Browse the evidence

Utilizing lipid panels (specifically triglycerides and LDL-C levels) serves as a valid clinical indicator for assessing insulin resistance.

Monitor lipid panels, particularly triglycerides and LDL-C, as they are strong indicators of insulin resistance. High HDL-C is associated with increased insulin sensitivity.

The FOXN3 rs8004664 hyperglycemic risk allele (A) is associated with reduced insulin sensitivity (lower glucose disposal rate) specifically in women, but not in men or the combined cohort.

If you are a woman, your genetic makeup regarding the FOXN3 gene may influence how sensitively your body responds to insulin. This doesn't mean you are doomed to insulin resistance, but it suggests that standard approaches might need careful monitoring. Focus on maintaining healthy body composition and activity levels, as these are potent modulators of insulin sensitivity regardless of genotype. Consult a healthcare provider for personalized assessment, especially if you have a family history of diabetes.

In asymptomatic adults, the presence of food-specific IgG antibodies (particularly mild-to-moderate positivity) is associated with a lower prevalence of overweight, hypertriglyceridemia, and abnormal fasting blood glucose compared to IgG-negative individuals.

If you are asymptomatic and undergo routine health checks, having food-specific IgG antibodies (especially mild-to-moderate levels) is common and may actually be associated with healthier metabolic profiles (lower risk of high triglycerides, high blood sugar, and overweight). Do not interpret a positive IgG test as a diagnosis of food intolerance or allergy without clinical symptoms; it may simply reflect immune tolerance.

In Type-2 diabetes patients, elevated BMI, fasting plasma glucose, insulin resistance, and triglycerides are independent risk factors for developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

If you have Type-2 Diabetes, managing your liver health requires looking beyond just blood sugar. You must actively monitor and manage your Triglycerides, Insulin Resistance, and Body Weight. High levels of any of these significantly increase your risk of developing fatty liver, so regular lipid panels and insulin sensitivity checks are critical components of your diabetes care.

In individuals with type 2 diabetes who carry the haptoglobin (Hp) 2-2 phenotype AND have a history of cardiovascular disease, maintaining an HbA1c level of 8.0% or higher is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease compared to levels of 7.0-7.9%.

If you have type 2 diabetes, the haptoglobin 2-2 genetic variant, and a history of heart disease, keeping your HbA1c at 8.0% or higher may increase your risk of coronary events compared to keeping it between 7.0% and 7.9%. This highlights the importance of avoiding high blood sugar levels in this high-risk group.

Ketogenic diets are not recommended for patients with Type 1 Diabetes due to increased risks of hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and potential bone health issues.

Avoid ketogenic diets if you have T1D. The risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hypoglycemia is too high. Focus on balanced meals with nonstarchy vegetables, whole foods, and careful carbohydrate counting instead of extreme restriction.

Patients who use anti-obesity medications (AOMs) prior to bariatric surgery experience significant weight regain (average 18 kg) upon stopping the medication, yet this history does not negatively impact their expectations for surgical weight loss.

If you stop taking weight loss drugs like Ozempic before surgery, you will likely regain the weight you lost (average 18kg). However, this history does not mean surgery will fail. Your expectations for surgery should remain focused on long-term health, as your prior drug experience doesn't change your surgical goals or likely success.

Weight loss, whether intentional or unintentional, increases serum concentrations of lipophilic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by releasing them from adipose tissue into circulation, potentially negating long-term cardiovascular benefits of weight loss in type 2 diabetes patients.

For individuals with type 2 diabetes, standard weight loss advice may have hidden costs due to the release of stored environmental pollutants. While weight loss improves short-term markers, it may not reduce long-term heart disease risk if these pollutants are released. Future management may need to consider how to minimize this release or its effects, rather than focusing solely on fat mass reduction.

High-fat diets induce a pro-inflammatory phenotype in neutrophils and their bone marrow progenitors via NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1b signaling, contributing to systemic low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance.

Your immune system is listening to what you eat. Diets high in certain fats can program your white blood cells to stay in a state of low-grade alert, which contributes to insulin resistance and heart disease risk. Choosing healthier fat profiles (like unsaturated fats) may help keep these immune cells from becoming over-activated.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate and acetate have complex, site-specific effects on neutrophils, potentially promoting anti-inflammatory or pro-resolutive functions depending on the context and receptor interaction (e.g., FFAR2).

Fiber-rich foods produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in your gut, which can have beneficial, anti-inflammatory effects on your immune system. Including fiber in your diet supports these healthy fat-derived signals.

Saturated fatty acids (e.g., palmitate) promote neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, whereas unsaturated fatty acids (e.g., oleic, linoleic, omega-3s) tend to inhibit these pro-inflammatory pathways.

The type of fat you eat matters for inflammation. Saturated fats can trigger inflammatory responses in white blood cells, while unsaturated fats (found in olive oil, fish, nuts) can help suppress these responses.

Eating Disorder (ED) diagnosis is significantly associated with amenorrhea in resistance-trained athletes, consistent with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) models.

If you have an eating disorder diagnosis, you are at higher risk for missing periods (amenorrhea). This is a sign of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Addressing energy availability is crucial for restoring menstrual function and long-term health.

Higher levels of the satiety hormone GLP-1 are associated with lower salt taste preference specifically following a low-fat diet.

