Browse the evidence

COVID-19 lockdown restrictions caused a 19% reduction in new diabetes medication prescribing and a 22% reduction in new antihypertensive prescribing, while repeat prescribing remained stable.

If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes or high blood pressure recently, do not assume your care has paused. The study shows a significant drop in new prescriptions during lockdowns. Contact your provider to discuss starting necessary medications, potentially using remote monitoring to bypass the need for immediate in-person visits.

Overall metrics (StDev, IS) overestimate sleep regularity when based on study lengths of 7 days or less, whereas consecutive metrics (SRI, CPD) are more stable but require larger sample sizes.

If you are analyzing sleep data for 7 days or less, be cautious with overall metrics like Interdaily Stability (IS) as they tend to overestimate regularity. Consecutive metrics like SRI are more stable for short durations but require larger sample sizes for group comparisons. For individual short-term assessments, prioritize SRI or CPD.

Consumer acceptance of new food technologies is negatively correlated with perceived risk and positively correlated with perceived benefit, driven by affective heuristics and moral judgments rather than objective risk assessment.

To increase acceptance of a new food technology, focus on communicating tangible consumer benefits (e.g., nutrition, safety) rather than just technical safety data. Use language that aligns with moral values of care and purity, and avoid triggering 'dread' by emphasizing control and familiarity over novelty and uncertainty.

The lack of a unified, consensus definition for sarcopenia hinders the development of evidence-based treatments and prevents accurate comparison of research outcomes.

Patients and doctors should be aware that inconsistent definitions of sarcopenia currently make it difficult to compare treatment results. However, resistance training remains the recommended standard of care regardless of the specific diagnostic label used.

Secure multi-party computation (MPC) enables the linkage of patient data across different hospitals for research purposes without violating privacy regulations, allowing for accurate assessment of hospital transfer rates.

This paper is primarily for researchers and healthcare administrators. It demonstrates that advanced privacy-preserving technology (MPC) can be used to link patient data across hospitals, enabling more accurate research on patient outcomes and behaviors, such as hospital transfers.

The American Heart Association's 2024 Statistical Update mandates the use of respectful, specific language for race and ethnicity (e.g., 'Black adults') rather than collective nouns (e.g., 'Blacks') to address health equity and structural racism.

When citing or writing about AHA data, use specific adjectives for race and ethnicity (e.g., 'Black adults') instead of collective nouns (e.g., 'Blacks'). This aligns with current scientific standards for equity and precision.

Stress management and nutritional supplements (Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Fish Oil) do not significantly lower blood pressure in individuals with high-normal diastolic blood pressure.

For people with high-normal blood pressure, stress management and common nutritional supplements (Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Fish Oil) are not effective strategies for lowering blood pressure, even when taken as directed. Focus on weight loss and sodium reduction instead.

Breast-feeding does not have important antiobesity effects in children.

Breastfeed if you can, as it has many benefits for mother and child, but do not expect it to prevent obesity. It is not a reliable tool for weight management in children.

Moderate to high intensity aerobic and strength exercise training does not slow cognitive impairment in people with mild to moderate dementia and may potentially worsen it, despite improving physical fitness.

For caregivers of individuals with mild to moderate dementia, prescribing moderate to high intensity aerobic and strength exercise is unlikely to slow cognitive decline and may slightly accelerate it on standard tests, though the clinical relevance is uncertain. However, this regimen significantly improves physical fitness (e.g., walking distance). Therefore, exercise should be prescribed primarily for physical health and functional independence, not for cognitive preservation, with careful monitoring for adverse events.

Sarcopenia should not be the sole criterion for declining or de-listing candidates for liver transplantation; it should be considered in the full context of other medical and psychosocial factors.

If you have sarcopenia, it does not automatically disqualify you from a liver transplant. It is a risk factor that your medical team will consider alongside your overall health. It may motivate your team to prioritize your case or consider different types of donor livers.

Genetic testing for exercise prescription (e.g., predicting 'power' vs 'endurance' response) lacks sufficient scientific evidence and is not currently supported as a scientifically-sound approach.

Do not rely on commercial genetic tests to dictate your training program (e.g., whether you should do more strength or cardio work). The science does not currently support using DNA to prescribe specific training protocols. Focus on proven training principles and monitor your actual response to training.

Intermittent Energy Restriction (including Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding) produces similar short- and long-term weight loss to continuous daily energy restriction when total caloric intake is equal.

If you struggle with daily calorie counting, try Intermittent Fasting (like 16:8 or 5:2). It works just as well as eating fewer calories every day, as long as you don't overeat on your 'off' days. Choose the schedule that fits your lifestyle best.

Behavioral interventions (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing) are essential components of obesity treatment, as nutritional guidance alone is often insufficient.

