Browse the evidence

Consumption of fructose or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) at 25% of energy requirements for two weeks significantly increases postprandial triglycerides, fasting LDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein-B in young adults, whereas glucose consumption does not produce these adverse lipid changes.

If you consume beverages providing 25% of your daily energy from added sugars, choose glucose-sweetened options over fructose or HFCS if you are concerned about post-meal triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Two weeks of fructose or HFCS consumption significantly worsened these lipid markers in young adults, while glucose did not. Note that this applies to young, relatively lean adults; effects may differ in older or obese populations.

Low Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) diets significantly reduce postprandial glucose levels in women with GDM, though they may not significantly impact primary neonatal outcomes like birth weight or macrosomia.

Choose foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI <= 55) and focus on Glycemic Load (GL). Eat high-fiber foods like vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. This helps control blood sugar spikes after meals, even if it doesn't guarantee a lower birth weight.

Intrahepatic triglyceride content is a stronger determinant of insulin resistance and glycemic control than visceral adipose tissue or intramyocellular lipid content.

Focus on reducing liver fat, not just overall weight. While weight loss helps, the specific reduction of fat stored in the liver is crucial for restoring insulin sensitivity. This may require targeted dietary changes (reducing fructose/sugars) and exercise, as liver fat is a distinct metabolic driver.

Replacing saturated and trans fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids lowers LDL cholesterol and reduces cardiovascular disease risk, whereas simply reducing total fat without this substitution may worsen the lipid triad (high triglycerides, low HDL, small LDL particles).

Focus on swapping saturated fats (like butter or fatty meats) for unsaturated fats (like olive oil, nuts, or fish) rather than just cutting total fat. Simply eating less fat but replacing it with refined carbohydrates may not improve your cholesterol profile and could worsen it.

Substituting dietary saturated fatty acids with monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids improves insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals, whereas high saturated fat intake is associated with insulin resistance.

To improve your body's sensitivity to insulin, focus on the quality of the fats you eat rather than just cutting total fat. Replace saturated fats (found in red meat, butter) with unsaturated fats (found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish). This substitution, done while keeping your overall calorie intake stable, has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. You do not need to eliminate fat entirely; simply choosing the right types supports metabolic health.

High intake of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from processed foods and beverages promotes de novo lipogenesis, insulin resistance, and liver fibrosis, whereas fructose from whole fruits does not carry the same risk and is safe within a Mediterranean diet.

Avoid sugary drinks and processed foods containing high fructose corn syrup, as they directly contribute to liver fat and fibrosis. You do not need to avoid whole fruits, which are part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Focus on reducing added sugars to improve liver health.

Replacing carbohydrates or saturated fats with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) significantly increases HDL-cholesterol and decreases triacylglycerols in healthy subjects.

To improve your HDL cholesterol and lower triglycerides, consider replacing some carbohydrates or saturated fats in your diet with monounsaturated fats (like olive oil, avocados, or nuts). Ensure you keep your total calorie intake the same (isoenergetic) so you aren't just adding fat on top of your current diet.

High-MUFA diets significantly reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in overweight or obese subjects compared to low-MUFA diets.

If you are overweight or have high blood pressure, increasing your intake of monounsaturated fats (like olive oil) while keeping your calories steady can help lower your blood pressure numbers.

Higher plasma concentrations of even-chain saturated fatty acids (specifically stearic and palmitic acid) are positively associated with an increased risk of incident coronary heart disease, whereas higher plasma concentrations of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (specifically linoleic acid) are inversely associated with CHD risk.

Focus on the quality of your fats rather than just total fat intake. High levels of saturated fats (like stearic and palmitic acid found in animal products) are linked to higher heart disease risk, while omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (like linoleic acid found in vegetable oils and nuts) are linked to lower risk. Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats appears to be a beneficial strategy for heart health.

Dietary carbohydrate intake drives post-prandial increases in adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity via insulin secretion; high-carbohydrate, fat-free diets significantly increase LPL, whereas fat-containing diets do not.

If you eat a high-carbohydrate, low-fat meal, your body significantly increases the activity of the enzyme (LPL) that stores fat in your fat cells. Eating a fat-containing meal does not trigger this increase to the same degree. This effect is driven by the insulin response to the carbohydrates.

Ingesting a second dose of amino acids or carbohydrates 1 hour after the first dose does not diminish the metabolic response (muscle protein synthesis) to the second dose.

You can safely consume another serving of protein or a meal within an hour of your post-workout shake without worrying that it will be 'wasted' or less effective. Your muscles will continue to respond to the nutrients.

Edible insects (specifically larvae of Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domesticus, and Gonimbrasia belina) provide a nutritional profile comparable to or superior to traditional meats, offering high-quality protein, essential amino acids, and favorable fatty acid ratios (PUFA/SFA) with lower environmental impact.

