Browse the evidence

Yogic asana practice reduces body fat percentage in obese or overweight populations, with effects being more pronounced in longer-duration interventions (8-12 weeks) compared to short-term or low-intensity sessions.

To use yoga for fat loss, commit to a program lasting at least 8-12 weeks, practicing 2-3 times per week for 50-90 minutes. While yoga alone may not burn as many calories as running, it effectively reduces body fat percentage, especially when combined with basic dietary awareness. Focus on consistency rather than intensity.

Donkey milk consumption improves antioxidant defenses, reduces inflammation, and enhances mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle and liver, offering a hypoallergenic alternative to cow milk.

Donkey milk offers superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits compared to standard cow milk, along with being hypoallergenic. It is a viable alternative for those with milk allergies or those seeking enhanced metabolic health markers, though it is less accessible and more expensive.

BAT activation may play a role in weight loss maintenance by counteracting metabolic adaptation (slowed metabolism) after weight loss.

For those who have lost weight, maintaining some level of brown fat activity (e.g., through mild cold exposure) might help prevent metabolic slowdown and weight regain, though evidence is limited.

Weight loss, particularly through bariatric surgery, improves HDL functionality (cholesterol efflux capacity) and shifts HDL particle size to larger, more protective forms, even if HDL-C concentration changes are modest.

If you are obese, losing weight (especially through sustainable lifestyle changes or surgery) improves the *function* of your HDL, making it better at removing cholesterol from cells. This happens even if your standard HDL-C blood test number doesn't change much. Don't ignore weight loss just because your HDL-C looks 'okay'.

Adoption of a Westernized diet characterized by high energy density, processed foods, and increased sugar and fat intake significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.

To reduce cardiovascular risk, prioritize whole, home-grown foods over processed, energy-dense options. Focus on reducing sugar and fat intake from processed sources and increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legumes as part of a balanced diet.

Preoperative weight stabilization for 3-6 months is a critical criterion for body contouring surgery to ensure aesthetic results and patient safety.

Do not rush into body contouring surgery immediately after losing weight. Wait until your weight has been stable for at least 3-6 months (often 15-18 months after bariatric surgery) to ensure the best aesthetic result and minimize the risk of needing revision surgery.

A 3-week interdisciplinary dermatological rehabilitation program significantly improves cardiorespiratory fitness (peak wattage) and reduces BMI in patients with psoriasis, thereby addressing key cardiovascular risk factors.

For psoriasis patients, seeking comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation that includes physical training and nutrition counseling can significantly improve heart health markers like fitness and weight, not just skin appearance. This holistic approach addresses the systemic nature of the disease.

Increasing absolute drinking water intake to ≥1 liter per day is associated with significant weight loss (~2.3 kg over 12 months) in overweight women, independent of diet group, physical activity, and food energy intake.

If you are overweight and trying to lose weight, try to drink at least 1 liter (about 4 cups) of water per day, especially if you currently drink less. This simple change, particularly if it replaces sugary drinks, is associated with losing about 2.3 kg (5 lbs) over a year, regardless of which specific diet you follow or how much you exercise. It is not a magic bullet, but a robust, low-cost lever for weight loss.

Intermittent fasting (IF) produces weight loss (0.8% to 13.0% of baseline) that is equivalent to continuous calorie restriction, regardless of whether total caloric intake is restricted on non-fasting days.

Intermittent fasting is a viable weight loss strategy for overweight and obese individuals, producing results similar to traditional calorie restriction. You can choose from various protocols, such as a 16-hour daily fast or fasting two days a week with reduced calories. The key is consistency; hunger often decreases over time, and adherence is comparable to other diets. While most studies are short-term, IF shows promise as a primary care intervention for obesity.

High-intensity lifestyle interventions are associated with a modest, statistically non-significant reduction in all-cause mortality (OR 0.86), though the point estimate suggests a potential benefit.

While high-intensity lifestyle interventions may reduce mortality, the evidence is not yet statistically definitive due to low death rates in trials. However, the observed 14% reduction is promising and aligns with other long-term health data.

High protein diets may facilitate short-term weight and fat loss compared to lower protein diets, but long-term data are limited and findings are not consistent.

High protein diets can help with short-term weight loss, but the evidence is not consistent for long-term results. Focus on sustainable dietary patterns rather than just protein intake.

Severe caloric restriction (Very Low Calorie Diet) can normalize beta-cell function and reverse Type 2 Diabetes, though it is not sustainable long-term for most patients.

A 600 kcal/day diet can reverse T2DM by restoring beta-cell function, but it is not sustainable. This approach is generally reserved for medical supervision or bariatric surgery contexts rather than self-managed lifestyle changes.

A threshold of physical activity exists below which it is physiologically difficult to maintain energy balance at a healthy body weight, leading to gradual weight gain in the general population.

