Browse the evidence

Intensive lifestyle intervention leading to significant weight loss (≥15 kg) can induce remission of type 2 diabetes in patients with short disease duration (<6 years).

If you have Type 2 Diabetes diagnosed less than 6 years ago, losing 15 kg or more through a structured diet program (often starting with meal replacements) can put your diabetes into remission. This is not just about lowering blood sugar, but potentially reversing the condition. Work with a healthcare provider to manage this safely.

Ultra-processed foods cause increased energy intake and weight gain even when matched for macronutrients and energy content with unprocessed foods.

Be aware that ultra-processed foods (those with added ingredients like preservatives and stabilizers) can make you eat more calories than you realize, even if they look similar to unprocessed foods on paper. Choosing whole, unprocessed foods may help you naturally regulate your intake.

Weight reduction alleviates chronic pain by reducing mechanical load on joints and decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines from adipose tissue.

Losing weight is not just about appearance; it directly reduces the physical pressure on your joints and lowers the body's internal inflammation levels, which are key drivers of chronic pain.

A 7-10% reduction in total body weight is required to improve histopathological features of NAFLD, including steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis.

To improve liver health in NAFLD, aim for a 7-10% reduction in your total body weight through a combination of reduced calorie intake and regular physical activity. This level of weight loss is specifically linked to improvements in liver inflammation and fibrosis, not just fat content.

Sustained weight loss exceeding 10 kg through very-low-energy diets (800-853 kcal/day) induces remission of type 2 diabetes by reducing ectopic fat in the liver and pancreas, thereby restoring insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function.

To reverse Type 2 Diabetes, you likely need to lose more than 10% of your body weight. This is best achieved through a medically supervised very-low-calorie diet (around 800-850 calories/day) for 12 weeks, followed by a structured plan to maintain that weight loss. This approach works by removing fat from your liver and pancreas, allowing your body to regulate blood sugar naturally again. It is most effective if you have had diabetes for a short time.

High intake of ultra-processed foods is linked to adverse metabolic outcomes including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, making their limitation a pragmatic strategy for reducing metabolic risk.

Reduce your consumption of ultra-processed foods. They are linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Prioritize whole, minimally processed foods instead.

Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD) and significant weight loss (>15 kg) can induce remission of type 2 diabetes in obese patients, primarily by reducing liver fat and restoring insulin sensitivity.

For obese individuals recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a medically supervised Very Low Calorie Diet (approx. 830 kcal/day) for 3-5 months offers the highest chance of reversing the disease. The goal is significant weight loss (ideally >15kg), which reduces liver fat and restores insulin sensitivity, potentially allowing patients to stop medication.

Short-term consumption of ultra-processed foods leads to increased energy intake and weight gain compared to unprocessed diets.

When eating ultra-processed foods, you are likely to eat more calories and gain weight compared to eating unprocessed foods, even if the nutrients are similar.

Weight loss through caloric restriction and dietary modification significantly reduces psoriasis severity (PASI score) and systemic inflammation in obese patients.

If you have psoriasis and are overweight, losing weight is one of the most effective non-pharmacological interventions available. Studies show that losing about 12% of your body weight through structured dietary programs (like very low-calorie ketogenic diets followed by balanced diets) can significantly reduce the severity of your psoriasis symptoms, often achieving a 50-75% improvement in skin clearance. This works by reducing systemic inflammation driven by excess fat tissue.

Bariatric surgery and significant weight loss (>5%) improve asthma control, quality of life, and reduce systemic/airway inflammation in obese asthma patients.

Losing just 5% of your body weight can significantly improve your asthma biomarkers and quality of life. This can be achieved through surgery or structured lifestyle changes. If you have metabolic issues alongside obesity, you may need a more targeted approach, but weight loss remains a key strategy.

Telehealth-delivered dietetic services are cost-effective compared to in-person delivery, reducing healthcare expenditure on medications and hospital costs.

Telehealth is not just clinically effective but also more cost-effective than in-person visits. For patients, this may mean lower out-of-pocket costs or better value for money. For healthcare systems, it reduces overall expenditure on medications and hospitalizations.

Soy protein has a high quality score (PDCAAS ~1.0 and DIAAS up to 117%) and is as effective as animal proteins for weight management and satiety.

If you are trying to lose weight, soy protein is a good option. It helps you feel full just as well as meat or whey protein. You don't need to avoid soy to lose weight; it can be part of your strategy.

Obesity and overweight are strongly associated with a significantly higher prevalence of dyslipidemia in Iranian adults, with obese individuals being 2.8 times more likely to have dyslipidemia compared to normal-weight individuals.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the most effective ways to prevent dyslipidemia. If you are overweight or obese, focusing on sustainable weight loss through improved diet and increased physical activity can significantly reduce your risk of developing high cholesterol or triglycerides.

Weight loss of 2.5-15% improves glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetes, while 5-10% weight loss may prevent knee pain in obesity-related osteoarthritis.

