Browse the evidence

Trans fatty acid intake is positively associated with coronary disease risk, supporting guidelines to avoid them.

Avoid trans fats. This large review confirms that higher intake of trans fatty acids is associated with an increased risk of coronary disease, supporting current guidelines to avoid them.

Consuming casein protein (~30-40 g) before sleep increases muscle protein synthesis and metabolic rate overnight without affecting lipolysis.

If you want to support muscle growth overnight, have 30-40 grams of casein protein (like cottage cheese or a casein shake) right before bed.

Current Canadian Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for protein (0.86 g/kg/day) is inadequate to maintain nitrogen balance in habitually exercising male and female endurance athletes, resulting in negative nitrogen balance.

If you are an endurance athlete, the standard recommendation of 0.86 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is likely not enough to keep your body in a neutral protein state. You are likely losing muscle protein even if you eat enough calories. Consider increasing your protein intake above this baseline to support recovery and maintenance.

High-glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates increase glycogen storage by ~30% over 24 hours compared to low-GI foods when total carbohydrate amount is identical.

If you need to maximize glycogen storage over 24 hours and total carbohydrate intake is fixed, choose high-glycemic index foods (like white rice, potatoes, or sugary drinks) over low-glycemic index foods (like whole grains). This can increase your glycogen storage by about 30% compared to low-GI options.

Higher intake of trans fatty acids (TFA) is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a dose-response manner.

Avoid trans fatty acids. This meta-analysis confirms that higher TFA intake increases CVD risk, with a 16% increase in risk for every 2% of daily energy intake from TFA. Unlike total fat, saturated fat, or unsaturated fats, TFA shows a clear harmful dose-response relationship.

A low-carbohydrate Mediterranean-style diet (≤50% carbohydrates) delays the need for antihyperglycemic drug therapy and improves glycemic control more effectively than a low-fat diet in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

If you have newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, switching to a Mediterranean-style diet that limits carbohydrates to 50% of calories (while ensuring at least 30% comes from fats like olive oil) can significantly delay the need for diabetes medication compared to a standard low-fat diet. Combine this with regular moderate exercise, aiming for about 3 hours per week.

High-protein diets (1-1.2 g/kg/day) aid in weight loss maintenance by increasing satiety and preserving lean body mass.

To maintain your weight loss, aim for 1-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your ideal body weight daily. This helps you feel full and keeps your muscle mass. If you have kidney disease, consult your doctor first.

Carbohydrate intake should be periodized ('fuel for the work required') based on the daily fuel cost of exercise rather than a fixed macronutrient ratio, ensuring high availability for high-intensity/long-duration sessions and lower availability for low-intensity/short sessions.

Stop counting carbs as a fixed percentage of your diet. Instead, match your carbohydrate intake to your daily training load. On heavy training days or long sessions, eat more carbs. On rest days or light recovery sessions, eat fewer carbs. This is called 'fueling for the work required'.

High carbohydrate availability is required for sessions involving higher intensity workloads, optimal performance, or maximizing recovery, whereas low carbohydrate availability may be sufficient for light or low-moderate intensity exercise.

Eat high carbohydrates before and during hard workouts, long runs, or races to ensure you can perform well and recover. On easy recovery days or short light sessions, you can eat fewer carbohydrates without compromising performance.

For Asian-Indian populations, reducing carbohydrate intake from 65-75% to 50-55% of total calories, while increasing protein to 20-25% and healthy fats to 20-30%, significantly reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

If you are of Asian-Indian descent, your current diet likely provides 65-75% of your calories from carbohydrates, which significantly increases your risk of diabetes, especially if you carry weight around your midsection. To protect your health, shift your plate composition: aim for 50-55% of calories from complex carbs (like brown rice, whole grains, and vegetables), 20-25% from protein (legumes, pulses, or lean meats), and 20-30% from healthy fats (nuts, seeds, mustard/groundnut oil). This balance is more effective for prevention than extreme low-carb or high-carb approaches.

Plant-based protein sources can stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and support muscle mass gains comparable to animal proteins when consumed in sufficient quantities, combined to optimize amino acid profiles, and processed to enhance bioavailability.

To build muscle on a plant-based diet, focus on variety and volume. Combine different plant proteins (like beans and rice) in meals to ensure you get all essential amino acids. You may need to eat slightly more total protein (aim for 1.4-2.0 g/kg/day if active) or larger portions of specific proteins (like pea or soy) to hit the leucine threshold needed to trigger muscle growth, similar to how you would with animal proteins.

Processing plant proteins (e.g., isolation, heating, fermentation) significantly improves their digestibility and bioavailability, making them more effective for MPS than raw plant foods.

If you struggle to eat enough plant protein from whole foods alone, consider using plant protein isolates or concentrates (like pea or soy isolate). These are processed to remove anti-nutrients that block digestion, making the protein much more available for your muscles than raw beans or grains.

