Browse the evidence

Intake of fish, poultry, and eggs is not significantly associated with incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in older adults.

You can likely continue to eat fish, poultry, and eggs without increasing your risk of heart disease or stroke, according to this study of older adults. These foods do not show the same negative association with cardiovascular health that red meat does. Focus on reducing red meat intake while maintaining these other protein sources.

A Mediterranean eating plan supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts does NOT significantly reduce the need for initiating insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to a low-fat control diet.

While a Mediterranean diet with olive oil or nuts can help delay starting oral diabetes medications, it may not prevent the need for insulin therapy in all patients. Do not rely on diet alone to avoid insulin if your doctor recommends it based on your blood sugar levels.

Protein intake proportion (20-30%) is not significantly associated with all-cause mortality in Korean adults, although it yields the longest warranty period for mortality exceeding 1%.

For Korean adults, the specific proportion of protein (20-30%) does not significantly impact all-cause mortality risk. However, since traditional Korean diets are high in plant-based proteins, focusing on plant protein sources may be beneficial, as animal protein has been linked to higher mortality in other studies.

Increasing protein intake to 1.6 g/kg/day during resistance training does not enhance strength or lean body mass gains compared to moderate intake (1.0 g/kg/day) in previously untrained middle-aged adults.

If you are middle-aged and new to resistance training, you do not need to obsess over high protein intakes (1.6g/kg+). Getting your protein to around 1.0-1.2 g/kg of body weight is sufficient to maximize your strength and muscle gains. Focus on consistent training and hitting that moderate target rather than over-consuming protein, which offers no additional muscle-building benefit in this group.

Iso-caloric substitution of poly-unsaturated fat for saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of cancer-related mortality.

If you are replacing saturated fats (e.g., from butter, cheese, or red meat) with poly-unsaturated fats (e.g., from vegetable oils, nuts, or fish), this study suggests your risk of dying from cancer may increase by 12%. Consider balancing your fat intake and not relying solely on PUFA-rich oils as a health strategy.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) such as semaglutide and tirzepatide induce significant lean mass loss (muscle wasting) alongside fat mass loss, which exacerbates sarcopenia and frailty in patients with advanced heart failure.

If you have heart failure and are using GLP-1RAs (like Ozempic or Wegovy), be aware that you will likely lose muscle along with fat. To protect your strength, prioritize high-protein foods and engage in resistance exercise regularly. Discuss these risks with your doctor to balance heart benefits against muscle loss.

Increasing daily protein intake to 1.4 g/kg body weight, specifically emphasizing lean beef, does not enhance resistance training-induced adaptations in skeletal muscle volume, strength, or patellar tendon cross-sectional area in older women compared to a normal protein intake of 0.8 g/kg.

If you are an older woman doing resistance training, you do not need to force-feed yourself high amounts of protein or lean beef to see muscle and strength gains. A standard intake of 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight is sufficient to support these adaptations. While higher protein (1.4 g/kg) from beef did not hurt, it also did not help more than the lower amount. Focus on consistent training rather than maximizing protein intake beyond standard recommendations.

Increasing protein intake from 1.0 g/kg/day to 1.6 g/kg/day via egg white or whey protein supplementation does not further enhance physical performance (strength, endurance, aerobic capacity) in recreationally trained males and females undergoing high-intensity functional training (HIFT).

If you are already eating about 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, adding extra protein supplements (like whey or egg white) will not make you stronger or more enduring during high-intensity functional training. Focus on your training consistency and total daily protein intake rather than buying extra supplements.

In healthy adults, dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) are not significantly associated with metabolic syndrome after adjusting for confounders such as BMI, physical activity, and macronutrient intake.

For healthy adults, simply avoiding high-GI foods may not prevent metabolic syndrome if your overall diet is high in saturated fats or sugars. Focus on maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, and balancing your macronutrients rather than obsessing over glycemic index numbers.

In healthy adults, there is no significant association between dietary glycemic load (GL) and metabolic syndrome or its components.

Tracking the total glycemic load of your diet may not be necessary for preventing metabolic syndrome in healthy individuals. Focus on overall diet quality, including fiber and healthy fats, rather than just the total glycemic impact of carbohydrates.

High carbohydrate intake (highest tertile, median 59.3% energy) is associated with increased MRI-detected vascular brain injury (covert brain infarcts and white matter hyperintensities) and lower cognitive scores (MoCA and DSST) in middle-aged adults.

If you are middle-aged and concerned about brain health, look at your overall macronutrient balance. High carbohydrate intake (over 59% of calories) is linked to more silent brain injuries and lower cognitive scores. Try shifting some of those carbohydrates to healthy fats, like those found in nuts, olive oil, or fish, which were associated with better brain health in this study.

Gluten-free diets do not appear to impact IBD disease activity, hospitalization, or surgery rates, despite many patients self-reporting symptom improvement.

For most IBD patients, a gluten-free diet does not reduce disease activity, hospitalizations, or surgery rates. While some patients report subjective symptom improvement, this does not translate to better clinical outcomes. It is not recommended as a primary treatment for IBD unless Celiac Disease is diagnosed.

Higher total protein intake (up to ~116g/day) is not significantly associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD), or stroke in middle-aged adults.

