Browse the evidence

Low intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) significantly amplifies the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with having a family history of CVD, whereas low intake of other polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid) does not show this interaction.

If you have a family history of heart disease, your risk is significantly higher if your levels of EPA and DHA (found in oily fish) are low. While general healthy fats are good, ensuring adequate intake of EPA/DHA is specifically critical for you to mitigate this genetic risk. Aim to consume oily fish regularly to raise these biomarkers.

Dietary protein quality is determined by essential amino acid content and digestibility (DIAAS), with plant proteins generally having lower bioavailability than animal proteins due to antinutrients.

Understand that plant proteins are generally less bioavailable than animal proteins due to antinutrients. To maximize benefit, eat a variety of plant proteins (legumes, grains, nuts) and consider processing methods (heating, fermentation) that improve digestibility. This is especially important for older adults.

Rapid weight loss from GLP-1 and dual/triple agonists can lead to significant loss of lean muscle mass, necessitating strategies to preserve muscle.

While GLP-1 and dual/triple agonists are effective for fat loss, they can also cause significant muscle loss. Patients should consider resistance training and discuss muscle-preserving strategies with their healthcare provider.

Individuals with muscle-specific insulin resistance (Impaired Glucose Tolerance, IGT) achieve greater metabolic improvements on a low-fat, high-fiber diet, whereas those with liver-specific insulin resistance (Impaired Fasting Glucose, IFG) respond better to a monounsaturated fat-enriched diet.

If you have insulin resistance, your specific metabolic defect determines which diet works best. If your blood sugar spikes after meals (Impaired Glucose Tolerance, often linked to muscle insulin resistance), a low-fat, high-fiber diet is likely superior. If your fasting blood sugar is high (Impaired Fasting Glucose, linked to liver insulin resistance), a diet emphasizing monounsaturated fats may be more effective. Standard generic diets often fail because they ignore this distinction.

High intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA) from modern domesticated animal products and dairy increases LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk compared to ancestral diets rich in unsaturated fatty acids.

Prioritize unsaturated fatty acids (especially omega-3s) and fiber-rich foods over high-fat dairy and fatty cuts of domesticated meat. This shift aligns your diet with evolutionary norms and helps lower LDL cholesterol, reducing cardiovascular risk.

High intake of saturated fatty acids from modern diets is linked to endotoxemia and inflammation, whereas unsaturated fatty acids do not produce this response.

Be aware that high-fat meals, particularly those high in saturated fat, can trigger an inflammatory response (endotoxemia). Choosing unsaturated fats helps avoid this inflammatory spike.

A short-term high-fat diet (65% energy from fat) for 5 days reduces large VLDL particles and small HDL particles (HDL-3/4) in men with overweight/obesity, which may be beneficial for cardiovascular health.

A short-term high-fat diet (65% of calories from fat) in sedent overweight men can improve specific lipid subfractions (reducing large VLDL and small HDL) which are linked to lower cardiovascular risk. However, this is a short-term effect in a controlled setting and should not be interpreted as a long-term dietary recommendation without medical supervision.

A higher proportion of saturated fatty acids relative to total fat intake (SFA/TFAT) is associated with a 23% increased risk of all-cause mortality, whereas a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids relative to total fat (PUFA/TFAT) is associated with a 14% reduced risk, mediated partially by the neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR).

To support longevity, focus on the ratio of fats in your diet rather than just cutting total fat. Ensure that polyunsaturated fats (found in fish, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils) make up a larger proportion of your total fat intake, while saturated fats (found in red meat, butter, cheese) make up a smaller proportion. This shift is associated with lower mortality risk, potentially by reducing systemic inflammation.

High starch intake (top quartile, >28.8 E%) is associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality compared to moderate intake (22.8-25.3 E%), creating a U-shaped risk curve.

Aim for moderate starch intake, roughly 20-30% of your total daily energy, rather than very low or very high levels. This range is associated with the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease and death in this population. Focus on the source of starch (e.g., bread, potatoes) as the study notes specific protein associations.

In adults with prediabetes, a high-carbohydrate (50% energy) diet reduces fasting glucose more effectively than a reduced-carbohydrate (35% energy) diet when both are calorie-restricted, despite similar weight loss.

If you have prediabetes, you do not need to severely restrict carbohydrates to improve your fasting blood sugar. A diet providing about 50% of your calories from carbohydrates, focusing on high-fiber foods like whole grains and vegetables, can lower fasting glucose better than a lower-carb diet, provided you are in a calorie deficit. Focus on the quality of carbs (fiber) rather than just cutting them out.

The quality and source of macronutrients (e.g., plant-based proteins, unsaturated fats) are more important for long-term health outcomes than the specific macronutrient ratio (low-carb vs. low-fat).

Don't just count macros; focus on the quality of your food. Replace refined carbohydrates and saturated fats with whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and unsaturated fats. This improves long-term health more than just restricting calories.

A very-low-carbohydrate, high-saturated-fat diet leads to greater weight loss and abdominal fat reduction compared to a high-carbohydrate, low-saturated-fat diet, but results in less favorable changes in LDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein.

