Browse the evidence

Post-exercise high-fat feeding suppresses p70S6K1 activity in human skeletal muscle, potentially impairing muscle protein synthesis and remodeling despite adequate protein intake.

If your goal is maximizing muscle growth or remodeling after training, consuming a high-fat meal immediately post-exercise may blunt the signaling pathways (p70S6K1) responsible for building muscle, even if you eat enough protein. Consider prioritizing carbohydrates or lower-fat protein sources in the immediate recovery window to optimize anabolic signaling.

A dietary pattern high in fruit, dairy products, and sweets is associated with lower blood pressure, lower urinary albumin excretion (UAE), and lower brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in T2DM patients.

A diet high in fruit, dairy, and sweets is associated with lower blood pressure and arterial stiffness (baPWV) in T2DM patients. This benefit may come from nutrients in fruit (antioxidants, fiber) and dairy (calcium, potassium, magnesium), which may offset the negative effects of sweets. However, this is an observational finding and does not recommend increasing sugar intake.

Long-term adherence to low-carbohydrate diets, particularly those high in saturated fats, is associated with increased LDL-cholesterol, increased cardiovascular disease risk, and increased mortality.

If you choose a low-carb diet, prioritize unsaturated fats (like olive oil, nuts, fish) over saturated fats (like red meat, butter) to protect your heart health and avoid raising LDL-cholesterol.

In healthy adults, higher dietary saturated fat intake is independently associated with higher LDL-C, but this relationship is not dose-dependent across typical intake ranges and is largely explained by abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass rather than the fat itself.

If you are healthy and have a normal BMI, simply reducing saturated fat might not significantly lower your LDL-C if you have high visceral fat. Focus on overall body composition and visceral fat reduction, as these factors appear to drive LDL-C levels more strongly than SFA intake alone in this population.

Reducing saturated fat intake has little or no effect on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or cancer deaths in adults.

While reducing saturated fat is excellent for preventing heart attacks and strokes, you should not expect it to drastically extend your lifespan on its own. Focus on the quality of life and prevention of non-fatal cardiovascular events as the primary benefit.

A high-carbohydrate diet (CHORD) commonly prescribed for CPTII deficiency may be detrimental long-term by causing hyperinsulinemia, which inhibits CPT enzymes and diverts fatty acids to storage, potentially worsening insulin resistance and metabolic health.

Current advice to eat a very high-carb, low-fat diet might be hurting your long-term health. Try shifting to a moderate-carb diet (50-55% of calories) with higher protein (25-30%). This helps lower insulin levels, which may improve your body's ability to manage fatty acids and reduces the risk of insulin resistance.

Intravenous amino acid infusion improves muscle protein synthesis and reduces perioperative blood loss in total joint arthroplasty patients.

If your surgical team recommends intravenous amino acids during your joint replacement, it may help preserve muscle protein and reduce blood loss. This is a specific medical intervention that complements your surgery, not a substitute for post-operative nutrition.

Monounsaturated fat (MUFA) intake has a significant but weak correlation with multiple obesity and coronary indices (CI, AVI, BRI, WWI, AIP), suggesting a less pronounced impact on these specific metrics compared to SFA and PUFA.

In this study, monounsaturated fat (MUFA) intake was weakly correlated with various obesity and heart health markers. While MUFA is generally considered healthy, this study suggests its direct impact on these specific abdominal and coronary indices is less strong than that of saturated or polyunsaturated fats in this population.

Low-Carbohydrate High-Fat (LCHF) and Ketogenic diets do not significantly alter ALT levels in individuals with MASLD compared to control diets.

Current evidence from this meta-analysis does not support LCHF or Ketogenic diets as significantly effective for lowering liver enzymes (ALT) in people with MASLD compared to control diets. The wide variation in how 'low-carb' was defined across studies makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions, but it did not show the significant benefits seen with fasting or MedDiet.

High dietary fat intake is associated with an increased incidence of certain cancers, particularly breast cancer, as evidenced by concordant epidemiological and laboratory animal studies.

While the specific mechanisms are still being researched, current evidence suggests that a diet very high in fat may increase the risk of certain cancers, such as breast cancer. It is advisable to maintain a balanced intake of fats rather than consuming excessive amounts, and to prioritize whole food sources of fat.

Saturated fat intake increases HDL cholesterol and improves the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio, which are robust markers of cardiovascular disease risk.

Saturated fat intake raises HDL cholesterol and improves the total-to-HDL ratio, which are important markers of heart disease risk. This suggests that focusing solely on lowering LDL may be an incomplete strategy for assessing cardiovascular health.

High intake of saturated fat is not associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease or mortality, and may be associated with lower total mortality and stroke risk in observational studies.

Observational data from large global cohorts suggests that saturated fat intake is not linked to higher heart disease or stroke risk, and may be linked to lower overall mortality. This challenges the standard advice to strictly limit these fats.

