Browse the evidence

Adherence to a healthful plant-based diet (high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes; low in refined grains, sugary drinks, sweets, and animal products) is associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

To lower your risk of death, heart disease, and cancer, focus on a diet rich in whole plant foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Minimize refined grains, sugary drinks, sweets, and animal products. You don't need to track complex scores; just prioritize these healthy plant foods and limit the less healthy ones.

Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet (MD) reduces central adiposity (waist circumference and visceral fat) and prevents weight gain, even when energy intake is unrestricted.

Adhere to a Mediterranean Diet pattern focusing on vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and olive oil. You do not need to strictly count calories or restrict fat intake to avoid weight gain and reduce belly fat, although combining it with exercise and caloric restriction yields the best weight loss results.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) significantly reduces the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cardiovascular Disease, and improves cognitive function and longevity.

Adopt a plant-forward diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and olive oil. Aim for high fiber intake (30-35g/day) and moderate healthy fats. This pattern is associated with lower risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline, regardless of your cultural background.

The Mediterranean Diet improves gut microbiota diversity and increases the abundance of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bifidobacteria, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) and short-chain fatty acid producers, while reducing pro-inflammatory species.

Eating a diverse range of plant-based foods, especially high-fiber vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, feeds beneficial gut bacteria. This supports metabolic health and reduces inflammation.

Higher adherence to plant-based dietary patterns is associated with significantly lower risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality.

Adopting a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes while reducing animal products is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and early death. Focus on 'healthy' plant foods rather than refined carbohydrates for the best results.

Emphasizing healthy plant-based foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes) strengthens the inverse association with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer compared to overall plant-based patterns.

When following a plant-based diet, prioritize whole, unprocessed plant foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. This approach offers greater protection against chronic diseases than plant-based diets high in refined carbohydrates.

Increasing dietary fiber intake improves LDL cholesterol and fasting blood glucose levels in patients with cardiovascular disease or hypertension.

For patients with heart disease or high blood pressure, increasing fiber intake helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and improve blood sugar control. This is achieved by simply eating more fiber-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Protein supplementation alone does not increase muscle strength; resistance training is an absolute prerequisite for protein to exert a synergistic effect on strength gains.

Do not expect muscle strength gains from protein supplements alone. If you are not lifting weights, increasing your protein intake will not make you stronger. Protein only amplifies the strength gains generated by resistance training.

A ketogenic diet significantly downregulates microbial amino acid and vitamin biosynthesis pathways compared to a vegan diet, likely due to higher dietary availability of these nutrients reducing host reliance on microbiome-derived metabolites.

On a ketogenic diet, your gut bacteria produce fewer amino acids and vitamins because you are getting them directly from food. This suggests that the microbiome's role shifts based on dietary intake, and you may not need to rely on gut bacteria for these nutrients as much as on a vegan diet.

Resistance training protocols must report within-exercise variables beyond load and repetitions—including failure status, range of motion, time under tension, and attentional focus—to accurately determine the training stimulus.

When designing or documenting a resistance training program, do not just list the weight and number of reps. You must also specify whether sets were taken to failure, the range of motion used (full or partial), the speed/tempo of each phase, and whether the athlete used an internal or external focus. This level of detail is required to replicate the stimulus and ensure the training is effective.

Training to failure produces greater hypertrophic adaptations than training not to failure, but only when total volume is not equated; when volume is equated, the two methods yield equivalent results.

You do not need to train to failure on every set to maximize muscle growth. If you train close to failure but stop before, you can achieve similar hypertrophy as long as you match the total volume (sets x reps x load) of a failure-based program. Training to failure increases recovery time and may not be comfortable for beginners.

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) derived from South Asian-specific genetic data provide significantly better prediction of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) risk than PRS derived from European data, identifying individuals with ~4-fold higher risk in the top quartile.

If you are of South Asian descent, standard genetic risk models based on European data may underestimate your specific risk for Type 2 Diabetes. To get an accurate assessment, seek out or advocate for polygenic risk scores (PRS) that are specifically calibrated using South Asian genetic data. This can identify if you are in the top quartile of genetic risk, which correlates with a 4-fold higher likelihood of developing T2D compared to the bottom quartile. Knowing this allows for earlier, more aggressive lifestyle interventions (diet, exercise, regular screening) to mitigate that risk.

Resistance training performed to momentary muscular failure does not produce superior muscle hypertrophy compared to non-failure training.

You do not need to train to momentary muscular failure to maximize muscle growth. Training with 1-3 reps in reserve (RIR) is likely sufficient for hypertrophy. This allows you to recover faster and perform more total work over time, which may be more beneficial than chasing failure on every set.

Higher velocity loss thresholds (>25%) do not produce superior muscle hypertrophy compared to moderate velocity loss (20-25%).

For resistance-trained individuals, stopping sets at moderate velocity loss (20-25%) is just as effective for muscle growth as stopping at high velocity loss (>25%). You can simplify your training by not obsessing over precise velocity loss metrics.

