Browse the evidence

Creatine supplementation combined with resistance training improves functional performance (chair stand test) in older adults more than resistance training alone.

Adding creatine to your exercise routine helps you perform daily tasks like standing up from a chair more easily and quickly.

High intake of green leafy and dark yellow vegetables reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes in overweight women (BMI >25), whereas total fruit and vegetable intake shows no significant inverse association after adjusting for known risk factors.

If you are overweight, prioritize eating large amounts of green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, lettuce) and dark yellow vegetables (carrots, squash, sweet potatoes) daily. Simply increasing total fruit and vegetable intake without focusing on these specific types may not lower your diabetes risk, especially if your weight remains high. Avoid relying on starchy vegetables like potatoes for this benefit.

Resistance training load (intensity) does not significantly impact skeletal muscle hypertrophy, provided sets are performed to or near volitional fatigue.

You do not need to lift heavy weights to build muscle. Whether you use light weights for many reps or heavy weights for few reps, muscle growth is similar as long as you work close to failure. This allows you to choose loads that feel good for your joints.

Sleeping with reduced carbohydrate availability (the 'sleep-low' protocol) increases markers of fat oxidation and metabolic flexibility during subsequent exercise without compromising training intensity, but fails to augment markers of mitochondrial biogenesis compared to immediate post-exercise carbohydrate intake.

If you are an endurance athlete, you can try 'sleeping low' by eating a moderate amount of carbs before evening high-intensity training, then fasting until the next morning's steady-state ride. This will increase your body's ability to burn fat during exercise. However, do not expect this to build more mitochondria or improve your overall aerobic capacity compared to eating carbs immediately after training. It is a metabolic tool, not a magic bullet for structural adaptation.

A composite healthy diet score (high in whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts; low in red/processed meats, sweets, sugary beverages, fried potatoes) is associated with lower BMI and waist-hip ratio, and strengthens the genetic predisposition to higher BMI/WHR in specific loci, though absolute body composition remains lower in those with healthier diets.

Adopting a diet rich in whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, while limiting red meat, sweets, sugary drinks, and fried potatoes, is associated with lower body weight and waist circumference. Even if you have a genetic predisposition to obesity, this dietary pattern results in a healthier body composition compared to an unhealthy diet, although the genetic risk may appear more pronounced in those who eat healthily.

Highly processed foods containing 'acellular' nutrients (refined starches/sugars lacking cellular structure) promote obesity by altering gut microbiome composition, increasing host nutrient absorption, and reducing microbiome energy use.

Choose whole, minimally processed foods over refined, 'acellular' carbohydrates (like white flour or sugar). The intact cellular structure of whole foods feeds your gut microbiome, which helps regulate how much energy you extract and store.

Excessive training volume (e.g., >20-30 sets per session) may impair recovery and lead to negative adaptations or a plateau in hypertrophy, suggesting an upper threshold exists.

While more sets generally lead to more muscle, there is an upper limit. If you are doing very high volumes (e.g., 20+ sets per session), you may be impairing recovery. Consider distributing volume across multiple sessions or reducing volume to a manageable level (e.g., 10-20 sets per week) to optimize growth. Periodize your volume to avoid overtraining.

Plyometric training produces whole muscle hypertrophy in the lower extremities that is similar to resistance training in untrained and recreationally active individuals over short-term interventions (up to 12 weeks).

If you are new to exercise or lightly active, plyometric exercises (like jump squats or hops) can build muscle size in your legs just as effectively as traditional weightlifting over a 3-month period. You do not need to lift heavy weights to gain muscle mass; high-velocity movements are sufficient. However, this applies to beginners; advanced lifters may need resistance training for continued growth.

High consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) is associated with higher odds of metabolic syndrome and its components (hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL) in the general population.

Reduce ultra-processed food intake to improve metabolic health markers like blood pressure and cholesterol, regardless of your body weight. Focus on whole foods to lower cardiovascular risk.

Among individuals with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), high UPF consumption is associated with higher odds of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and significant liver fibrosis, particularly in ever-smokers.

If you have fatty liver, strictly limit ultra-processed foods. This is especially critical if you smoke, as the combination significantly increases the risk of serious liver scarring (fibrosis).

Performing a maximal isometric back squat at a 90-degree knee joint angle generates the highest overall muscle activation for the quadriceps and gluteus maximus compared to shallower (20 degrees) or deeper (140 degrees) positions.

If you are using isometric squats to maximize quad and glute activation, lock your knees at 90 degrees. Going deeper (140 degrees) actually reduces activation for these muscles, and going shallower (20 degrees) is also suboptimal. Keep your feet hip-width and bar high on your back.

High cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) can neutralize the increased risk of type 2 diabetes associated with statin use, whereas low or moderate CRF does not.

If you take statins, maintaining high cardiorespiratory fitness is crucial to offset the potential increased risk of type 2 diabetes. While statins are linked to higher diabetes risk in less fit individuals, those with high fitness levels do not show this increased risk. Prioritize cardiovascular exercise to maintain high fitness if you are on statin therapy.

In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and obesity, weight loss therapy should prioritize selective fat mass reduction while preserving lean body mass (muscle) to avoid worsening sarcopenia and surgical risk.

