weight, just meeting the exercise goal can significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Physical activity can significantly reduce the genetic risk of obesity, specifically by mitigating the effects of the FTO gene.

If you have a family history of obesity, regular physical activity is your most powerful tool to counteract your genetic risk. Aim for consistent activity to reduce your FTO gene's impact by nearly 30%.

A multicomponent workplace-based Mediterranean diet intervention significantly improves adherence to Mediterranean diet principles in career firefighters over 12 months.

To improve your diet, don't just rely on knowing what to eat. Change your environment. Make healthy food cheaper and more available (discounts, samples). Get your family and coworkers involved. Use reminders and cooking demos to make the new habits easier to stick with over the long term.

Intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) reduces cardiovascular event risk in adults with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes ONLY when the patient maintains at least 50% of the time in the target weight loss range (>50% TIR) after initial weight loss.

For adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity, the cardiovascular benefits of lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) are not guaranteed by weight loss alone; they are contingent on maintaining that weight loss. If you lose weight but regain it, you may not see the expected reduction in heart disease risk. Therefore, the primary goal of lifestyle intervention should be long-term weight maintenance, not just initial loss.