Browse the evidence

Microbiome-targeted interventions like prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics show potential antihypertensive effects, but results are heterogeneous and require larger randomized trials.

While probiotics and prebiotics show promise, they are not yet a proven standalone treatment for hypertension. Focus on a healthy diet and lifestyle first, and consider these supplements as potential adjuncts under medical guidance.

Combining different weight-lowering drugs with complementary mechanisms (e.g., GLP-1 RA with activin receptor antagonist) can enhance weight loss and preserve lean body mass, potentially offering superior cardiovascular protection compared to monotherapy.

For some patients, taking a single weight-loss drug might lead to muscle loss, which isn't ideal for heart health. New combination therapies, such as pairing a GLP-1 drug with a muscle-preserving agent, are being developed to prevent this. These combinations can lead to greater fat loss and better preservation of muscle mass, which is crucial for metabolic health. While these are still emerging, they represent a promising approach for those who struggle with muscle loss on standard treatments.

CrossFit practitioners who use supplements primarily target performance enhancement and muscle hypertrophy, with whey protein and creatine being the most frequently used substances, despite a lack of scientific consensus supporting their specific necessity for all practitioners.

Most CrossFit users take whey protein or creatine to build muscle or perform better. While these are common and generally safe, they are not strictly necessary for everyone. Focus on your training and whole-food nutrition first; use supplements only if they fill a specific gap or support a specific goal you have discussed with a professional.

In people living with HIV (PLWH), systemic inflammation, metabolic disorders, and mitochondrial dysfunction caused by antiretroviral therapy (ART) increase the susceptibility to sarcopenia.

For PLWH, maintaining muscle mass requires addressing the underlying inflammatory and metabolic environment created by HIV and ART, not just eating protein. Regular exercise and managing metabolic health are key.

Bodybuilders who consume dietary supplements report side effects such as skin rashes, increased liver enzymes, and hair loss.

Be vigilant about potential side effects from dietary supplements. If you experience skin rashes, increased liver enzymes, or hair loss, consider stopping the supplement and consulting a healthcare provider. Regular health check-ups can help detect these issues early.

MMA fighters exhibit body composition (skeletal muscle mass, body fat percentage, visceral fat mass, and phase angle) statistically indistinguishable from elite powerlifting athletes, despite fundamentally different training methodologies.

If you are an MMA fighter, you do not need to sacrifice muscle mass to maintain your conditioning. Your body composition (muscle and fat levels) can be just as favorable as a powerlifter's, provided you train with sufficient intensity and volume. Focus on maintaining high tissue quality (phase angle) through balanced aerobic and anaerobic training rather than cutting muscle for weight classes.

Younger age (<65 years) and shorter duration of severe neutropenia are the strongest independent predictors of lean mass gain during adapted physical activity in hematology inpatients.

Younger hematology patients (<65) and those with shorter periods of severe neutropenia are likely to see the greatest lean mass benefits from adapted physical activity. Older patients or those with prolonged neutropenia may see minimal gain, but activity remains safe and improves physical function.

Higher dietary diversity, specifically protein-enriched and anti-inflammatory dietary diversity, is associated with a lower prevalence of low muscle mass (LMM) in older Chinese adults.

For older adults, simply increasing the variety of foods consumed—specifically ensuring regular intake of protein-rich sources (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, nuts) and anti-inflammatory foods (vegetables, fruits, tea)—is associated with a significantly lower risk of low muscle mass. Aim for a diverse plate rather than focusing on a single supplement or food group.

Intensive lifestyle interventions (weight loss and physical activity) reduce all-cause mortality in overweight/obese type-2 diabetes patients, despite not significantly reducing cardiovascular events in the Look AHEAD trial.

For people with type-2 diabetes who are overweight, focusing on sustainable weight loss and regular physical activity is crucial for living longer. Even if you don't see immediate improvements in heart disease markers, the long-term data suggests these habits reduce the risk of dying from any cause. Do not rely solely on medication; lifestyle is a primary treatment for longevity.

Bariatric surgery (gastric bypass or band) significantly improves glycemic control and promotes medication discontinuation in pre-diabetic and diabetic patients, with remission rates of 73.9% for diabetics and 83.5% for pre-diabetics within 24 months.

If you have pre-diabetes or diabetes and are struggling with weight, bariatric surgery (gastric bypass or band) is a highly effective intervention for achieving remission. This study shows that over 80% of pre-diabetics and nearly 74% of diabetics were 'cured' (normalized blood sugar) within two years, often allowing them to stop medications. This benefit applies across age groups and is not limited to the most obese patients, though access may vary by insurance type.

Dietary interventions that are moderate in fat, largely plant-based, and include intermittent fasting can facilitate the biliary excretion of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), thereby reducing their toxicity and improving cardiovascular outcomes in T2DM patients.

To help your body get rid of stored environmental toxins while managing diabetes, try a diet that is moderate in fat and mostly plants, combined with intermittent fasting. This approach helps your liver excrete toxins and provides protective plant compounds, potentially offering better heart health benefits than standard low-fat diets.

A fully health-insurance-financed, long-term (4-year) conservative multimodal obesity therapy program achieves clinically significant weight loss (average 5 kg or 4% of body weight) and metabolic improvements in patients with obesity grades 2 and 3 under real-world conditions.

If you have obesity grade 2 or 3, a comprehensive, long-term conservative therapy program, fully covered by health insurance in Germany, can help you lose an average of 5 kg (4% of body weight) and improve your metabolic health. This program includes dietary, exercise, and behavioral therapy sessions over several years. It is designed to be flexible and affordable, addressing common barriers like cost and adherence.

