Browse the evidence

Low-carbohydrate and very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets may offer short-term weight loss and triglyceride reduction for some individuals with obesity or diabetes, but long-term adherence is difficult and may increase LDL-C and mortality risk if animal-derived fats/proteins are prioritized over plant sources.

If you choose a low-carb diet for weight loss or triglyceride management, limit it to 2-6 months. Ensure you get fiber from vegetables and plant proteins, and transition to a balanced diet (like Mediterranean or DASH) afterward to avoid long-term cardiovascular risks associated with high animal fat intake.

Long-term adaptation (several months) to a low-carbohydrate-high-fat (LCHF) diet enhances endurance performance in ultra-endurance events by increasing maximal fat oxidation rates and sparing muscle glycogen, without compromising glycogen resynthesis.

If you are an endurance athlete, switching to a low-carb, high-fat diet requires patience. You must stick to it for several months (at least 6) to allow your body to adapt metabolically. Once adapted, you can burn fat much faster (up to 1.5 g/min) and spare your muscle glycogen, which may help you maintain intensity in very long events like marathons or triathlons. Do not expect immediate performance gains; the metabolic shift takes time.

Long-term LCHF diet adaptation may improve performance in repeated high-intensity exercise (e.g., field sports) by maintaining power output in later stages of competition through increased fat oxidation and glycogen sparing.

If you play sports with lots of stopping and starting (like soccer or basketball), switching to a low-carb, high-fat diet might help you stay strong in the second half of the game. This takes months to adapt to. It won't necessarily make you faster in a single sprint, but it might help you maintain your speed when you are tired.

Essential Amino Acid (EAA) supplementation (4-8 g daily) improves peak VO2 and functional capacity in patients with HFrEF, whereas Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) do not provide additional benefit over exercise training alone.

If you have heart failure, talk to your doctor about Essential Amino Acids (EAA) rather than just BCAAs. Small doses (4-8g) of EAAs taken twice daily may help improve your exercise capacity. BCAAs, often marketed for muscle building, did not show extra benefits in heart failure patients in this study.

Adherence to a Mediterranean or Okinawan dietary pattern, characterized by high whole-grain intake and a low protein-to-carbohydrate ratio (significantly less than 1), reduces cardiovascular mortality and slows aging progression.

To support longevity, prioritize a dietary pattern like the Mediterranean or Okinawan diet. This involves eating plenty of whole grains, vegetables, and legumes while keeping the ratio of protein to carbohydrates low (less than 1:1). Focus on whole grains rather than refined grains to maximize fiber and nutrient intake.

Low-carbohydrate diets can be effective for improving diabetes-related outcomes and triglycerides, but their impact on cardiovascular health depends heavily on the source of replaced macronutrients (plant-based vs. animal-based).

If you choose a low-carbohydrate diet, ensure it is plant-based, emphasizing vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Avoid animal-based low-carbohydrate diets, as they are associated with increased mortality. Monitor lipids closely, as LDL-C may increase.

Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) is positively associated with higher BMI in women, but not significantly in men, in this rural South African population.

Women in this community should prioritize reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) intake, as it is linked to higher BMI. Men may not show the same strong link, but reducing SSBs is still a recommended public health target.

Vegan diets are associated with lower carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), an intermediate marker of atherosclerosis, compared to Western diets.

If you are concerned about early artery thickening, a vegan diet may help reduce carotid artery intima-media thickness compared to a standard Western diet. However, this is an intermediate marker and does not necessarily translate to fewer heart attacks or strokes.

Consuming 25g of protein immediately before resistance training yields similar muscular adaptations (strength and hypertrophy) as consuming the same dose immediately after training, refuting the necessity of a narrow post-workout anabolic window.

If you eat protein right before your workout, you do not need to rush to drink a shake immediately after. The benefits for strength and muscle growth are the same whether you take your protein before or after, as long as you get your total daily protein. Don't stress about the exact timing of your post-workout meal.

Supplemental mung bean protein (18 g/day) increases muscular strength in healthy, underactive vegetarians without concurrent exercise or lean body mass gains.

If you are a vegetarian and do not exercise heavily, adding 18 grams of mung bean protein daily may help you maintain or slightly improve your strength over 8 weeks, even without changing your diet or activity level.

Supplementing resistance training with defatted peanut protein powder increases vastus lateralis muscle thickness in older adults, though it does not significantly alter myofibrillar protein synthesis rates immediately post-exercise or change total lean soft tissue mass compared to no supplementation.

If you are over 50 and new to resistance training, adding a defatted peanut protein supplement (approx. 30g protein daily) to your routine may help increase the thickness of your thigh muscles (vastus lateralis) more than training alone. However, do not expect this to significantly change your total body weight or lean mass on a scale over a short period (6-10 weeks). It is a viable plant-based option for supporting local muscle growth.

Optimizing the distribution of protein intake across meals, particularly by shifting protein from dinner to post-training snacks, can improve the efficiency of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) without increasing total daily protein needs.

You don't necessarily need to eat more protein, but you should spread it out. If you eat a huge dinner, try moving some of that protein to a snack immediately after your training session. This helps your body use the protein more effectively for muscle repair.

High adherence to a low-carbohydrate diet score is associated with significantly lower diastolic blood pressure, lower triglyceride concentrations, and higher HDL cholesterol in obese adults.