Incorporate commercially available edible insect species (like mealworms or crickets) into your diet as a protein source. They offer complete protein and often higher levels of minerals like zinc and iron compared to many meats. Start with processed forms (e.g., insect flour in baked goods) to ease into the taste and texture if you are new to entomophagy.

Dietary interventions that specifically increase n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) without simultaneously increasing n-3 PUFA increase the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease (CHD) death compared to mixed n-3/n-6 PUFA interventions.

If you are replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, ensure you are also increasing your intake of n-3 fatty acids (like those found in fish or flaxseed) rather than just increasing n-6 fatty acids (like corn or soybean oil). Relying solely on n-6 oils for heart health may actually increase your risk of heart attacks and coronary death.

Individualized dietary advice to lower blood total cholesterol in free-living subjects produces a modest reduction of approximately 5.3% after six months, with more intensive diets achieving greater reductions (up to 8.5% at 3 months).

To lower cholesterol, individualized dietary advice works, but the effect is modest (around 5%) in real-world settings due to adherence issues. More intensive diets (Step 2: <7% saturated fat, <200mg cholesterol) are significantly more effective than basic Step 1 diets. Focus on reducing saturated fats and increasing polyunsaturated fats, and recognize that consistent, moderate changes are better than none, even if they don't achieve the 10-15% reductions seen in controlled metabolic ward studies.

High-intensity exercise can counteract the fattening effects of high-fat diets by lowering glycogen stores, which rapidly increases fat oxidation.

If you eat a high-fat diet, incorporate high-intensity exercise. This depletes glycogen, which signals your body to burn more fat, helping to offset the high fat intake.

Obese and post-obese individuals have a diminished capacity to increase fat oxidation in response to high-fat diets compared to lean individuals.

If you are obese or have been obese, your body may not adapt to high-fat diets by burning more fat. This makes it harder to manage weight on such diets compared to lean individuals.

Vegan diets are associated with significantly higher intakes of fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and certain vitamins (C, E, folate) compared to meat-eater diets, contributing to a nutrient profile associated with lower risk of ischemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet naturally increases your intake of fiber and healthy fats (PUFA) while reducing saturated fats. This shift is linked to lower risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Ensure your diet includes a variety of plant foods to maximize these benefits.

In obese short-sleepers, an evening chronotype is associated with altered eating patterns, specifically consuming more calories after 8 PM, fewer eating occasions, and larger portion sizes, which correlates with lower HDL-cholesterol levels.

For obese individuals sleeping less than 6.5 hours, being an evening type often means eating larger, less frequent meals and consuming more calories late at night. This pattern is linked to lower HDL (good) cholesterol. Try to shift eating earlier in the day and avoid large late-night meals.

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is strongly associated with insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, independent of subcutaneous fat and BMI, due to its pro-inflammatory secretory profile.

Where you store fat matters more than how much you weigh. Reducing visceral fat through diet and exercise is critical for lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease, even if your overall weight doesn't change drastically.

Dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is positively associated with fasting adiponectin levels, while saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake is negatively associated, suggesting that dietary fat quality modulates adiponectin secretion.

To support higher adiponectin levels, NASH patients should focus on increasing their intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and reducing saturated fatty acids (SFA). This shift in dietary fat quality, rather than just total fat reduction, is associated with higher fasting adiponectin levels.

High-glycemic-index (GI) carbohydrate foods worsen metabolic syndrome factors (glucose, triglycerides, HDL, fibrinolysis), whereas high-fiber, low-GI foods do not induce these detrimental effects.

Choose carbohydrates that are high in fiber and have a low glycemic index (e.g., vegetables, legumes, whole grains). Avoid high-GI carbs (e.g., white bread, sugary drinks) as they worsen metabolic health. You do not need to eliminate carbs entirely.

Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with significantly increased intake of free sugars, saturated and trans fats, sodium, and energy density, while decreasing intake of dietary fiber and potassium.

To improve your nutrient intake, reduce the proportion of ultra-processed foods in your diet. This category includes mass-produced packaged breads, ready meals, fast food, pastries, and sugary drinks. Replacing these with unprocessed or minimally processed foods (like fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains) will naturally lower your intake of harmful sugars, sodium, and saturated fats while increasing beneficial fiber and potassium.

Lowering dietary protein from 15% to 10% of energy intake causes a significant increase in total energy consumption (overconsumption) in lean humans, whereas increasing protein to 25% does not reduce energy intake.

If you want to control your total calorie intake, ensure your diet has a moderate to high protein content (around 15-25% of calories). Dropping protein too low (e.g., 10%) will likely cause you to eat significantly more calories, even if the food tastes the same. However, simply adding more protein than usual may not automatically make you eat less, especially if you have constant access to a wide variety of foods.

Urinary nitrogen is a valid short-term biomarker for total protein intake, though it requires multiple 24-hour urine samples to accurately establish protein status and may underestimate high intake while overestimating low intake.

To accurately assess protein intake using urinary nitrogen, collect multiple 24-hour urine samples rather than relying on a single sample, as this significantly improves accuracy.