A personalized, integrative, long-term (5-year) coaching program based on a systems health perspective significantly improves health-related quality of life, physical outcomes (weight, waist circumference, aerobic capacity), and psychosocial well-being (fatigue, self-esteem) in adults with obesity compared to baseline.

If you have obesity and have struggled with standard diet/exercise programs, consider a long-term, personalized coaching approach that addresses not just weight but also mental health, social support, and physical activity. Expect a significant time commitment initially, but the goal is to build sustainable habits. Progress may be slow, but improvements in quality of life and physical function are possible.

A carbohydrate-reduced telemedicine nutrition intervention significantly reduces the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and new-onset cardiovascular disease in adults with type 2 diabetes or obesity compared to matched controls.

If you have type 2 diabetes or obesity, a telemedicine program that helps you restrict carbohydrates to under 30 grams per day and maintain nutritional ketosis can significantly lower your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events compared to standard care. This approach works by improving overall metabolic health, which appears to protect the heart even if cholesterol levels change.

A 12-week canteen-based intervention marginally improves lipid metabolism (decreased TG, LDL-C, ApoB; increased HDL-C) but does not significantly affect blood pressure, glucose, or insulin resistance in middle-aged adults.

While this intervention improves lipid profiles, it may not significantly impact blood pressure or blood glucose in the short term. Focus on lipid management through dietary changes if you have mild dyslipidemia.

Uniform dietary interventions fail to deliver consistent metabolic benefits in individuals with metabolic syndrome due to biological heterogeneity, whereas food-based dietary patterns emphasizing whole foods and limiting ultra-processed foods provide relatively consistent metabolic benefits across diverse phenotypes.

Stop looking for a single 'best' diet for metabolic syndrome. Instead, focus on the quality of your food: eat more whole foods (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains) and minimize ultra-processed foods. This approach is more likely to benefit you regardless of your specific metabolic profile.

High scores on the Chinese Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index (CEDII), characterized by high intake of refined carbohydrates, meat, and eggs, are associated with accelerated biological aging, evidenced by shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and lower mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn).

If you live in a region with a high-carbohydrate, grain-based diet, prioritize coarse grains over refined grains and increase vegetable and fat (healthy sources) intake. This specific dietary pattern is linked to lower systemic inflammation and slower biological aging markers like telomere shortening. Standard Western dietary advice may not capture these nuances, so focus on local food quality and inflammatory potential.

The association between high inflammatory dietary patterns (high CEDII) and accelerated aging (short LTL) is significantly stronger in individuals with abnormal metabolic status, specifically those who are overweight, have raised blood pressure, or elevated triglycerides.

If you have metabolic issues like high blood pressure, high triglycerides, or excess weight, your diet's inflammatory potential matters even more for your aging process. Prioritizing an anti-inflammatory diet is crucial for this subgroup to mitigate accelerated biological aging.

A higher Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) score is positively and nonlinearly associated with an increased risk of stroke in the general US population.

To lower your stroke risk, prioritize an anti-inflammatory diet. This means eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats (like olive oil and fish) while minimizing processed foods, refined sugars, and excessive alcohol. The study shows that diets high in inflammatory potential are linked to nearly double the odds of having a stroke compared to anti-inflammatory diets.

Consuming unrefined plant-based foods with intact structural organization (fiber-encapsulated nutrients) promotes gut microbiota diversity and SCFA production, which regulates host immune function and glucose homeostasis, thereby preventing hyperglycemia-induced inflammation.

Prioritize whole, unrefined plant foods (like whole grains, legumes, and intact fruits/vegetables) over refined versions (like white flour or sugar). The physical structure of these foods feeds your gut bacteria, which in turn produces compounds that reduce inflammation and stabilize your blood sugar. You don't need to count macros; focus on keeping plant cell walls intact.

Adherence to a locally adapted, plant-based Mediterranean Diet (MD) is associated with lower prevalence of overweight, obesity, and metabolic syndrome in Chilean adults.

Adopt a flexible, plant-forward eating style that prioritizes local, whole foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts, while limiting processed foods and red meat. You don't need to eliminate all animal products; focus on maximizing plant diversity and using local ingredients that fit your culture and budget. This approach is linked to lower risks of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

In type 2 diabetic patients with normal baseline renal function, baseline obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) and longitudinal weight gain exceeding 10% are independently associated with an increased risk of developing decreased renal function (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m²).

For Type 2 Diabetics with normal kidney function, avoiding obesity (BMI ≥ 25) and preventing significant weight gain (>10%) are key strategies to protect kidney health. Interestingly, simply losing weight may not be enough to lower renal risk if other metabolic factors (blood pressure, lipids, glucose) are not managed, suggesting a holistic approach to metabolic health is required rather than weight loss alone.

Older adults require shorter rest intervals (e.g., 1 minute) than young adults to achieve equivalent recovery and strength gains in resistance training.

If you are over 65, try resting only 60 seconds between sets instead of the standard 2-3 minutes. This is likely sufficient for your recovery needs and will make your workouts shorter and more efficient, which helps with long-term adherence. You may still get strong, but you won't waste time waiting.

Obesity is a significant independent predictor of multimorbidity (two or more chronic non-communicable diseases), increasing the likelihood by 1.87 times compared to normal-weight individuals, even after adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic factors.

Maintaining a healthy weight is a critical strategy for preventing the accumulation of multiple chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes. In this population, obesity nearly doubles the risk of having two or more conditions compared to normal weight. Public health interventions should prioritize weight management and access to care for obese individuals to reduce the overall burden of disease.