If you are struggling to maintain a healthy weight despite eating reasonably, your activity level might be too low to allow your body to balance energy intake easily. Increasing your daily movement (e.g., 15-30 minutes of moderate activity) may help raise your energy expenditure to a point where maintaining a healthy weight is physiologically easier.

Higher frequency of consuming restaurant food is positively associated with increased body fatness in healthy adults, independent of physical activity, education, smoking, and alcohol intake.

Frequent restaurant dining is linked to higher body fat, even for active people. This is largely due to the high energy density, large portions, and palatability of restaurant food, which lead to higher total calorie intake. To manage weight, consider limiting restaurant frequency, choosing lower-energy-density options, or being mindful of portion sizes.

Replacing caloric sweeteners with nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) in beverages results in a net reduction in 24-hour energy intake because compensation for the calorie savings is typically less than 100%.

If you swap a regular sugary soda for a diet soda, you will likely consume fewer calories overall because your body does not fully make up for the missing sugar calories. While some compensation occurs, it is rarely 100%, meaning you still save calories. This strategy works best when used as a direct 1-to-1 replacement for beverages, not when used as an excuse to eat more food elsewhere.

Adherence to a 9-hour Time-Restricted Eating window reduces daily energy intake by lowering absolute carbohydrate and alcohol consumption, but does not change total energy intake if adherence is low.

If you choose to use TRE for Type 2 Diabetes, strict adherence to the 9-hour window is required to see any reduction in calories, specifically by cutting back on carbs and alcohol. If you frequently break the window, you will likely consume the same amount of energy as before, resulting in no weight or metabolic benefit.

Naringenin delivered in whole orange extract achieves serum concentrations (Cmax ~48 μM at 600mg) that exceed the 8-10 μM threshold required to stimulate thermogenic gene expression (UCP1, GLUT4) in human adipocytes.

To potentially boost metabolism and insulin sensitivity, you may need to take 300mg of naringenin extract twice a day, as eating oranges won't provide enough of the active compound.

Intensive lifestyle interventions in Saudi Arabia achieve an average weight loss of 4.1%, which is favorable compared to other published interventions but fails to meet the >5% threshold for significant comorbidity risk reduction.

Intensive lifestyle interventions in Saudi Arabia yield modest weight loss (4.1%). While not enough to fully reverse comorbidities, it is a positive step. Psychological support is crucial to prevent dropout.

Bariatric surgery in Saudi Arabia achieves an average weight loss of 18% (33.6 kg) at 6 months, with high rates of sleeve gastrectomy and a young patient demographic.

Bariatric surgery in Saudi Arabia is highly effective, with an average 18% body weight loss at 6 months. It is predominantly performed on young women via sleeve gastrectomy.

Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for IIH in morbidly obese patients, resulting in high rates of symptom and papilledema resolution.

For morbidly obese IIH patients who struggle with lifestyle changes, bariatric surgery is a highly effective option. It leads to the resolution of symptoms and papilledema in the vast majority of cases. Discuss this with your neuro-ophthalmologist if other treatments fail.

An 8-week very low carbohydrate ketogenic diet significantly improves metabolic health markers (lipids, glucose, insulin, inflammation) in competitive natural bodybuilders compared to a Western diet.

Beyond body composition, this diet significantly improves metabolic health markers. You will see lower triglycerides, better insulin sensitivity, and reduced inflammation. This makes it a viable option for bodybuilders concerned with long-term health metrics during a cut.

Shorter self-reported sleep duration is associated with higher BMI and waist circumference in adult women, but this association is attenuated and becomes non-significant when physical activity levels are controlled for.

For women, getting less sleep is linked to higher body fat and waist size, but this link seems to happen because less sleep leads to less physical activity, not just direct metabolic changes. If you sleep less, you may be too tired to move as much. Prioritizing sleep might help maintain the energy levels needed for physical activity, which is the stronger driver of body composition in this context.

Low carbohydrate diets produce short-term improvements in glycemic control, weight loss, and cardiovascular risk factors in people with type 2 diabetes, but these benefits are not sustained over the longer term and do not show superiority over higher carbohydrate intakes.

If you have type 2 diabetes, a low carbohydrate diet can help you lose weight and improve blood sugar control in the first few months. However, after a year, these benefits are generally no better than those achieved by other healthy diets that focus on weight loss. Therefore, do not view low carbohydrate as a superior 'cure' or default treatment; choose the dietary pattern you can sustain best that results in weight loss and improved metabolic markers.

Successful weight loss maintainers and normal-weight individuals engage in significantly more light-intensity physical activity (LPA) and spend less time in sedentary behavior (SB) compared to individuals with overweight/obesity.

In addition to structured exercise, try to increase your daily light activity (like standing, slow walking, or household chores) and reduce long periods of sitting. Breaking up sedentary time with standing or light movement can help support your weight management efforts.