Browse the evidence

Adipocyte-derived fatty acids, released via lipolysis (ATGL/HSL), are taken up by breast cancer cells and drive proliferation and migration through increased fatty acid oxidation (CPT1A) and electron transport chain activity.

This research suggests that in obesity, fat cells release fatty acids that fuel breast cancer growth. While this is an in vitro finding, it implies that metabolic factors linked to obesity (like high fatty acid availability) may promote cancer progression. It does not currently translate to a specific dietary intervention for patients, but highlights the importance of metabolic health in cancer risk.

During early critical illness, intramuscular lipid delivery (from enteral or parenteral nutrition) is bioenergetically inert and does not contribute to ATP content or muscle mass preservation.

In the first week of critical illness, standard lipid-based nutrition does not appear to fuel muscle energy or prevent muscle loss because the muscle's mitochondria are dysfunctional. This suggests that early lipid delivery may be ineffective for muscle preservation in this specific acute phase.

Genetic overexpression of SIRT6 extends median and maximal lifespan in both male and female C57BL/6 mice by preserving hepatic gluconeogenesis and energy homeostasis during aging.

This research identifies SIRT6 as a key regulator of healthy aging in mice, specifically by maintaining the liver's ability to produce glucose (gluconeogenesis) from precursors like lactate and glycerol during fasting. This prevents the metabolic decline and frailty associated with aging. While this is a genetic model, it suggests that supporting metabolic flexibility and hepatic health may be crucial for longevity. For humans, this underscores the importance of maintaining metabolic health through regular physical activity and potentially time-restricted eating patterns that engage gluconeogenic pathways, rather than seeking a simple genetic fix.

Mild depolarization of the inner mitochondrial membrane, mediated by mitochondria-bound hexokinases and creatine kinases, prevents the generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) and is a crucial component of anti-aging mechanisms in long-lived mammals.

Longevity is linked to the ability of your cells to maintain 'mild depolarization' of mitochondria, a state where energy production is efficient enough to make ATP but low enough to prevent damaging ROS. This state is maintained by specific enzymes (hexokinases) bound to mitochondria. In short-lived animals, this mechanism fails with age, leading to oxidative damage. In long-lived animals, it persists. While you cannot directly 'dose' this mechanism, supporting mitochondrial health through exercise and metabolic flexibility may help preserve these kinase-mediated protective pathways.

Critically ill patients require significantly higher protein intakes (2.0–2.5 g/kg/day) than standard guidelines (1.2–1.5 g/kg/day) to achieve positive nitrogen balance and potentially improve survival.

For critically ill patients without kidney failure, medical teams should consider protein intakes of 2.0–2.5 g/kg/day. This higher dose is necessary to counteract the severe catabolic state of critical illness and achieve positive nitrogen balance, which may support survival.

Higher fruit consumption (servings per week) is significantly associated with increased odds of weight loss maintenance, whereas other individual Mediterranean diet components (vegetables, legumes, olive oil) were not significant when analyzed in isolation.

Increase your weekly fruit intake. Each additional serving per week is associated with a 3% higher chance of keeping weight off. Focus on whole fruits rather than juices to maximize fiber and satiety benefits.

Adherence to a healthful plant-based diet (hPDI) is associated with lower risk of obesity and less weight gain, whereas adherence to an unhealthful plant-based diet (uPDI) is associated with higher risk of obesity and more weight gain.

To manage weight, focus on the quality of your plant foods. Prioritize whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes (healthful plant foods) while limiting refined grains and added sugars (unhealthful plant foods). Simply being vegetarian is not enough; the quality of the plants matters significantly for preventing obesity.

An intensive lifestyle intervention combining a low-energy diet (approx. 800 kcal/day via meal replacements) and physical activity (≥150 min/week) can induce remission of type 2 diabetes in younger patients with early-onset disease.

If you have early-stage type 2 diabetes and are under 50, a structured program involving very low-calorie meal replacements (around 800 calories) for the first few months, followed by a gradual return to solid foods, combined with at least 150 minutes of weekly exercise, may help you achieve diabetes remission. This approach focuses on significant weight loss rather than just symptom management.

A formula-based low-calorie diet (800 kcal/day) supplemented with 200g non-starchy vegetables for 8 weeks serves as an effective weight loss induction phase for adults with obesity (BMI 30-39.9), provided participants achieve >4kg weight loss to qualify for maintenance.

To kickstart weight loss, use a structured 8-week program involving 800 kcal of formula meals daily, plus 200g of non-starchy vegetables. This creates a strong caloric deficit. You must lose at least 4kg in these 8 weeks to move to the next phase of personalized maintenance.

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) supplementation promotes weight loss, satiety, and improved body composition without compromising lean body mass loss.

If you are trying to lose weight, choose Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC). It helps you feel full (satiety), lose weight, and improve your body composition while protecting your lean muscle mass. Incorporate it into your daily diet.

High-intensity sprint training can reduce abdominal fat tissue more effectively than moderate-intensity aerobic training with similar energy expenditure.

If you have time constraints or want to target abdominal fat, consider incorporating high-intensity sprint training. It may be more effective for abdominal fat loss than moderate-intensity exercise, even if you burn the same number of calories.

Inpatient very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) at 5 kcal/kg/day for approximately 20 weeks significantly reduces liver size and abdominal adipose tissue, thereby minimizing surgical risks and enabling successful bariatric surgery in patients with extreme obesity (BMI ≥ 50 kg/m²).

