Browse the evidence

Consumption of animal-source foods (ASF) by children aged 6-23 months in low- and middle-income countries significantly reduces stunting and improves cognitive development compared to plant-based or starch-heavy diets.

If you live in a region where stunting is common and diets rely heavily on starches, introducing small amounts of animal-source foods (like eggs, milk, or fish) to young children is one of the most effective ways to prevent stunting and support brain development. This is not about overconsumption, but about filling critical nutrient gaps that plant-based diets often miss.

Regular strawberry consumption (approx. 500g fresh or equivalent extract) improves lipid profiles by reducing LDL and triglycerides, and enhances antioxidant status in healthy and hypertensive populations.

Eat 500g of strawberries daily (roughly 3-4 cups of fresh berries) to support heart health. This dose has been shown to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides while boosting your body's natural antioxidant defenses within a month.

Fish oil and Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) supplementation (2.0-2.2 g/day EPA and 1.5 g/day DHA) can help preserve skeletal muscle and reduce intramuscular adipose tissue in cancer patients, particularly those with advanced lung or pancreatic cancer.

Cancer patients, especially those with lung or pancreatic cancer, may benefit from fish oil supplements providing 2-2.2g of EPA and 1.5g of DHA daily. This can help preserve muscle mass and reduce harmful intramuscular fat during chemotherapy.

Polyphenol-rich functional foods (green tea, yerba mate, coffee) improve insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidative stress, and lower fasting glucose.

Incorporate polyphenol-rich beverages like green tea and yerba mate into your daily routine. Clinical trials show these can significantly lower fasting glucose and improve antioxidant capacity.

Higher intake of fruits and vegetables provides a protective effect against lung cancer, likely mediated by phytochemicals such as carotenoids, but this protection does not extend to preformed vitamin A.

Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables to boost carotenoid intake, which is strongly associated with reduced lung cancer risk. Do not rely on preformed vitamin A supplements for this protection.

Nutritional ketosis, induced by carbohydrate restriction or caloric restriction, reduces systemic inflammation and ASCVD risk markers primarily through the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome.

If you have insulin resistance, reducing refined carbohydrates can trigger ketone production. This helps lower inflammation by blocking specific immune sensors (NLRP3), offering cardiovascular protection beyond just weight loss.

Vitamin D3 supplementation significantly reduces cancer mortality by 16%, whereas Vitamin D2 does not show this benefit.

If you take Vitamin D for cancer prevention, ensure you are taking Vitamin D3, not D2. This review found a 16% reduction in cancer death risk with D3, but no such benefit with D2. D3 is also more effective at raising blood levels of Vitamin D.

Maternal dietary supplementation with methyl donors (folate, choline, vitamin B12) can prevent or reverse epigenetic modifications caused by low-protein or obesogenic diets in offspring, normalizing gene expression related to metabolism.

Pregnant women should ensure adequate intake of folate, choline, and B12, either through diet or supplements, especially if their diet is restricted or high in fat. This supports proper epigenetic programming for the child.

Higher intake of low-fat dairy products is inversely associated with the risk of incident hypertension in middle-aged and older women, whereas high-fat dairy intake shows no significant association.

If you are a middle-aged or older woman, increasing your intake of low-fat dairy products (like skim milk, low-fat yogurt, or cottage cheese) is associated with a lower risk of developing high blood pressure. Focus on getting calcium and vitamin D from food sources rather than supplements, as the study found no benefit from supplements alone.

Magnesium supplementation (approx. 300-486 mg/day) can lower blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP) in specific clinical populations, such as those with hypertension or heart failure.

If you have hypertension or heart failure, discuss magnesium supplementation with your doctor. Studies suggest doses around 300-486 mg/day may help lower blood pressure and inflammation, but this is not effective for people with normal blood pressure.

Systematic vitamin D food fortification is an effective and cost-effective public health strategy to improve population-level vitamin D status and reduce deficiency, overcoming the limitations of individual supplementation and sunlight exposure.

If you live in a region with limited sun or eat few fatty fish, look for vitamin D-fortified foods like milk, margarine, or orange juice. This is a safe, passive way to maintain healthy vitamin D levels without needing to remember daily supplements. Check local guidelines for what foods are typically fortified in your country.

High-dose iron supplementation in aqueous solution reduces zinc absorption and status, particularly in infants and pregnant women, whereas solid-food fortification shows no such interaction.

If you are taking high-dose iron supplements, be aware they might lower your zinc levels, especially if you are pregnant or an infant. However, if you get your iron from fortified foods, this interaction is less likely to occur. Consider getting minerals from food sources when possible to avoid these competitive absorption issues.

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) significantly improves iron absorption and status, particularly in populations with plant-based diets or iron deficiency, though it may impair copper absorption at high doses.

