Browse the evidence

Epigenetic clocks based on DNA methylation levels can predict chronological age and the risk of aging-related diseases.

Epigenetic clocks can measure biological age. This can help assess the efficacy of aging interventions.

Adults with overweight or obesity exhibit significantly higher faecal concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetate, propionate, butyrate, and valerate, compared to lean adults, suggesting altered colonic fermentation patterns associated with adiposity.

This research highlights that people with higher body weight may have gut bacteria that produce more short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from fibre than lean individuals. While fibre is still beneficial for gut health, this finding suggests that the 'efficiency' of gut fermentation differs in obesity. It does not mean you should stop eating fibre, but it implies that individual gut responses to fibre vary significantly based on existing body composition and microbiota.

In patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), the presence and severity of liver fibrosis, rather than the presence of steatohepatitis (NASH) itself, is the primary predictor of liver-related and overall mortality.

If you have fatty liver, the specific type of liver damage (inflammation vs. simple fat) matters less for your long-term survival than the presence of scarring (fibrosis). You should prioritize getting assessed for fibrosis (e.g., via non-invasive scores like FIB-4 or APRI) rather than just focusing on liver enzymes or the presence of inflammation. Managing metabolic risk factors like diabetes and obesity is crucial to slowing fibrosis progression.

Medium-term recovery from moderate-to-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by persistent multi-organ MRI abnormalities, significantly reduced exercise capacity, and impaired cognitive performance, which correlate with the severity of the initial acute illness.

If you have been hospitalized for COVID-19, do not assume you are fully recovered just because you are discharged. Expect potential long-term effects on your lungs, heart, brain, and energy levels. Seek medical evaluation for persistent breathlessness or fatigue, and consider a gradual, monitored return to physical activity rather than pushing through symptoms, as your exercise capacity may be significantly reduced.

Post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with specific brain MRI changes (thalamic T2* signal, white matter diffusivity) and impaired executive/visuospatial cognitive performance, which correlate with the severity of the initial inflammatory response.

If you are experiencing 'brain fog' or difficulty with planning and spatial tasks after COVID-19, it may be linked to structural changes in your brain. Consider a neuropsychological evaluation to assess cognitive function, as these deficits are common and may require specific cognitive rehabilitation strategies.

Post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a higher burden of self-reported depression, anxiety, and impaired quality of life across all domains, independent of physical symptoms.

Do not ignore feelings of depression, anxiety, or a drop in quality of life after COVID-19. These are common, measurable outcomes linked to the severity of your illness. Seek support from mental health professionals, as addressing these issues is a critical part of your overall recovery.

Dietary interventions (resistant starch, non-starch polysaccharides, or weight-loss) induce distinct but relatively minor changes in intestinal microbiota composition compared to strong inter-individual baseline differences.

Diet changes your gut bacteria, but your starting microbiota matters more than the specific diet. If you have high baseline diversity, you might be a 'responder' with distinct changes; if low, you might be a 'non-responder' with stable microbiota. Don't expect diet to be the sole master switch.

Oral administration of live Bacteroides vulgatus and Bacteroides dorei reduces gut microbial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) production, thereby attenuating endotoxemia and inhibiting atherosclerotic lesion formation.

For individuals with coronary artery disease, maintaining or restoring healthy levels of Bacteroides vulgatus and Bacteroides dorei may help reduce systemic inflammation and arterial plaque buildup. This is achieved by lowering gut-derived lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that trigger immune responses. While this study used direct bacterial gavage in mice, the findings suggest that dietary or probiotic strategies supporting these specific bacterial species could be a valuable adjunctive strategy for cardiovascular health, particularly by reducing endotoxemia.

US obesity prevalence has not levelled off but continues to rise, with a temporary pause in men's rates between 2009-2012 followed by a resumption of increase.

Do not assume the obesity epidemic is over because headlines might suggest rates are stable. The data shows that while there was a brief pause in men's obesity rates around 2009-2012, the overall trend is still increasing, particularly for women. Effective, sustainable, and culturally-tailored interventions are still urgently needed to counteract these rising trends.

Obesity disparities are significant across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, with Non-Hispanic Black and Mexican-American populations facing the highest prevalence and rates of increase.

Recognize that obesity risk is not evenly distributed. Non-Hispanic Black and Mexican-American populations face significantly higher prevalence and rates of increase. Interventions must be culturally tailored and address socioeconomic disparities to be effective.

Among adults aged 50-71, higher coffee consumption (≥2 cups/day) is inversely associated with total mortality and mortality from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries, diabetes, and infections, but not cancer, after adjusting for confounders like smoking.

If you drink coffee, continuing to drink 2 or more cups per day is associated with a lower risk of death from various causes, including heart disease and stroke, in this large study. The benefits appear to hold for both men and women, regardless of whether the coffee is caffeinated or decaffeinated. However, this is an association, not proof of causation, and individual tolerance to caffeine should still be considered.

Individual differences in trait reward drive (BAS-drive) predict the magnitude of neural activation in the fronto-striatal-amygdala-midbrain network when viewing images of appetizing foods.