A very-low-carbohydrate diet may help you lose slightly more weight and abdominal fat than a high-carbohydrate diet over 8 weeks. However, this comes at the cost of less improvement in LDL cholesterol and inflammation (CRP) compared to a high-carbohydrate diet. If you have high cholesterol or inflammation, a high-carbohydrate diet might be a better choice for your cardiovascular markers, even if weight loss is slightly slower.

Ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption is positively associated with body fat percentage, independent of energy expenditure, age, sex, and economic development rank.

If you are trying to manage body fat, the type of food matters as much as the amount. Ultraprocessed foods are linked to higher body fat even when you account for how much you move. Prioritize whole, minimally processed foods to improve satiety and potentially reduce net energy absorption.

Moderate carbohydrate restriction (30% energy) inducing weight loss does not negatively affect global cognition or health-related quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to a conventional diabetes diet.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes, switching to a moderate low-carb diet (around 30% of calories from carbs) for 6 weeks to lose weight will not harm your thinking abilities or how you feel about your health. It performs similarly to standard diabetic diets regarding mental well-being and cognitive function, though you may see a slight, non-significant boost in mental health scores.

Moderate carbohydrate restriction (30% energy) selectively worsens psychomotor speed (measured by SDMT) compared to a conventional diabetes diet, despite no effect on global cognition.

Be aware that switching to a moderate low-carb diet might make you feel slightly slower at processing information or performing quick mental tasks (like the Symbol Digit Test) in the first few weeks. However, this does not appear to affect your overall memory or general thinking ability, and this specific slowdown may improve with longer-term adherence.

GLP-1 receptor agonists cause a reduction in lean body mass (25-45% of total weight loss), which may impact mobility and metabolic rate, particularly in older adults or those with sarcopenic obesity.

When you lose weight on GLP-1 medications, you lose both fat and some muscle. About a quarter to half of your total weight loss might be muscle. This can affect your strength and metabolism, especially if you are older. To protect your muscles, focus on eating enough protein and doing resistance exercises (like weight lifting) while on the medication.

Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) promote inflammation and insulin resistance by activating TLR4 and inflammasomes, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) mitigate inflammation by suppressing NF-κB and upregulating anti-inflammatory IL-10.

Focus on the quality of your fats. Replace saturated fats (found in red meat, butter) with polyunsaturated fats (found in fish, nuts, olive oil). This shift can help lower inflammation and improve your body's sensitivity to insulin.

Dietary intake, specifically higher consumption of sugars, lactose, and folate, distinguishes probiotic responders from non-responders, suggesting diet modulates probiotic efficacy.

Your diet might determine if a probiotic works for you. In this study, people who responded well to the probiotic tended to eat more sugars, lactose, and folate than those who didn't respond. This doesn't mean you should eat more sugar, but it suggests that your current diet interacts with the probiotic. If you're taking a probiotic for metabolic health, your dietary habits are a key part of the equation.

The nitrogen balance method used to establish the 0.8 g/kg RDA likely underestimates true protein requirements due to methodological limitations, such as ignoring nonlinearity and metabolic adaptation.

Understand that the old '0.8g/kg' rule was based on a flawed measurement method. It is safer to aim higher, especially if you are active or older.

Orlistat reduces body weight by inhibiting gastric and pancreatic lipases, thereby reducing the absorption of dietary fats, with efficacy demonstrated in obese patients.

Orlistat helps you lose weight by blocking the absorption of about 30% of the fat you eat. You take it with meals, but you must keep your fat intake low (less than 30% of calories) to avoid unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects. It is effective for weight loss, especially when combined with a hypocaloric diet, but may be less effective than newer GLP-1 drugs.

High carbohydrate intake (defined as the highest category in prospective cohorts) is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with a pooled hazard ratio of 1.15 compared to the lowest intake.

If you consume a high-carbohydrate diet, particularly if carbohydrates make up more than 60% of your total daily calories, consider reducing this proportion. This meta-analysis suggests that lowering high carbohydrate intake is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Focus on balancing macronutrients rather than eliminating carbs entirely.

Orlistat provides modest weight loss and cardiovascular risk reduction, but its efficacy is heavily dependent on dietary fat restriction.

Orlistat is an older weight loss medication that works by blocking fat absorption. It is less effective than newer drugs and requires you to eat a low-fat diet to avoid unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects like oily diarrhea. It may offer some cardiovascular benefits for people with metabolic syndrome.

Short-term (10-day) time-restricted eating (8-hour window) does not impair daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates compared to an extended 12-hour eating window when protein intake is matched.

If you are an overweight or obese male who exercises recreationally, switching to an 8-hour eating window (e.g., 10 AM to 6 PM) for 10 days will not hurt your muscle protein synthesis, provided you eat the same amount of protein (1g/kg) as you would over a longer period. Focus on hitting your daily protein goal rather than worrying about the clock.

Processing and cooking methods that reduce antinutrients, denature proteins, and reduce food particle size improve dietary protein quality by increasing essential amino acid (EAA) digestibility and bioavailability.

Don't fear processing plant proteins. Cooking beans, lentils, and grains, or using protein isolates/powders, often makes the protein more digestible and bioavailable than eating them raw or in their whole, unprocessed form. This is especially important if you rely on plant-based proteins to meet your daily needs.