If you are vegetarian or have low iron, adding Vitamin C to your meals or taking a moderate supplement (200mg) can significantly boost your iron levels. However, if you eat a lot of meat, extra Vitamin C might not help your iron much and could potentially lower copper levels if taken in very high doses long-term.

Selenium intake and status are suboptimal across Europe and the Middle East, with Eastern Europe and specific UK demographics showing the most significant deficits.

Selenium status is likely suboptimal in many Western and Eastern European populations, as well as parts of the Middle East. Because soil selenium varies, food databases are poor predictors of individual status. Consider testing serum selenium or selenoprotein P if you are in a low-selenium region, and ensure your diet includes selenium-rich sources like Brazil nuts, seafood, or meat, as plant-based sources vary wildly in content.

Optimal selenium status for maximizing glutathione peroxidase (GPx) expression requires serum or plasma selenium concentrations between 90–100 μg/L.

To maximize the activity of glutathione peroxidase, an antioxidant enzyme, aim for a serum selenium level of 90–100 μg/L. This is a specific biomarker target that may require supplementation if your diet is low in selenium.

CoQ10 supplementation (100-300 mg/day) improves mitochondrial function and reduces cardiovascular mortality in elderly populations with low baseline CoQ10 levels, particularly when combined with selenium.

If you are elderly and have low CoQ10 levels, supplementation with 200mg CoQ10 daily, potentially combined with 200mcg of selenium, may significantly reduce your risk of cardiovascular death over the long term. Consult a doctor to check your baseline levels before starting.

CoQ10 supplementation (100-300 mg/day) reduces inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6) in patients with metabolic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions.

If you have chronic inflammation, metabolic syndrome, or rheumatoid arthritis, taking 60-500mg of CoQ10 daily may help lower inflammatory markers like TNF-α and IL-6. This is particularly relevant if you have low baseline CoQ10 levels.

Activation of PPAR-α by fibrates (e.g., fenofibrate, gemfibrozil) lowers triglycerides and raises HDL cholesterol by increasing fatty acid oxidation and lipoprotein lipase activity.

Fibrate medications help your body burn fat for energy and clear 'bad' fats (triglycerides) from your blood while boosting 'good' cholesterol (HDL). This reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, especially if you have high triglycerides or metabolic syndrome.

Vitamin E (96-week course) improves NASH resolution in non-diabetic patients, but its use is limited by potential risks of hemorrhagic stroke and prostate cancer.

If you have NASH and are not diabetic, ask your doctor about Vitamin E. A 96-week course can significantly improve liver health (43% resolution vs 19% placebo), but you must weigh this against potential risks like prostate cancer or stroke.

Men following vegan, vegetarian, fish-eater, and meat-eater diets exhibit significantly different plasma concentrations of lysine, methionine, tryptophan, alanine, glycine, and tyrosine, with vegans generally having the lowest concentrations of essential amino acids and highest concentrations of glycine.

If you are a man on a plant-based diet, your blood levels of certain amino acids (like lysine and methionine) will be lower than a meat-eater's, but your body maintains them at functional levels. You do not need to fear 'incomplete' protein; eating a variety of plant foods ensures you get what you need. Focus on overall dietary variety rather than specific amino acid pairing.

In older adults (65-83 years), higher habitual physical activity is significantly associated with lower intramuscular noncontractile (fat) content, whereas this relationship is absent in young adults (26-44 years).

If you are over 65, staying physically active is crucial for keeping fat out of your muscles, which helps maintain strength and function. This link between activity and muscle quality is not as obvious in younger people, but becomes a dominant factor as you age. Focus on consistent daily movement rather than just intense workouts to manage intramuscular fat.

An Adequate Intake (AI) of 70 µg/day of selenium is sufficient to saturate the functional selenium body pool and support all tissue functions in adults, as indicated by the levelling off of plasma selenoprotein P (SEPP1) concentrations.

For general adult health, aim for 70 µg of selenium per day. This amount is sufficient to saturate your body's functional selenium pools, as measured by selenoprotein P levels. There is no evidence that taking more than this amount provides additional health benefits, so sticking to this range is sufficient for meeting physiological needs.

Lactating women require an increased Adequate Intake (AI) of 85 µg/day of selenium to account for selenium secreted in breast milk.

If you are breastfeeding, increase your daily selenium intake to 85 µg. This higher amount compensates for the selenium lost through breast milk, ensuring you maintain adequate levels for your own health while supporting your baby's needs.

In older women, the use of supplemental calcium is associated with a decreased risk of total mortality, independent of dose.

If you are an older woman, taking calcium supplements might be linked to a lower risk of death. This study found that women who took calcium had a slightly lower chance of dying during the follow-up period. However, the benefit was small, and you should discuss with your doctor whether calcium is right for your bone health.