For obese adults, adopting a dietary pattern that lowers carbohydrate intake and increases fat intake (a high LCD score) is associated with better blood pressure and lipid profiles, specifically lower triglycerides and higher HDL. However, simply shifting macros may not reduce body weight if carbohydrate intake remains above 50% of total energy.

High adherence to a low-carbohydrate diet score is associated with a reduced prevalence of metabolic syndrome in obese adults.

Adhering to a low-carbohydrate dietary pattern is linked to a lower likelihood of having metabolic syndrome in obese individuals, likely due to improvements in blood pressure and lipids.

High carbohydrate intake (>60% of energy) is associated with higher all-cause mortality, whereas moderate intake (50-55% of energy) is associated with the lowest risk, forming a U-shaped relationship.

Aim for carbohydrates to make up about 50-55% of your daily energy intake. This moderate level is associated with the lowest risk of death in large global studies. Avoid diets that are either very high in carbs (>60%) or very low in carbs, as both extremes are linked to higher mortality. Focus on a balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and unprocessed meats.

Even protein distribution is associated with lower-body muscular endurance, but not functional ability (gait speed or chair stand tests) in healthy women.

If your goal is muscular endurance (e.g., ability to perform repeated movements), spreading protein to meet relative targets (0.24 g/kg for <60yo, 0.4 g/kg for ≥60yo) per meal may help. However, do not expect this to directly improve your walking speed or daily functional tasks like chair stands if you are already healthy and active.

Frequent eating out of home (1-5 times/week or >6 times/week) is negatively correlated with daily vegetable and fruit intake and positively correlated with meat and aquatic product intake.

If you eat out frequently, you are likely consuming fewer fruits and vegetables and more meat/aquatic products than if you cooked at home. To counteract this, consciously prioritize vegetable-heavy dishes when dining out, or ensure your home-cooked meals are rich in produce to balance your weekly intake.

Amateur male bodybuilders consuming high-protein diets (average 1.8 g/kg, up to 3.7 g/kg) combined with protein supplements exhibit significantly higher body fat percentages and thigh skinfold thickness compared to those with lower protein intake.

If you are an amateur bodybuilder, be careful with protein supplements. This study found that higher protein intake, especially from supplements, was linked to higher body fat. You likely don't need more than 1.6-1.8 g/kg of protein from food alone. Focus on whole food sources and avoid stacking multiple protein supplements, as this may lead to excess calories and fat gain rather than muscle.

Isocalorically substituting 5% of total energy intake from carbohydrates with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), specifically n-3 and n-6, or plant-based monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) is associated with a statistically significant reduction in all-cause mortality risk.

To potentially lower your risk of all-cause mortality, focus on swapping the energy from carbohydrates for healthy fats. Specifically, aim to replace 5% of your total daily energy from carbs with polyunsaturated fats (like those in nuts, seeds, and fish) or plant-based monounsaturated fats (like olive oil). This swap is associated with a lower risk of death, according to a large network meta-analysis of observational studies.

Isocalorically substituting 5% of total energy intake from Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA) and Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA) with Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) or Plant-based Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) is associated with a statistically significant reduction in all-cause mortality risk.

To potentially lower your risk of all-cause mortality, focus on swapping the energy from Saturated Fats (SFA) and Trans Fats (TFA) for healthier fats. Specifically, aim to replace 5% of your total daily energy from SFA/TFA with Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFA, found in nuts, seeds, fish) or Plant-based Monounsaturated Fats (MUFA, found in olive oil). This swap is associated with a lower risk of death, according to a large network meta-analysis of observational studies.

Isocalorically substituting 5% of total energy intake from Animal Protein with Plant Protein is associated with a statistically significant reduction in all-cause mortality risk.

To potentially lower your risk of all-cause mortality, focus on swapping the energy from Animal Protein for Plant Protein. Specifically, aim to replace 5% of your total daily energy from animal sources (meat, dairy, eggs) with plant sources (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds). This swap is associated with a lower risk of death, according to a large network meta-analysis of observational studies.

Current dietary guidelines (RDA of 0.8 g/kg) may be insufficient for older adults to prevent muscle loss, but exceeding this amount alone does not significantly improve strength or performance without resistance training.

As you age, you might need more protein to maintain muscle, but just eating more protein won't make you stronger. You must combine adequate protein with resistance training to preserve strength and function. Exceeding recommended amounts without exercise offers little extra benefit.

Time-Restricted Eating (TRE), defined as restricting daily energy intake to a window of ≤10 hours, reduces obesity, inflammation, and insulin resistance in humans independent of caloric restriction.

To try Time-Restricted Eating, compress your daily eating into a 10-hour window, such as 10 AM to 8 PM. You do not need to count calories or change what you eat, just when you eat it. Ensure your last meal is finished by 8 PM. This strategy has been shown to improve insulin resistance and reduce inflammation in adults, independent of how much total food is consumed.

Adopting a high fat-to-energy ratio (FER) and low carbohydrate-to-energy ratio (CER) diet over the course of adult life significantly increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, and all-cause mortality.

If you are changing your diet to eat more fat and fewer carbohydrates over time, be aware that this specific shift (high fat, low carb) has been linked to higher risks of obesity, diabetes, and death in long-term studies of Chinese adults. Conversely, maintaining a lower fat intake with higher carbohydrates did not show these increased risks after accounting for social factors. Focus on the overall pattern of your diet over years, not just single meals.