If you have extreme obesity (BMI 50+), standard dieting often fails to reduce surgical risks enough for safe operation. This protocol suggests a supervised, inpatient very-low-calorie diet (5 kcal/kg/day) for about 20 weeks. This drastic measure shrinks the liver and fat, making surgery much safer, even without exercise or drugs. It is a high-commitment bridge to a life-changing surgery.

Higher dietary fibre intake reduces body weight, BMI, and waist circumference, and improves blood lipid profiles (total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides) in adults with diabetes.

Eating more fibre can help you lose a small amount of weight and improve your cholesterol levels, even if you don't try to eat less. This is a sustainable way to improve your overall metabolic health.

Maintaining adequate energy availability (≥45 kcal·kg LBM⁻¹·day⁻¹) is essential to prevent stress fractures and optimize bone health in athletes, as low energy availability directly reduces bone formation and increases bone resorption.

To prevent stress fractures, ensure your daily energy intake relative to your lean body mass is at least 45 kcal per kg of lean body mass. If you struggle to hit this number due to high training loads, consider cycling your energy intake: maintain higher availability during training blocks and strategically lower it only during specific race-weight phases, but never chronically below this threshold.

Weight loss interventions, including lifestyle changes and bariatric surgery, reduce blood pressure, glomerular hyperfiltration, and proteinuria in obese patients with CKD.

If you are overweight and have early kidney disease or diabetes, losing weight through diet and exercise can significantly lower your risk of developing kidney failure. This is achieved by reducing the workload on your kidneys. However, if you have advanced kidney disease, weight loss decisions must be made carefully with your doctor, as your body may need extra reserves to fight illness.

Natural bodybuilders in the off-season should consume a hyper-energetic diet (~10–20% above maintenance) targeting a weight gain of 0.25–0.5% of bodyweight per week, with advanced lifters using a more conservative surplus to minimize fat gain.

Calculate your maintenance calories. Add 10-20% if you are new to lifting, or 5-10% if you are advanced. Weigh yourself daily and average it weekly. If you gain more than 0.5% of your body weight, reduce calories slightly. If you gain less, increase them slightly. This prevents excessive fat gain while supporting muscle growth.

In individuals with obesity, intentional or observed weight loss reduces the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction compared to weight maintenance.

If you have obesity, losing weight significantly lowers your risk of heart attacks and coronary heart disease. While this study noted a potential increase in stroke risk, the strong reduction in heart disease risk suggests that weight reduction is beneficial for cardiovascular health in this population. Focus on sustainable weight loss strategies.

Significant weight loss (approx. 15% body weight) via once-weekly subcutaneous injections (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide) or bariatric surgery is an achievable and effective option for reducing CVD risk and improving glycemia in patients with RA or PsA, although evidence for disease activity improvement is mixed.

For RA/PsA patients with obesity, significant weight loss (~15%) via weekly GLP-1/GIP injections or bariatric surgery can improve glycemia and reduce CVD risk. However, evidence that this weight loss improves joint disease activity is mixed. Discuss these options with your doctor, considering cost and access.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, achieving >=10% weight loss in the first year of lifestyle intervention is associated with a significantly reduced risk of the primary composite cardiovascular outcome and cardiovascular death/MI/stroke.

If you are doing lifestyle changes for diabetes, aiming for a 10% weight loss in the first year is a strong predictor of better heart health outcomes, including reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. This benefit exists even if the overall trial didn't show a statistically significant difference for everyone.

Creatine supplementation increases strength, performance in short-duration high-intensity exercises, and total force by increasing ATP availability and potentially enhancing satellite cell differentiation.

If you do high-intensity or short-duration exercise, creatine is a safe and effective way to boost strength and performance. You do not need to worry about kidney damage or cramping if you are healthy.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) performed for 7 weeks leads to significant long-term reductions in body mass, fat mass, and visceral fat area in women with overweight/obesity, even two years after the intervention ends, whereas Time-Restricted Eating (TRE) alone does not significantly reduce these metrics compared to baseline in the long term.

For women with overweight or obesity, incorporating High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) into your routine, even just 3 times a week, can lead to significant, lasting reductions in body fat and visceral fat, even two years after you stop supervised training. While Time-Restricted Eating helps with habit formation, it may not be enough on its own for significant fat loss; combining it with HIIT or focusing on HIIT yields better long-term body composition results.

Elite football players should consume 6-8g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight on match days and 48-72 hours between matches to maximize muscle and liver glycogen stores and prevent performance-depleting fatigue.

On match days, aim for 6-8 grams of carbohydrates for every kilogram of your body weight. If you have matches close together (every few days), maintain this high intake for 48-72 hours between games. To avoid stomach issues, use sports drinks or gels rather than trying to force down huge amounts of solid food right before kickoff.

Post-match carbohydrate intake of ~1g/kg body weight per hour for 4 hours is required to maximize glycogen resynthesis and recovery speed.

After a match, eat carbohydrates at a rate of 1 gram per kilogram of body weight every hour for the next 4 hours. If you aren't hungry, drink your carbs using sports drinks or recovery shakes to ensure your muscles refill their energy stores for the next session.

Dehydration of 2% body weight loss impairs football performance, and players should aim to prevent this loss by consuming 5-7ml/kg of fluid 2-4 hours before the match.

To avoid performance drops, do not lose more than 2% of your body weight through sweat. Start hydrating 2-4 hours before kickoff by drinking 5-7ml of water for every kg of your body weight. Check your urine color; it should be light yellow. If it's dark, drink more.