You don't need to lose massive amounts of weight to see health benefits. Losing just 2.5-15% of your body weight can significantly improve blood sugar control in diabetes, and losing 5-10% can help prevent knee pain. Focus on these achievable targets.

Regular physical activity, specifically 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic and resistance exercise, improves insulin sensitivity and glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetes patients.

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week, combining aerobic and resistance activities. If you cannot do it all at once, break it into smaller sessions. Aim for 10,000 steps a day. If you are on insulin, monitor your blood sugar to prevent hypoglycemia.

Aerobic exercise reduces visceral adipose tissue (VAT) independently of weight loss, and 150 minutes per week is sufficient for this reduction, whereas resistance training effects on VAT are equivocal.

Aim for 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week to reduce visceral fat. You do not necessarily need to lose weight on the scale for this benefit, and doing more than 150 minutes may not provide additional VAT reduction.

Calorie restriction (diet alone or combined with exercise) improves whole-body insulin sensitivity in overweight, glucose-tolerant subjects primarily through the reduction of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and total fat mass, rather than through changes in fat cell size (FCS) or ectopic lipid deposition in muscle (IMCL).

To improve insulin sensitivity, focus on creating a caloric deficit through diet. Whether you add moderate exercise or not, the metabolic benefits regarding insulin sensitivity are largely equivalent because the primary driver is the loss of visceral fat and total body fat. You do not need to over-exercise to see these specific metabolic improvements.

Gelesis100, a nonsystemic superabsorbent hydrogel taken orally before meals, produces statistically significant greater weight loss compared to placebo in adults with overweight or obesity.

Take three 2.25g capsules of Gelesis100 with 500ml of water 20-30 minutes before your two main meals. Combine this with a modest caloric deficit (300 kcal/day) and 30 minutes of daily walking. Expect about 6.4% weight loss over 24 weeks, which is statistically better than placebo but requires strict adherence to the timing and hydration instructions.

Postoperative exercise training in adults undergoing bariatric surgery leads to greater weight loss, increased VO2max, and improved muscle strength compared to usual care without exercise.

After bariatric surgery, adding exercise training (3 sessions per week for 3 months) can help you lose more weight, improve your cardiorespiratory fitness, and increase muscle strength. Start with small, manageable sessions and gradually increase intensity and duration.

Replacing sweetened caloric beverages (SCBs) with drinking water significantly reduces total daily energy intake in overweight adults, and this reduction is not negated by compensatory increases in food consumption.

If you currently drink sugary sodas or sweetened juices, try swapping them for plain water. This study shows that doing so can reduce your daily calorie intake by about 200 calories without making you hungrier or causing you to eat more food. This benefit holds true regardless of which specific diet plan (like Atkins or Zone) you are following, as long as you are motivated to lose weight.

Sustained 25% caloric restriction for 24 months significantly improves cardiometabolic risk factors (visceral adipose tissue, blood pressure, lipid profile, and 10-year CVD risk) in healthy nonobese individuals, with benefits persisting during weight maintenance.

If you are healthy and not obese, sustaining a moderate caloric deficit (around 25% less than your maintenance needs) for two years can significantly lower your risk of heart disease and improve your metabolic health. This includes reducing dangerous visceral fat, lowering blood pressure, and improving cholesterol levels. These benefits persist even after you stop losing weight, as long as you maintain the lower calorie intake. This suggests that long-term dietary habits, not just short-term weight loss, are key to cardiovascular health, even for those with a normal BMI.

Weight loss of 10% or more is associated with significant improvements in fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome severity, whereas weight loss less than 5% yields no significant cardiometabolic benefits.

To see significant improvements in your blood sugar, cholesterol, and metabolic health, aim for a weight loss of 10% or more. Losing less than 5% may not provide these specific benefits, although it is still a positive step. Focus on sustainable habits that can help you reach that 10% threshold.

Sustainable weight loss maintenance requires a modest, permanent lifestyle intervention (20% caloric restriction and 20 minutes of daily vigorous exercise) rather than the extreme, unsustainable protocols depicted in reality TV weight loss competitions.

To maintain significant weight loss, avoid extreme diets and excessive exercise regimens that are hard to sustain. Instead, aim for a modest, permanent lifestyle change: reduce your daily calorie intake by about 20% and engage in 20 minutes of vigorous exercise each day. While this approach will take longer to achieve the same weight loss as extreme methods, it is sustainable and prevents the negative health consequences associated with unsustainable extreme interventions.

Consuming ≥4 weekly servings of lean beef as part of a high-protein, energy-restricted diet produces equivalent weight loss and cardiometabolic improvements compared to a high-protein diet excluding all red meats.

If you are following a high-protein weight loss plan, you do not need to eliminate lean beef. Eating at least 4 servings of lean beef per week will result in the same weight loss and heart health benefits as avoiding red meat entirely. Focus on the total caloric deficit and protein intake rather than excluding specific protein sources like beef.