Browse the evidence

Pre-training carbohydrate intake (1-4 g/kg) 2-3 hours before training optimizes glycogen stores and delays fatigue in weightlifters.

Eat a meal rich in carbohydrates (1-4 grams per kg of body weight) 2-3 hours before your workout. Choose easily digestible sources like oatmeal or bananas to ensure you have energy without stomach issues.

To preserve skeletal muscle mass during obesity treatment with obesity medications (OMs) or caloric restriction, patients should consume 0.8 g/kg/day of high-quality protein (minimum 60-80 g/day), with higher requirements (1.0-1.5 g/kg/day) for older adults and those with chronic diseases.

If you are losing weight with medication or diet, prioritize protein. Aim for 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight daily, or at least 60-80 grams. If you are older or have chronic health conditions, aim higher (1.0-1.5 g/kg). Combine this with resistance exercise to protect your muscle.

A holistic primary care model combining carbohydrate reduction (targeting <130 g/day), health coaching, and community support significantly reduces HbA1c and achieves diabetes reversal or remission in patients with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

To manage type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, reduce your daily carbohydrate intake to below 130 grams, focusing on whole foods. Engage with a health coach for behavioral support and join community groups for peer encouragement. Monitor your HbA1c regularly with your doctor, and be prepared for potential medication adjustments as your blood sugar improves. This approach has been shown to reverse diabetes in a significant portion of patients in real-world settings.

Optimizing within-day carbohydrate distribution is critical for rugby players with congested schedules, as inadequate post-training carbohydrate intake may compromise substrate availability for subsequent evening sessions.

For rugby players training twice a day, when you eat carbohydrates matters as much as how much. The study showed that despite intervention, players didn't improve their post-morning training carb intake, and actually ate less carbs later in the day. This suggests that without specific guidance, athletes may neglect refueling between sessions, potentially impacting evening performance. Prioritize quick carbs immediately after morning training to fuel the evening session.

High-protein diets (25-30% of calories) preserve lean muscle mass and improve metabolic parameters like insulin sensitivity during weight loss.

Increase protein intake to 25-30% of your daily calories to preserve muscle and improve metabolic health. Ensure you consume high-quality protein sources and balance with carbs and fats.

An 8-week hypocaloric, very low-carbohydrate diet (≤71g carbs/day) in overweight women promotes significant weight loss, improved blood pressure, and improved lipid profiles (lowered LDL, TAG, and TAG/HDL ratio) without compromising glucose tolerance.

For overweight women, reducing daily carbohydrates to around 70 grams and creating a caloric deficit for 8 weeks can lead to significant weight loss and improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol without negatively affecting blood sugar control. This approach does not require increasing fat or protein intake, and it maintains HDL levels.

A 30-day ketogenic diet (KD) with adequate protein intake (1.8 g/kg/day) reduces body fat and visceral adipose tissue in semi-professional soccer players without compromising muscle mass, maximal strength, or intermittent aerobic performance.

If you are a semi-professional soccer player looking to lose fat quickly, a 30-day ketogenic diet can work without hurting your strength or performance. Key requirements: 1) Keep carbohydrates under 30g/day. 2) Eat 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. 3) Maintain your normal training schedule. 4) Use supplements or specific foods to help with adherence and electrolyte balance. Monitor your ketones to ensure you are in ketosis.

Distributing a fixed caloric deficit with higher energy intake in the morning (breakfast, morning snack, lunch) compared to the evening (afternoon snack, dinner) results in significantly greater fat loss and improved insulin sensitivity than an equal-calorie diet with more evening intake.

To maximize fat loss, shift the majority of your daily calories to the morning. If you are eating a fixed number of calories for weight loss, make breakfast, morning snack, and lunch account for about 70% of those calories, and save only 30% for afternoon snack and dinner. This timing strategy has been shown to improve fat loss and insulin sensitivity compared to eating more in the evening, even if total calories are the same. Start by making your breakfast substantial and gradually adjust your evening portions to fit this ratio.

A 4-week non-calorie-restricted ketogenic diet significantly reduces body weight, BMI, and abdominal adiposity (waist circumference) in overweight/obese young females without impairing cardiorespiratory fitness.

If you are an overweight young woman, switching to a ketogenic diet for 4 weeks can help you lose weight and reduce belly fat without needing to count calories or exercise more. You will eat less carbs and more fat, but keep your energy levels for daily activities. Expect to lose about 3kg and reduce your waist size by 4cm. Monitor your ketones to ensure you are in ketosis.

An energy-restricted high-protein diet (30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat) produces significantly greater weight loss and fat mass reduction than a traditional energy-restricted control diet (15% protein, 55% carbohydrate, 30% fat) in obese men over 8 weeks.

If you are an obese man looking to lose weight, switching to a diet with higher protein (30% of calories) and lower carbohydrates (40%) while keeping fat moderate (30%) and maintaining a calorie deficit will likely result in faster and greater weight loss than a standard low-fat, high-carb diet over an 8-week period.

An 8-week very low carbohydrate diet (VLCD) with <20g carbohydrate/day and <800 kcal/day significantly reduces body weight, visceral and subcutaneous fat, liver fat, and improves insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in obese subjects.

For obese individuals, an 8-week very low carbohydrate diet (under 20g carbs, under 800 calories) can significantly reduce body weight, visceral fat, and liver fat while improving insulin sensitivity. This approach preserves or even increases skeletal muscle mass percentage compared to fat loss. It requires strict adherence and medical supervision due to the severity of caloric restriction.