When eating a low-fat diet, higher levels of the gut hormone GLP-1 are associated with a lower preference for salty foods. This suggests that GLP-1 may play a role in modulating salt taste preferences specifically in the context of low-fat eating.

Maintaining serum Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels below 298 mg/L is associated with a delay in the progression of coronary artery disease severity.

If you have heart disease, ask your doctor to check your Lipoprotein(a) level. The study suggests keeping it below 298 mg/L. Unlike other cholesterol markers, Lp(a) is largely genetic and doesn't drop significantly with diet or exercise alone, so you may need specific medical therapies to manage it.

Obesity pathogenesis is driven by a complex network of 802 core genetic risk genes that function through integrated neurological (appetite regulation, synaptic signaling) and metabolic (lipid/glucose homeostasis) pathways.

Obesity is not just a lifestyle choice; it is heavily influenced by your genetics. If you have a family history of obesity, your body may regulate appetite and metabolism differently. This doesn't mean you can't lose weight, but it means you may need more targeted strategies, such as medical interventions that address specific hormonal pathways (like GLP-1 or MC4R agonists), rather than relying on standard diet advice alone.

Obesity-risk genes are highly expressed in specific cell types: hypothalamic neurons (regulating appetite), pancreatic beta-cells (regulating insulin), adipocytes (lipid homeostasis), and hepatocytes (lipid metabolism).

Obesity affects multiple organs. Your brain (hypothalamus) controls hunger, your pancreas controls insulin, your fat cells store energy, and your liver processes fats. Effective treatment often needs to address these specific tissues, which is why drugs like GLP-1 agonists (which act on the brain and pancreas) are effective.

Ultra-processed foods drive obesity primarily through rapid digestion of carbohydrates leading to metabolic swings and hunger, not through hyper-palatability or tastiness.

Focus on the metabolic impact of food processing rather than just taste. Choose minimally processed foods where the food matrix slows digestion (like whole fruits vs. sugar, or wheat berries vs. white bread). This helps stabilize blood glucose and insulin, reducing the hunger signals that drive overconsumption, regardless of how 'tasty' the food is.

Long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) with standard-sized particles increases the risk of developing OSA due to pharyngeal muscle atrophy and neck fat redistribution, whereas extra-fine particles do not show this increased risk.

If you use standard inhaled corticosteroids and have sleep apnea, ask your doctor about switching to extra-fine particle formulations. These may reduce the risk of worsening sleep apnea while still controlling your asthma, as they deposit deeper in the lungs rather than the throat.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are an acceptable adjunct to progestin therapy for fertility preservation in young patients with endometrial cancer or atypical hyperplasia, provided they are framed as medically indicated treatment for cancer and fertility rather than cosmetic weight loss.

If you are a young woman with endometrial cancer or atypical hyperplasia and want to preserve fertility, GLP-1 medications like Semaglutide or Tirzepatide can be a helpful tool alongside progestin therapy. However, you must have a clear, honest conversation with your doctor about the costs, potential side effects, and a plan to keep the weight off after stopping the drug. Framing the medication as a medical treatment for your cancer and fertility, rather than just for weight loss, can help you feel more comfortable and less stigmatized.

Post-bariatric surgery weight regain (affecting 15-20% of patients) can be managed with endoscopic interventions or OMM, but optimal dosing and scheduling for these combination therapies remain undefined.

If you regain weight after surgery (affecting 15-20% of patients), you are not out of options. Endoscopic procedures or adding back medications like GLP-1s can help, but doctors currently lack clear guidelines on the best doses and schedules for this specific scenario.

In obese individuals, a combined metabolic index of insulin (INS) and free fatty acids (FFAs) effectively predicts the presence of subclinical left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), serving as a practical prescreen for early cardiac remodeling risk.

If you are obese, standard blood work might miss early heart strain. Ask your doctor about checking insulin and free fatty acids alongside standard lipids. This combination can flag heart thickening (LVH) before your heart's pumping ability drops, allowing for earlier lifestyle or medical intervention.

Triglycerides (TG) are the most robust independent predictor of the continuous burden of left ventricular mass (LVM) in obesity, whereas insulin and FFAs predict the threshold transition to hypertrophy.

High triglycerides are a strong indicator of increasing heart muscle mass in obesity. Monitoring TG levels can help track the gradual structural load on the heart, even if blood pressure and pumping function seem normal.

Age is a significant factor in T2DM risk, with subjects aged 60 years and above having a substantially higher odds ratio (OR=178.29) for diabetes compared to those aged 30-39.

As you age, your risk for type 2 diabetes increases significantly. By age 60, your odds of having diabetes are much higher than in your 30s. This is due to natural changes in how your body handles insulin and blood sugar. Regular screening and maintaining a healthy weight become increasingly important as you get older.

High daily consumption of carbohydrates (>60% of total energy) and simple sugars (>10% of total energy) is associated with a statistically significant increase in breast cancer risk.

To potentially lower breast cancer risk, aim to keep carbohydrate intake below 60% of your total daily energy and ensure simple sugars (added sugars) do not exceed 10% of your total energy. Focus on reducing refined sugars and high-glycemic carbohydrates, as high intake of these is linked to a significantly higher risk of developing breast cancer in this study.