Resistance training performed to 'set failure' (defined as anything other than momentary muscular failure) provides a trivial advantage over non-failure training for muscle hypertrophy.

Training to 'set failure' (broadly defined) offers a trivial advantage over non-failure training. The practical benefit is minimal, so you can choose your failure definition based on comfort and recovery rather than expecting significant hypertrophy gains.

South Asian ethnicity is associated with a significantly higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance compared to White populations, driven by distinct metabolic signatures including elevated branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and altered lipid metabolism.

If you are of South Asian descent, your risk for Type 2 Diabetes is statistically higher than that of White populations, often manifesting at lower BMIs. This is linked to how your body metabolizes amino acids and fats. Focus on monitoring metabolic markers like fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity, and consider dietary patterns that manage carbohydrate intake and support healthy lipid metabolism, as personalized strategies based on these metabolic insights are more effective than generic advice.

In resistance-trained individuals, increasing proximity-to-failure (moving from 3-RIR to 1-RIR to Failure) linearly increases acute neuromuscular fatigue and negative perceptual responses, with males exhibiting greater fatigue than females when training to failure.

If you are resistance-trained, you do not need to train to absolute failure on every set. Stopping 1-3 reps before failure (RIR) significantly reduces acute neuromuscular fatigue and negative feelings (discomfort, soreness) compared to going to failure, while likely preserving similar training stimulus. This can improve your adherence and recovery, especially if you are male, as males showed greater fatigue at failure than females.

Soy protein supplementation improves exercise performance, particularly in high-intensity, high-speed, and endurance activities, by delaying fatigue and improving isometric strength.

If you are an athlete, soy protein can help you perform better. It improves endurance, speed, and delays fatigue. It is particularly beneficial after strenuous exercise or muscle damage. You can use it to boost your performance without relying solely on animal proteins or other supplements.

High consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is associated with a significantly increased risk of colorectal and breast cancer, with a 10% increase in UPF intake linked to a 4% higher risk of colorectal cancer.

Limit your intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), defined by the NOVA classification system as industrial formulations with little whole food content. This meta-analysis links high UPF consumption to increased risks of colorectal and breast cancer. For every 10% increase in UPF intake, colorectal cancer risk rises by 4%. Focus on whole or minimally processed foods to reduce this risk.

Resistance training (RT) and aerobic training (AT) induce distinct molecular signaling pathways in skeletal muscle, with RT primarily activating mTORC1 to drive myofibrillar hypertrophy and AT primarily activating AMPK to drive mitochondrial biogenesis.

If your goal is to build muscle size, focus on resistance training to activate the mTOR pathway. If your goal is to improve cardiovascular endurance and mitochondrial function, focus on aerobic training to activate the AMPK pathway. Doing both simultaneously may blunt specific adaptations due to the 'interference effect' where AMPK suppresses mTOR signaling.

Repeated (chronic) application of post-exercise cooling blunts muscle strength adaptations and decreases fatigue resistance following resistance training interventions.

If your goal is to build maximum strength over months, avoid using cold water immersion after every resistance training session. It may prevent you from gaining as much strength as you could have. Save the cold plunge for endurance events in the heat or for specific early recovery needs.

Genetic variants that increase skeletal muscle expression of the mitochondrial supercomplex assembly factor COX7A2L are causally associated with improved cardiorespiratory fitness, lower body fat, and increased energy expenditure in humans and mice.

Your genetic makeup influences your mitochondrial efficiency and cardiorespiratory fitness. While you cannot change your DNA, recognizing that some individuals have a genetic advantage in fat oxidation and VO2max can help tailor expectations. Focus on consistent aerobic training to maximize your genetic potential, as even small genetic advantages in COX7A2L expression correlate with better fitness outcomes.

Plyometric jump training induces small to moderate skeletal muscle hypertrophy in healthy individuals, with larger effects observed in non-athletes compared to athletes and greater hypertrophy in knee extensors compared to plantar flexors.

If you want to build muscle without heavy weights, incorporate plyometric jumps (like squat jumps or box jumps) into your routine. Aim for about 2 sessions per week, with each session lasting around 30 minutes. You don't need to be an athlete to see results; in fact, beginners (non-athletes) may see larger muscle growth than experienced athletes. Focus on exercises that involve jumping, as these can effectively increase muscle size, particularly in the legs.

An 8-week vegan diet significantly reduces epigenetic age acceleration (GrimAge, PhenoAge, DunedinPACE) and extends telomere length compared to an omnivorous diet in healthy adults.

Adopting a vegan diet for 8 weeks can significantly slow down biological aging markers, including epigenetic age and telomere length, compared to a healthy omnivorous diet. To maximize these benefits, ensure you are getting adequate nutrients, particularly B12 and other 'epi-nutrients' mentioned in the study, through supplementation or careful food selection.