If you are a middle-aged adult concerned about heart disease, simply eating more protein than you currently do is unlikely to lower your risk of heart attack or stroke. Focus on overall dietary patterns and established risk factors rather than just maximizing protein grams.

Higher diversity of protein sources (specifically 'count' of sources) is weakly associated with a marginally higher risk of CVD, while 'dissimilarity' of sources shows no association.

Don't assume that eating many different types of protein (e.g., chicken, beef, fish, beans, tofu) will protect your heart. This study suggests that having a high count of protein sources might be weakly linked to higher risk, possibly due to what those sources are (e.g., processed meats).

Modern commercial Paleolithic diet variants (low-carb/high-fat) and extreme Carnivore diets contradict anthropological evidence of ancestral carbohydrate intake (35-72% of energy) and may increase cardiovascular risk by promoting high saturated fat intake and dyslipidemia.

If you are following a commercial Paleo or Carnivore diet, be aware that your macronutrient profile (very low carb, high saturated fat) differs significantly from what anthropological evidence suggests ancestral humans ate. Current scientific consensus links high saturated fat intake to elevated LDL and cardiovascular risk. While these diets may offer short-term benefits (possibly via elimination of processed foods or FODMAPs), long-term adherence to high saturated fat levels may increase cardiovascular risk. Consider aligning your diet with evidence-based guidelines that limit saturated fat, rather than relying on evolutionary arguments alone.

Time-restricted eating (TRE) does not significantly preserve lean body mass compared to control groups in adults with obesity.

Don't worry that TRE will cause you to lose muscle faster than a standard diet. The evidence shows lean mass loss is similar to control groups. Focus on protein intake and strength training to preserve muscle, as TRE itself doesn't offer a specific advantage in this regard.

Long-term adherence to a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet (defined as <45% energy from carbs) results in significant weight regain and increased triglyceride levels compared to a low-fat (LF) diet in overweight or obese adults.

If you are trying to lose weight long-term, a strict low-carb diet (<45% carbs) may not be better than a low-fat diet and could actually lead to more weight regain and higher triglycerides after a year. Focus on sustainable calorie restriction and food quality rather than extreme macronutrient restriction. Low-fat diets showed better or equivalent long-term weight maintenance and lipid profiles in this review.

High-fat diets and saturated fatty acids can disrupt intestinal barrier integrity and promote systemic inflammation via TLR4 activation and bile acid alterations.

Limiting saturated fat intake and focusing on unsaturated fats can help maintain gut barrier integrity and reduce systemic inflammation, especially in individuals prone to metabolic issues.

Lactate inhibits lipolysis in adipose tissue via HCAR-1 receptor binding and inhibits mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation via malonyl-CoA, thereby controlling energy substrate partitioning.

During high-intensity exercise, your body temporarily shifts away from burning fat to use lactate as fuel. This is a normal metabolic switch, not a failure of fat loss mechanisms.

Influx of free fatty acids (FFAs) and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins into skeletal muscle induces inflammation and insulin resistance via activation of TLR4, PKC, and JNK pathways.

High levels of circulating fats, especially saturated fats, can flood into muscle cells, causing inflammation and blocking insulin. Managing blood fat levels through diet (reducing saturated fats) and exercise can help prevent this lipid-induced insulin resistance.

Lipodystrophy (loss of adipose tissue) causes the same metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance as obesity, proving that adipose tissue is essential for metabolic health.

Do not aim for extremely low body fat levels. Your body needs adipose tissue to store energy safely. If you lose too much fat, it can lead to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, similar to obesity. Maintain a healthy amount of fat, particularly subcutaneous fat, to support metabolic health.

In healthy young adults undergoing nutritional transition, a higher-fat diet (40% energy) compared to a lower-fat diet (20% energy) causes unfavorable shifts in gut microbiota (decreased Faecalibacterium/Blautia, increased Bacteroides/Alistipes), reduces short-chain fatty acids, and increases plasma proinflammatory markers.

If you are young and healthy but your diet is shifting towards higher fat intake, be aware that increasing fat to 40% of your calories (while keeping calories constant) may negatively impact your gut bacteria and increase inflammation markers like CRP. Switching to a lower fat diet (20% of calories) was associated with more favorable gut bacteria (higher Faecalibacterium and Blautia) and lower inflammation.

Population-wide restriction of dietary saturated fat intake below current levels does not reduce cardiovascular disease risk and may increase stroke risk, as evidenced by recent large-scale observational studies and meta-analyses of randomized trials.

Current evidence suggests that strictly limiting saturated fat intake for the general population does not lower heart disease risk and may even increase stroke risk. Focus on whole food sources of fat (like dairy and meat) within a balanced diet rather than aiming for a specific low-saturated-fat percentage, especially if you are replacing fats with refined carbohydrates.

CD36 fatty acid translocase drives hepatosteatosis onset and progression to NASH by increasing fatty acid influx into hepatocytes, making it a key driver of NAFLD pathogenesis.

Current research suggests that the protein CD36 plays a significant role in moving fatty acids into liver cells, contributing to fatty liver disease. While there is no specific diet protocol mentioned to target CD36 directly, the findings highlight that managing fatty acid influx is critical. Future treatments may target CD36, but for now, standard NAFLD management focusing on reducing metabolic stress is implied.