Semaglutide therapy alters energy partitioning, resulting in a greater proportion of fat-free mass loss relative to fat loss compared to predictions based on standard energy density models.

Semaglutide may cause you to lose more muscle mass relative to fat than standard dieting. Ensure you are consuming adequate protein and engaging in resistance training to mitigate this specific side effect.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning models can significantly improve the prediction of obesity prevalence and risk by analyzing complex interactions between behavioral, metabolic, and environmental data.

Be open to using wearable technology and health apps that use AI to predict your obesity risk. These tools can provide personalized insights into your lifestyle and metabolic health, helping you make better decisions.

Combining GLP-1 receptor agonists with myostatin or activin type II receptor inhibitors (e.g., bimagrumab, trevogrumab, garetosmab) preserves or increases lean mass while enhancing fat loss, addressing the risk of sarcopenia and metabolic slowdown associated with standard AOM therapy.

Current GLP-1 therapies can lead to muscle loss, which may hinder long-term weight maintenance. Emerging combination therapies that pair GLP-1 agonists with muscle-preserving antibodies (like bimagrumab or myostatin inhibitors) show promise in preclinical models for doubling fat loss while increasing lean mass. Patients should discuss these emerging options with their providers, especially if they are concerned about muscle loss.

Combined GIPR/GLP1R agonism lowers plasma triglyceride levels by increasing VLDL turnover (reduced hepatic VLDL-TG production and increased uptake by adipose tissue and liver).

Dual GIP/GLP-1 agonism improves lipid profiles by accelerating the clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (VLDL). This suggests that patients on these therapies may see significant improvements in triglyceride levels, which is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Excessive protein intake (above recommended levels for amateurs) does not enhance muscle growth or strength outcomes in amateur bodybuilders and may lead to negative health effects such as kidney strain and increased body fat.

Stop overcomplicating your protein intake. If you are an amateur, you do not need extreme amounts of protein. The paper states that high protein does not enhance effects for amateurs and may cause health issues. Focus on a balanced diet with 1.6-1.8 g/kg of protein from whole foods. This is sufficient for muscle growth and avoids the risks of excessive supplementation.

A persistently low fat-to-energy ratio (FER) and high carbohydrate-to-energy ratio (CER) diet is not significantly associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or all-cause mortality after adjusting for social environment covariates.

Maintaining a diet lower in fat and higher in carbohydrates does not appear to increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, or death, provided you account for social factors like income and urbanization. This challenges the idea that high-carb diets are inherently unhealthy.

Sex is a significant predictor of the disparity (range) between highest and lowest daily carbohydrate intakes during peak week, with males exhibiting a wider range than females.

If you are male, expect to cycle your carbohydrates more aggressively (higher highs and lower lows) during peak week than if you are female. The study found sex was the only significant factor predicting this disparity.

A bodybuilding-specific carbohydrate-loading protocol (following glycogen depletion) increases muscle thickness and body mass, but these changes are likely too small to exceed measurement error or daily biological fluctuations to be considered practically meaningful for aesthetics.

If you are an experienced bodybuilder, you can try a carbohydrate loading protocol (approx 9g/kg CHO on the final day after depletion) to potentially increase muscle thickness. However, do not expect guaranteed visual improvements, as the changes are small and may not be visible to judges. If you are a newer competitor, avoid this protocol due to the risk of negative effects (like obscuring definition) with little aesthetic reward. Always test your specific response to loading during training, not just before the show.

Saturated fat intake (8% of energy) is not associated with increased mortality or cardiovascular disease risk compared to higher fat intakes.

Do not fear saturated fat from whole food sources. The PURE study suggests that moderate saturated fat intake (around 8-10% of energy) is not associated with increased health risks. Focus on the overall quality of your diet, including the source of fats and carbohydrates.

Plasma fatty acid levels (specifically C16:0, C20:3 n-6, and C20:5 n-3) are independently associated with obesity risk in ethnic minority populations, whereas dietary fatty acid intake is not a consistent independent predictor.

For individuals in these ethnic groups, monitoring blood lipid profiles (specifically saturated and certain polyunsaturated fatty acids) may be more relevant for assessing obesity risk than tracking dietary fat intake alone. Specific fatty acids like C16:0, C20:3 n-6, and C20:5 n-3 were linked to higher obesity odds.

The correlation between dietary fatty acid intake and plasma fatty acid levels varies significantly by ethnicity, being positive in some groups (Bulang, Naxi) but absent in others (Hani, Wa).

Nutritional interventions targeting fatty acid intake may need to be tailored to specific ethnic backgrounds, as the link between what you eat and your blood fat levels is not universal.

Orlistat is the least effective registered anti-obesity drug for weight reduction and is associated with significant gastrointestinal side effects.

Orlistat (120 mg three times daily) is available but is considered the least effective registered option for weight loss and is associated with significant gastrointestinal side effects. It is typically used as a third-line treatment.