If you find yourself constantly distracted by food advertisements or packaging, it may not be a lack of willpower but a higher neural sensitivity to these cues. Recognizing this 'reward drive' trait can help you design your environment to minimize exposure to these triggers, rather than relying solely on mental discipline.

Combined exercise and nutritional supplementation does not provide a clinically significant additional benefit to muscle mass, strength, or physical performance compared to exercise alone in older adults.

If you are over 60, focus on resistance training. You do not need to buy expensive protein powders, creatine, or amino acid supplements to see improvements in muscle mass, strength, or physical performance. Exercise alone is sufficient for the vast majority of older adults.

Resistant starch and nonstarch polysaccharides (NSPs) are not digested in the small intestine but are fermented by colon microbiota to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), contributing to health benefits.

Include sources of resistant starch (like cooled cooked potatoes or rice) and nonstarch polysaccharides (vegetables, whole grains) in your diet. These components are not fully digested in the small intestine but are fermented by gut bacteria to produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids, supporting colon health.

Sarcopenia (severe muscle depletion measured by cross-sectional imaging) is an independent predictor of increased mortality on the liver transplant waiting list, particularly in patients with lower MELD scores (<15).

For patients with advanced liver disease awaiting transplant, muscle mass is a critical predictor of survival, independent of standard severity scores. Objective assessment of muscle mass (via imaging) is superior to subjective tools like BMI for identifying high-risk patients, particularly those with lower disease severity scores.

Pharmacological elimination of senescent cells (senolytics) or suppression of their secretory phenotype (senomorphics) delays or alleviates multiple age-related pathologies and extends healthspan in animal models.

Current research suggests that clearing senescent cells may help delay age-related diseases. However, effective treatments are still in clinical trials. Do not attempt to self-medicate with unproven supplements claiming to be 'senolytics' without medical supervision, as efficacy and safety are not yet established for general use.

In older adults, BMI is a poor indicator of obesity-related mortality risk because it fails to distinguish between fat mass and lean muscle mass, which have opposing effects on survival.

If you are over 65, do not rely on BMI alone to judge your health risks. Because muscle mass naturally declines with age, a 'normal' BMI might hide high body fat and low muscle, which is dangerous. Focus on maintaining muscle strength and mass through resistance training and adequate protein, rather than just chasing a specific number on the scale.

Current global supplies of EPA and DHA from traditional marine sources are insufficient to meet human nutritional requirements, creating a supply-demand gap of over 0.4 to 1 million tonnes annually.

You cannot rely on current global fish stocks alone to meet recommended Omega-3 intake levels for everyone. The system is already strained. Consumers should look for products fortified with novel, sustainable sources of EPA/DHA (like algae oils) to ensure adequate intake without contributing to overfishing.

Novel sources of EPA and DHA, such as genetically modified oilseed crops (canola/camelina) and microalgae, can fully replace fish oil in aquaculture feeds without negative impacts on fish growth or health.

Look for farmed fish fed with novel Omega-3 sources (algae or GM plant oils). These products often have higher or equal Omega-3 levels compared to standard farmed fish and support sustainable fishing practices.

Multiplatform metabolomics profiling of fasting blood samples can identify specific metabolic signatures—including elevated branched-chain amino acids, ketone bodies, and altered lipid ratios, alongside decreased 1,5-anhydroglucitol—that distinguish individuals with type 2 diabetes from healthy controls, even under sub-clinical conditions.

For individuals concerned about diabetes risk, this research suggests that looking beyond standard blood sugar tests to a broader metabolic profile (including fats, amino acids, and gut-related metabolites) may offer earlier detection of metabolic dysfunction. This approach could help identify those at high risk for complications before clinical symptoms appear, enabling more personalized monitoring and prevention strategies.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an independent risk factor for stroke and death from any cause, with risk increasing proportionally to the severity of the apnea.

If you have symptoms of sleep apnea (loud snoring, daytime sleepiness), get tested. The condition is not just a nuisance; it independently raises your risk of stroke and death, even if you don't have high blood pressure or are not obese. Treating the apnea is a stroke prevention strategy.

Body weight and BMI are inaccurate measures of health status because they fail to distinguish between lean soft tissue (LST) and fat mass, leading to misclassification of nutritional status in elderly and clinical populations.

Stop relying solely on the scale or BMI to judge your health or nutritional status, especially if you are older or have a medical condition. These metrics hide the critical shift between losing muscle and gaining fat. Use imaging (like DXA or CT) or more detailed assessments to measure Lean Soft Tissue (LST) if you need accurate nutritional risk assessment.

Dietary interventions do not significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety.

While improving your diet can help with depressive symptoms, it is not currently supported by evidence as a primary treatment for anxiety. If you are struggling with anxiety, rely on established treatments like therapy or medication, and use diet as a supportive tool for overall well-being rather than a specific anxiety cure.

Ageing is associated with immunosenescence, leading to increased susceptibility to infections and poorer responses to vaccination.

As you age, your immune system naturally weakens. Ensure you are up-to-date on vaccinations, including flu and pneumonia shots, and maintain a nutrient-rich diet to support your immune health.