Animal protein improves muscle mass compared to non-soy plant proteins (rice, chia, oat, potato) and plant-based diets, while soy protein is equivalent to milk protein for muscle mass.

If you are using plant protein, soy is just as good as animal protein for building muscle. Other plant proteins (rice, pea, oat, potato) may be less effective, so consider combining them or supplementing with soy or animal protein if muscle mass is a priority.

A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet (<20 g carbohydrate/day) produces significantly greater weight loss and improves lipid profiles (lower triglycerides, higher HDL) compared to a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet over 24 weeks in overweight, hyperlipidemic adults.

If you are overweight and have high cholesterol, switching to a very low-carb diet (under 20g carbs/day) for 6 months will likely result in nearly double the weight loss compared to a standard low-fat diet, while significantly improving your triglyceride and HDL levels. You do not need to count calories strictly, but you must avoid grains, sugars, and most fruits initially. Expect some initial side effects like fatigue or constipation, which can be managed with water, salt, and supplements. Monitor your LDL cholesterol, as a minority of people may see it rise.

Vegetarian and vegan diets provide sufficient protein and amino acids for adults when they include a variety of plant-based protein sources such as legumes, nuts, and seeds.

If you are eating a vegetarian or vegan diet, ensure you include protein-rich plant foods like legumes, nuts, and seeds in your daily meals. You do not need to obsess over combining specific proteins at every single meal; simply eating a variety of these foods throughout the day is sufficient to meet your protein and amino acid needs.

Increasing daily protein intake to ≥1.6 g/kg/day enhances lean body mass gains in healthy adults under 65 years old who perform resistance exercise, whereas older adults (≥65) achieve significant gains at lower intakes (1.2–1.59 g/kg/day).

If you are under 65 and lifting weights, aim for at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily to maximize muscle growth. If you are 65 or older, you may see significant muscle benefits with a slightly lower intake of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram. This assumes you are doing resistance exercise; protein alone without exercise has minimal impact on muscle mass in healthy adults.

Resistance training and high protein intake (≥25% of calories) are recommended to preserve lean body mass and increase satiety/thermogenesis during energy restriction, respectively.

To keep your muscle while losing fat, lift weights regularly and eat enough protein. Aim for protein to make up at least 25% of your daily calories. This helps you stay full and protects your muscle mass.

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Stop drinking sugar-sweetened beverages. They are a major source of added sugar and increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes. Replace them with water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water. If you need a sweet taste, low-calorie sweetened beverages are a better option than soda, but water is best.

Older adults require a per-meal protein dose of approximately 0.4 g/kg (or ≥30g of high-quality protein) to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is higher than the threshold for younger adults.

If you are over 60, aim for at least 30 grams of high-quality protein (like meat, eggs, or whey) at every main meal. This specific amount is required to trigger maximum muscle building signals, which your body needs more of as you age compared to when you were younger.

Distributing protein intake evenly across meals (reaching the per-meal threshold) is more effective for muscle mass and function than skewing intake toward a single large meal, provided total daily protein is adequate.

Try to eat a similar amount of protein at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Most older adults eat too little in the morning and too much at night. Spreading it out helps your body build and maintain muscle better than eating it all at once.

Supplemental protein intake of approximately 5 g/day significantly increases lean body mass, with a plateau in gains between 5-50 g/day and a linear increase in muscle mass for intakes exceeding 50 g/day.

To increase muscle mass, adding just ~5 grams of protein daily (e.g., one egg or a cup of milk) can be effective, even without exercise. If you are engaging in resistance training or seeking maximal hypertrophy, increasing supplemental protein beyond 50 grams per day may continue to drive linear increases in lean body mass. This applies to diverse populations, including the elderly and those without serious illness.

Substituting saturated fats and trans fats with unsaturated fats (MUFA and PUFA) reduces total mortality, whereas substituting carbohydrates with saturated or trans fats increases mortality.

Focus on the quality of your macronutrients. Replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats (nuts, olive oil, fish). Avoid replacing carbohydrates with animal fats; instead, choose unsaturated fats or plant-based proteins if reducing carbs.

Avoidance of sugar-sweetened beverages reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and improves cardiometabolic risk profiles.

Stop drinking sugary beverages like soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks. This is a key step to prevent weight gain and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Choose water, unsweetened tea, or coffee instead.

Whey protein supplementation (35g) combined with resistance training increases skeletal muscle mass, muscular strength, and functional capacity in pre-conditioned older women, regardless of whether the protein is consumed immediately before or immediately after the training session.

If you are an older woman doing resistance training, adding 35 grams of whey protein on your training days will help you build muscle and strength. It does not matter if you drink it before or after your workout; just ensure you are getting it on the days you exercise. This strategy helps combat age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) and improves daily functional ability.