Combine dietary changes with behavioral strategies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Motivational Interviewing. These tools help build the skills necessary for long-term adherence to healthy habits.

A structured, task-based group weight management program (WAP) delivers significantly greater long-term weight loss and is more cost-effective than standard practice nurse-led advice in primary care for individuals in socially deprived areas.

If you live in a deprived area and struggle with weight, standard advice from your nurse might not be enough. Look for structured, group-based programs like the Weight Action Programme. These programs use weekly tasks, peer support, and self-monitoring to help you lose weight. They are designed to be delivered in local clinics, making them accessible. The key is consistency: attend the initial weekly sessions and then transition to monthly maintenance to keep the weight off.

Modified Alternate-Day Fasting (mADF) produces significantly greater weight loss than a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) in adults with obesity.

Try modified alternate-day fasting: eat normally (but within your calorie limit) 4 days a week, and restrict calories to 400-800 on the other 3 days. This approach may yield better weight loss than a standard Mediterranean diet.

Late Time-Restricted Eating (lTRE) with an 8-hour window (2 pm - 10 pm) produces significantly greater weight loss than a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) in adults with obesity.

Try late time-restricted eating: restrict your eating to an 8-hour window from 2 pm to 10 pm. Ensure you are eating a balanced diet (45% carbs, 20% protein, 35% fat) with a 600-calorie daily deficit. This may yield better weight loss than a standard Mediterranean diet.

Behavioral interventions, including self-monitoring of weight and food habits, are essential for maintaining weight loss and preventing rebound in obesity treatment.

To keep weight off, adopt behavioral strategies. Weigh yourself 4 times a day (morning, after breakfast, after dinner, before bed) and graph your weight to track trends. Use a '30-chewing method' to slow down eating and improve satiety signals. Keep a diet behavior questionnaire to identify triggers for overeating, such as stress or emotional eating. Remember that small improvements are valuable, and perfection is not required for success.

Consumers can verify supplement quality and safety by seeking products that undergo third-party testing (e.g., NSF, Informed Choice) and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs).

To ensure you are getting what is on the label and avoiding banned substances, look for third-party testing seals like NSF International or Informed Choice. These organizations test products for purity and adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs). You can also request certificates of analysis from manufacturers to verify quality.

Low-intensity resistance exercise (20-30% 1RM) performed to failure (high volume) stimulates muscle protein synthesis (MPS) similarly to high-intensity exercise (80-90% 1RM) in older adults, offering a viable alternative for those with joint limitations.

You don't need to lift heavy weights to build muscle. If you have joint pain, use lighter weights (about 30% of your max) and do many repetitions until you can't do any more. This 'high volume' approach stimulates muscle growth just as effectively as heavy lifting, without the joint stress.

When training volume is not equated, non-failure training often results in greater strength gains than failure training due to the ability to perform more total work.

If you choose not to train to failure, ensure you perform enough sets to match the total volume of a failure-trained program. Failure training often limits total reps per set, so non-failure training can yield better strength gains simply by allowing more total work to be performed.

Higher attendance (threshold of 5+ sessions) in a theory-based weight loss intervention is associated with significantly greater weight loss and fat reduction, demonstrating a dose-response relationship for attendance.

To maximize weight loss from this program, aim to attend at least 5 of the 9 sessions. This threshold is associated with significantly greater weight loss and fat reduction compared to lower attendance.

Resistance exercise (RT), even at low loads and volumes, performed during step reduction protects older adults against muscle atrophy and preserves muscle protein synthesis.

If you are an older adult who is forced to reduce your activity (e.g., due to illness or injury) and cannot walk your usual steps, do not just sit still. Perform low-load resistance exercises (like light leg extensions or curls) 3 times a week. Using light weights (about 30% of your max effort) for 20-25 reps can help protect your muscle mass and keep your muscles ready to grow when you recover.

A brief, low-cost intervention based on habit-formation theory (Ten Top Tips leaflet) delivered in primary care produces significantly greater short-term weight loss (3 months) compared to usual care, with effects maintained at 24 months.

Use a simple, structured leaflet that focuses on building habits (repetition and context) rather than complex diet rules. Deliver it in a brief (30-minute) primary care visit. Provide tools for self-monitoring (logbook) and simple guidance (food label card). This approach is low-cost and can be effective for short-term weight loss, especially for patients who find traditional programs too demanding.

A theory-based mobile app intervention (Vegethon) significantly increases daily vegetable consumption in overweight adults attempting weight loss maintenance compared to a wait-listed control.

If you are overweight and trying to maintain weight loss, use a dedicated vegetable-tracking app like Vegethon. Commit to just 1-2 minutes a day to log your intake. The app uses gamification (points, challenges, social comparison) to make the habit stick. This simple behavioral tool can add roughly 2 servings of vegetables to your daily diet, which is a significant health improvement.