Post-bariatric surgery success (defined as >50% excess weight loss) is significantly associated with maintaining carbohydrate intake below 173g/day and fat intake below 52.5g/day at 12 months, alongside a total caloric intake under 1523 kcal/day.

After bariatric surgery, hitting your weight loss goals depends heavily on what you eat, not just how much. At one year, aim for less than 1523 calories, keep carbs under 173 grams, and fat under 52.5 grams. Crucially, ensure you are eating more than 86.5 grams of protein daily. This specific balance of macros is what separates successful long-term weight loss from failure.

Timing protein intake immediately after exercise (within 30-60 minutes) maximizes muscle protein synthesis compared to delaying intake by 3 hours.

Try to eat protein within 30-60 minutes after your workout to maximize muscle building. However, do not stress if you miss this window; your total daily protein intake is much more important for long-term results.

Energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate ketogenic (VLCK) diets produce greater total fat loss and trunk fat loss than low-fat (LF) diets in overweight men and women, with a more pronounced effect in men.

If you are overweight and want to maximize fat loss, especially abdominal fat, a very low-carbohydrate diet (under 10% carbs) is likely more effective than a standard low-fat diet, even if you eat slightly more calories. This benefit is strongest in men but also present in women. Monitor your ketones to ensure you are in the target range.

Increasing dietary protein intake to 1.0–1.2 g/kg/day helps compensate for skeletal muscle loss (sarcopenia) during weight loss in middle-aged and older women.

If you are trying to lose weight, aim for 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight each day. This higher amount helps protect your muscle mass from being lost along with fat, which is a common issue for women after menopause.

Diets dominated by ultra-processed foods (Group 3) are nutritionally inferior and fail to meet WHO dietary recommendations for the prevention of obesity and chronic diseases, whereas diets based on minimally processed foods and culinary ingredients (Groups 1 and 2) are significantly healthier.

To improve your diet, focus on reducing the proportion of ultra-processed foods (like soft drinks, candies, processed meats, and ready meals) and increasing the proportion of minimally processed foods (like fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and grains) and basic culinary ingredients (like oils and sugar). The study shows that diets dominated by ultra-processed foods fail to meet basic health guidelines for fat, sugar, sodium, and fiber, regardless of total calories. Shifting your food purchases toward whole ingredients is the most effective way to align your diet with chronic disease prevention goals.

A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet (LCKD) leads to significantly greater improvements in glycemic control (HbA1c) and more frequent medication reduction compared to a low-glycemic index diet (LGID) in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

For individuals with type 2 diabetes and obesity, adopting a strict low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (under 20g carbs daily) for 24 weeks can significantly improve blood sugar control and allow for the reduction or elimination of diabetes medications, outperforming standard low-glycemic index diets. This approach does not require calorie counting, focusing instead on limiting carbohydrates while allowing unlimited intake of meats, eggs, and non-starchy vegetables.

Nutrient intake and timing should be periodized in relation to exercise and the competition calendar to promote physiological adaptations and performance capacity.

Change what and when you eat based on your training schedule. Eat more carbs and calories during high-volume/high-intensity blocks. Reduce intake slightly during rest or low-volume phases to manage body composition without compromising health.

Adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet significantly reduces HbA1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, often allowing for the reduction or elimination of chronic disease medications.

Start by filling half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with whole grains or starchy plants, and a quarter with legumes. Eliminate meat, dairy, eggs, and refined sugars. Add a small handful of nuts or seeds daily. This approach has been shown to significantly improve blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, often reducing the need for medications under a doctor's supervision.

Adopting a hypocaloric diet with reduced fat, low carbohydrates, high protein, and increased fiber helps mitigate weight gain during lockdown.

To prevent weight gain, eat smaller portions and focus on high-protein, low-carb foods with plenty of fiber. Reduce fat intake. This helps manage hunger and prevents obesity-related risks.

Lowering total carbohydrate intake (very-low to moderately low) improves glycemic control (A1C, fasting glucose) and insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes, often allowing for reduced medication use, without worsening CVD risk markers compared to conventional diets.

For people with type 2 diabetes, reducing carbohydrate intake to 21-70g/day (very-low) or 30-40% of calories (moderately low) can significantly improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity. This approach often allows for a reduction in diabetes medications. While CVD risk markers like cholesterol may not improve as dramatically as glycemic markers, the overall metabolic benefit is clear. Consult your doctor before changing your diet or medication.

Older adults require higher protein intake (1.4-1.6 g/kg/day) than the standard RDA (0.8 g/kg/day) to maintain muscle mass and bone health.

Increase your daily protein intake to 1.4-1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight to help preserve muscle and bone as you age.

A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet (LCKD) with <20g carbohydrate/day significantly improves glycemic control (HbA1c) and reduces or eliminates the need for diabetes medications in overweight/obese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Adopt a strict low-carb diet limiting carbohydrates to under 20 grams per day. Focus on meats, fish, eggs, and non-starchy vegetables. Monitor your blood glucose closely. If you are on diabetes medication, work with your doctor to reduce or stop these medications as your blood sugar improves, as the diet itself is highly effective at lowering glucose levels.

A hypocaloric hyperproteic diet (800 kcal deficit, 35% protein) improves insulin sensitivity and reduces androgen levels in obese PCOS patients, leading to improved menstrual cyclicity.

A diet with a moderate caloric deficit (800 kcal) and high protein (35%) improves metabolic markers in obese PCOS patients. However, adherence is challenging, with higher dropout rates compared to exercise programs.