Browse the evidence

The German Nutrition Society's (DGE) 2024 dietary guidelines, which prioritize minimizing environmental burden and deviation from current consumption over health outcomes, are methodologically flawed and potentially harmful because they significantly increase carbohydrate intake while reducing protein and fat without evidence-based justification.

Do not follow the new DGE guidelines blindly, especially if you are concerned about metabolic health, weight, or blood sugar. The guidelines significantly increase carbohydrates and decrease fats and proteins without strong evidence. Instead, focus on nutrient-dense foods, prioritize protein and healthy fats for satiety and metabolic health, and consider that local, sustainably sourced animal products can be part of a healthy and environmentally sound diet.

Higher carbohydrate intake does not independently enhance resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy when protein and energy intake are controlled.

You do not need to eat high carbohydrates to maximize muscle growth. As long as you are consuming enough protein and total calories (energy surplus for growth), you can choose your carbohydrate intake based on personal preference, performance needs, or digestive comfort without negatively impacting your muscle gains. Low-carb diets are not inherently inferior for hypertrophy if energy and protein are adequate.

The Lipid Hypothesis, which demonized saturated fats and promoted high-carbohydrate diets, is flawed and has contributed to the global pandemic of chronic metabolic diseases.

Re-evaluate your intake of saturated fats. The paper suggests that saturated fats are essential for health and that the high carbohydrate intake promoted by the Lipid Hypothesis may be contributing to metabolic diseases. Consider reducing carbohydrates and incorporating healthy saturated fats.

Vegan athletes may experience slower recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) compared to omnivores, characterized by greater delayed onset muscle soreness and reduced jump performance, likely due to lower protein and amino acid intake.

If you are vegan, pay close attention to your protein intake, especially around training. You may experience more muscle soreness and slower return of power (jump height) after intense workouts. Ensure you are consuming enough total protein and diverse plant sources to provide all essential amino acids for repair.

Dietary protein supplementation significantly augments resistance training-induced gains in fat-free mass (FFM) and one-repetition-maximum (1RM) strength in healthy adults.

If you are doing resistance training, ensure you are consuming enough protein. Supplementing with protein powder can help you reach optimal levels (~1.6 g/kg/day) to maximize muscle and strength gains. You do not need to exceed this amount for further benefits.

In individuals with type 2 diabetes, a carbohydrate-reduced high-protein (CRHP) diet (30E% carbs, 30E% protein, 40E% fat) induces greater improvements in glycaemic control (HbA1c, diurnal glucose) and reduces liver fat compared to a conventional diabetes diet (50E% carbs, 17E% protein, 33E% fat), even when both diets produce matched weight loss.

For a person with Type 2 Diabetes, switching to a diet with 30% of calories from carbs, 30% from protein, and 40% from fat (while maintaining a calorie deficit to lose weight) can improve blood sugar control and reduce liver fat more effectively than a standard high-carb diabetes diet, even if both diets result in the same amount of weight loss. However, be aware that this diet may not reduce fat stored in the pancreas as much as a standard diet.

Consuming 30g of protein from lean beef immediately following resistance training may augment chronic adaptations in strength and lean tissue accretion compared to a placebo, though its efficacy relative to whey protein remains to be determined by this ongoing trial.

This study is currently a protocol and has not yet published results. However, it suggests that consuming ~30g of protein from lean beef immediately after resistance training is a viable strategy to potentially enhance strength and muscle gains. If you prefer whole foods over supplements, lean beef is a high-quality source of protein and micronutrients. Ensure you are doing consistent resistance training (3x/week) and consuming this protein within an hour post-workout.

Adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern significantly reduces the prevalence and incidence of metabolic syndrome and its components compared to nonadherence or Western diets.

Adopt a Mediterranean-style diet focusing on olive oil, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. This approach is proven to cut your risk of metabolic syndrome by half compared to standard diets, regardless of whether you restrict calories.

Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated vegetable oils does not reduce cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality, or total mortality, despite lowering serum cholesterol.

Current evidence from large clinical trials suggests that simply swapping saturated fats for polyunsaturated vegetable oils does not reduce your risk of heart attack or death, even if it lowers your cholesterol numbers. Relying on this substitution as a primary strategy for heart health protection is not supported by the data.

Adherence to a nutrient-dense carnivore diet (high fat, moderate protein, negligible carbohydrates) can induce remission of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in patients with long-standing disease history.

This case suggests that eliminating carbohydrates and eating a diet consisting only of animal products (meat, eggs, fats) may help reverse type 2 diabetes and hypertension, even in long-standing cases. However, this is based on a single patient who also had cancer and refused standard care. Do not attempt this without medical supervision, especially if you have kidney disease or are on medication, as dosages may need adjustment.

Systematic review evidence does not establish a strong or clear association between palm oil consumption and increased risk of cardiovascular disease or CVD-specific mortality.

Current systematic evidence does not support the claim that palm oil consumption increases cardiovascular disease risk. While palm oil contains saturated fats, the review found no strong link to CVD or mortality. Focus on maintaining a healthy overall diet pattern rather than avoiding palm oil specifically.

Whey protein supplementation (total 1.2 g/kg/d) during diet-induced weight loss does not produce clinically important improvements in muscle mass or strength in middle-aged postmenopausal women with obesity.

If you are a postmenopausal woman losing weight, eating more protein (up to 1.2g/kg) than the standard recommendation will not save your muscle mass or strength. You will still lose muscle, and your strength will not improve, regardless of whether you take whey protein supplements. Do not rely on protein alone to preserve muscle during a diet.