Browse the evidence

Low-carbohydrate diets (<40% carbs) significantly reduce triglyceride levels and body weight, and increase HDL-C, with effects being most pronounced in interventions lasting less than 11 months.

Adopting a diet where less than 40% of calories come from carbohydrates can help lower triglycerides, reduce body weight, and improve HDL cholesterol, particularly if you stick with it for under a year. While LDL cholesterol might rise slightly, the overall shift in lipid particles and triglyceride reduction suggests a net benefit for heart health compared to standard diets.

Female endurance athletes should consume 8-10 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight in the 3 days leading up to an event (carbohydrate loading) to maximize muscle glycogen stores, with particular emphasis on this strategy during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

Three days before your big race or long event, increase your carbohydrate intake to 8-10 grams for every kilogram of your body weight. This means eating more pasta, rice, and fruits than usual. This strategy fills your muscle glycogen stores, giving you more energy for the event. This is especially important if you are in the luteal phase (second half) of your menstrual cycle, as your body may burn through glycogen faster.

Female athletes should consume 1 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight in the hours prior to aerobic exercise to maximize carbohydrate availability, as pre-exercise feeding is likely more important during the follicular phase when carbohydrate oxidation rates are elevated.

One to four hours before your aerobic workout or race, eat carbohydrates equal to 1 gram per kilogram of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 60 kg, eat 60 grams of carbs (e.g., a banana and a small bowl of oatmeal). This helps ensure you have enough fuel for your muscles, especially if you are in the first half of your menstrual cycle.

Female athletes should consume 500-1000 mL of a 6% carbohydrate solution per hour during prolonged endurance exercise (>90 minutes) to experience ergogenic effects, regardless of menstrual cycle phase.

If you are exercising for more than 90 minutes, drink 500-1000 mL of a 6% carbohydrate solution (like a sports drink) every hour. This helps maintain your blood sugar and energy levels, improving your performance. This strategy works regardless of where you are in your menstrual cycle.

Female athletes should rapidly consume at least 0.75 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight immediately following prolonged exercise to maximize muscle glycogen resynthesis rates.

Right after your long workout, eat carbohydrates equal to 0.75 grams per kilogram of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 60 kg, eat 45 grams of carbs (e.g., a chocolate milk and a granola bar). This helps your muscles recover and replenish their energy stores quickly.

Bariatric surgery leads to greater long-term weight loss and better glycemic control (lower HbA1c, HOMA-IR) compared to conventional medical therapy in severely obese T2DM patients, with specific surgical types (RYGB, BPD) showing superior metabolic effects.

Bariatric surgery provides superior long-term weight loss and blood sugar control compared to medication alone for severely obese diabetics. The specific type of surgery (e.g., RYGB vs. BPD) influences which metabolic markers improve most, so discussing these differences with a healthcare provider is important for personalized treatment.

Protein restriction (0.6-0.8 g/kg/day) is recommended for T2DM patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to slow progression.

If you have kidney issues, limit protein to 0.6-0.8g per kg of body weight daily. Focus on high-quality vegetable proteins. This helps protect your kidneys from further damage.

Increasing daily protein intake to 1.0–1.5 g/kg/day in older adults improves glycemic control and preserves muscle mass, counteracting age-related sarcopenia and insulin resistance.

If you are over 40 and concerned about diabetes or muscle loss, aim for 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. This is higher than the standard recommendation and helps protect your muscles while improving how your body handles sugar. Focus on high-quality sources like dairy or whey, and combine this with resistance exercise for the best results.

Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats from local regional sources (canola oil, pecans, avocado, moringa oil) significantly improves lipid profiles (reduces LDL/total cholesterol) and cardiovascular risk factors.

To improve your cholesterol without changing your culture, swap your current cooking fat for local monounsaturated options. In North America, use canola oil and eat pecans (approx. 42g/day). In Latin America, use avocado as your primary fat source. In Africa, consider moringa oil. These swaps have been shown in meta-analyses to lower LDL cholesterol effectively.

Daily ingestion of 10g low-dose acidified milk protein combined with low-to-moderate intensity exercise training significantly increases lean body mass in healthy older adults compared to isocaloric carbohydrate.

If you are an older adult looking to maintain or build muscle, you do not need to consume large amounts of protein at once. Consuming just 10 grams of high-quality milk protein daily, preferably after light-to-moderate exercise like bodyweight movements or medicine ball exercises, can help increase lean body mass over 6 months. This approach is easier to maintain than large doses and avoids the burden of consuming large volumes of supplements.

Current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g/kg/day for protein is likely an underestimate for older adults and should be increased to 1.0-1.2 g/kg/day to support healthy muscle ageing.

If you are an older adult, aim for 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. This is higher than the standard government recommendation of 0.8 g/kg. Spread this protein evenly across your meals (about 0.4 g/kg per meal) and combine it with strength training. This helps maintain muscle mass and function without harming healthy kidneys or bones.