If you have IBD and are overweight, your weight loss goal is different from the general population. You must prioritize keeping your muscle mass. Standard diets that just cut calories might hurt your muscles. You need a plan that specifically protects lean body mass, likely involving higher protein intake and monitoring muscle function, not just the scale number.

Long-term weight loss maintenance using a low-carbohydrate diet is possible and results in no greater weight regain compared to other dietary approaches over a 3-year period.

If you have successfully lost weight using a low-carbohydrate approach, you can likely maintain that loss long-term without needing to drastically increase your physical activity or dietary restraint compared to others. The key is adherence to your chosen dietary pattern, regardless of whether it involves higher fat intake or lower exercise volumes, as long as you maintain your weight loss.

High consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is associated with specific alterations in gut microbiota composition, including decreased Lachnospira and Ruminococcus species and increased Prevotella species, though effects on overall microbial diversity (alpha/beta) are inconsistent across studies.

If you consume a high amount of ultra-processed foods, you may see a shift in your gut bacteria, specifically a decrease in beneficial fiber-fermenting types like Lachnospira and an increase in Prevotella. While overall diversity might not change significantly in all cases, these specific shifts are linked to higher UPF intake. To support a healthier microbiome, consider reducing UPF intake and increasing fiber-rich whole foods.

High consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with negative health outcomes including increased depression/anxiety, higher BMI/weight, and decreased HDL cholesterol, particularly in men consuming >5 servings/day.

Eating more than 5 servings of ultra-processed foods daily is linked to higher body weight, worse cholesterol (lower HDL in men), and higher rates of depression and anxiety in women. Reducing UPF intake below this threshold may help improve these health markers.

Single-joint (SJ) exercises produce greater hypertrophy of specific limb muscles (e.g., hamstrings, rectus femoris, long head of triceps) than multi-joint (MJ) exercises, necessitating a fractional set-count (less than 1:1) for MJ exercises when prescribing volume for those specific muscles.

When programming for specific muscles, recognize that multi-joint exercises (like squats or bench press) may not fully fatigue all target muscles (like hamstrings or triceps long head). If hypertrophy of these specific muscles is a priority, consider adding single-joint isolation exercises or counting the multi-joint sets as less than one full set for that specific muscle. For general strength or overall mass, the standard 1:1 count is likely sufficient.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality and combined vascular events in racial/ethnic minority populations, including African Americans, Hispanics, and Japanese Americans, though effect sizes and statistical significance vary by specific ethnic subgroup and study design.

For racial/ethnic minority populations, adopting a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality. This does not require strict adherence to traditional Mediterranean foods; instead, focus on increasing intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and healthy fats (like corn oil or olive oil) while limiting red and processed meats. Culturally adapted versions of the diet have shown similar benefits to white populations in several US studies.

Higher protein intake (1.6 g/kg/day) modulates gut microbiota composition differently than moderate protein intake (1.0 g/kg/day) during resistance training, specifically affecting the abundance of Veillonellaceae, Akkermansia, and Eggerthellaceae.

While higher protein doesn't build more muscle, it does change your gut bacteria. Specifically, it increases beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia and Veillonellaceae. This may offer metabolic benefits independent of muscle growth, though the clinical significance is still being researched.

Auricular acupoint stimulation (ear acupuncture or acupressure) significantly reduces body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference in overweight and obese adults compared to placebo or no intervention.

If you are overweight or obese, auricular acupoint stimulation (using needles, seeds, or electrical stimulation on specific ear points) can help you lose a small amount of weight (about 1.2 kg on average) and reduce body fat and waist size. It works best when combined with standard lifestyle changes and requires a treatment duration of at least 6 weeks for optimal results on waist circumference.

Auricular acupoint stimulation treatments lasting 6 weeks or longer are more effective for reducing hip circumference than treatments shorter than 6 weeks.

If you are using ear stimulation for weight loss, ensure you commit to at least 6 weeks of treatment to see potential benefits in hip circumference reduction.

High adherence to exercise (≥66%) and supplementation (≥80%) allows the intervention to preserve femoral neck bone mineral density and increase total body lean mass, suggesting the protocol is physiologically effective if adhered to.

If you can strictly follow the full exercise and supplement regimen, you may preserve hip bone density and gain lean mass. However, this requires a high level of commitment (n=11 in the study achieved this), which is difficult for most patients.

In elite bodybuilders, resistance training performed 4 times per week yields equivalent fat-free mass and strength gains to training 6 times per week when total weekly volume and muscle group frequency are equated.

If you are an advanced lifter, you do not need to train 6 days a week to maximize muscle growth. You can achieve the same results training 4 days a week, provided you perform the same total number of sets and exercises. Choose the schedule that allows you to recover best and stick to the program consistently.

In elderly subjects with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome, higher baseline abundance of Prevotella 9, Lachnospiraceae UCG-001, and Bacteroides is associated with greater weight loss following a 12-month intensive lifestyle intervention.

If you are older and have metabolic syndrome, your gut bacteria might predict how well you lose weight. Specifically, having more Prevotella 9, Lachnospiraceae UCG-001, and Bacteroides is linked to better results from a Mediterranean diet and exercise plan. While you can't easily change your bacteria overnight, focusing on a fiber-rich Mediterranean diet may help cultivate these beneficial strains over time.