Older adults require higher per-meal doses of high-quality, nutrient-dense protein (NDP) to overcome age-related anabolic resistance and maximize muscle protein synthesis (MPS).

Older adults should aim for 30-45 grams of high-quality protein (like eggs, meat, or dairy) at each main meal, paired with resistance exercise. This higher dose is necessary to overcome the body's reduced sensitivity to protein as we age, helping to preserve muscle mass and strength. Focus on nutrient-dense sources rather than just quantity.

Endurance athletes require a daily protein intake of approximately 1.8 g/kg body mass per day, which may increase to >2.0 g/kg/day during carbohydrate-restricted training or on rest days.

Aim for 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. If you are doing low-carb training sessions or taking rest days, bump this up to over 2.0 grams per kilogram. This helps your body repair muscle and replace amino acids lost during exercise.

Reducing saturated fat intake significantly improves lipid profiles (Total Cholesterol and LDL-C) and body weight metrics in adults.

Lowering saturated fat intake not only helps your heart but also tends to lower your LDL ('bad') cholesterol and total cholesterol, and may help with modest weight loss. This is achieved by swapping high-saturated-fat foods for healthier unsaturated fat sources or plant-based alternatives.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet improves liver steatosis and metabolic parameters, and is the only diet pattern recommended as potential therapy for MASLD by major scientific societies.

Adopt a Mediterranean diet pattern: fill half your plate with vegetables, use olive oil as your primary fat, eat whole grains, and include fish and legumes regularly. Limit red meat and sweets. This pattern is the only one officially recommended for treating MASLD because it improves liver fat, blood sugar, and cholesterol simultaneously.

Older adults require protein intakes 50–100% higher than the standard RDA (~0.8 g/kg/day) to overcome anabolic resistance and preserve muscle mass.

If you are older, the standard protein recommendation is likely too low to stop muscle loss. Aim for roughly 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day, and combine this with regular resistance and aerobic exercise to effectively preserve your muscle mass.

Diabetes-specific nutrition formulas (DSNFs) containing slowly-digestible carbohydrates and healthy fats significantly reduce postprandial glucose and insulin excursions compared to standard formulas or isocaloric test meals in patients with type 2 diabetes.

For Type 2 Diabetes, replacing one or two meals/snacks daily with a Diabetes-Specific Nutrition Formula (DSNF) can significantly improve blood sugar control compared to standard formulas or regular food. Look for formulas with slowly-digestible carbs and healthy fats. Dosing should be tailored to your weight and current blood sugar levels, typically 1-3 servings per day.

A Mediterranean-style diet with high unsaturated fats and low carbohydrates reduces epicardial fat volume, whereas a standard low-calorie diet and exercise alone do not.

Adopting a Mediterranean-style diet (high in unsaturated fats, low in carbs) can reduce epicardial fat in obese HFpEF patients, even without significant weight loss. Combine this with physical activity for best results. Avoid standard low-calorie diets if they do not reduce EAT.

Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) reduces cardiovascular event risk by 17% and offers greater protection than replacing them with carbohydrates.

Replace saturated fats (found in animal products and tropical oils) with polyunsaturated fats (found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils). This substitution reduces your risk of cardiovascular events by 17% and is more effective for heart health than replacing fat with carbohydrates.

High intake of simple sugars and refined grains is strongly associated with long-term weight gain and type 2 diabetes, particularly through sugary beverages.

Cut back on sugary beverages, white bread, white rice, and candy. These foods are strongly linked to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. Replace them with whole grains and high-fiber foods to improve your metabolic health.

High protein intake (up to 1.6 g/kg/day) combined with strength training significantly improves muscle mass and strength in middle-aged and older adults.

If you are strength training, aim for 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. This amount, combined with strength training, significantly improves muscle mass and strength, especially in older adults.

Increasing total protein intake from 0.5 to 3.5 g/kg body weight per day increases lean body mass in a dose-response manner, with the greatest efficiency observed below 1.3 g/kg/day.

To maximize muscle mass, increase your daily protein intake to between 0.5 and 3.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. You will see the biggest gains per gram of protein when you are below 1.3 g/kg. If you are already eating above 1.3 g/kg, adding more protein still helps, but the returns get smaller unless you are also doing resistance training. Aim for this intake consistently over several months.

Peri-operative essential amino acid (EAA) supplementation significantly reduces muscle atrophy in quadriceps and hamstring muscles following total joint arthroplasty.

If you are having knee or hip replacement surgery, ask your care team about essential amino acid (EAA) or protein supplementation. The evidence suggests this helps preserve muscle mass in your legs during recovery, which is critical for mobility. While it may not instantly boost strength, it prevents the rapid muscle loss common after surgery.

Higher dietary intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), specifically oleic acid, and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA + DHA) is associated with a significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

To lower your cardiovascular disease risk, prioritize foods rich in monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil, avocados, nuts) and omega-3 fatty acids (fatty fish like salmon, sardines). The study suggests that the specific type of fat you eat matters more than the total amount of fat, as total fat and saturated fat intake showed no significant link to CVD risk in this population.