Browse the evidence

Hip thrust training transfers to deadlift strength gains similarly to back squat training.

If you are trying to get stronger at the deadlift, doing hip thrusts will help just as much as doing squats. You don't need to do deadlifts exclusively to improve your deadlift.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) incidence in the United States increased nearly twenty-fold (from 3.52 to 59.30 per 1,000) between 1990 and 2024, driven by environmental and behavioral risk factors such as obesity and sedentary lifestyles.

The risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes in the US has skyrocketed over the last 30 years, largely due to lifestyle factors like obesity and inactivity, not just better testing. To mitigate this personal risk, focus on modifiable lifestyle factors (diet, activity) rather than assuming healthcare improvements have solved the underlying environmental drivers of the disease.

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations in the US face the highest diabetes burden, with incidence rates of 94.75 per 1,000 and prevalence of 20.65% in 2020-2024, significantly exceeding other racial/ethnic groups.

If you are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, your statistical risk for diabetes is among the highest in the US. This is not just bad luck; it is influenced by systemic access issues. Prioritize early screening and culturally competent care that addresses both biological risks and social barriers to healthy living.

Dietary restriction (including caloric restriction, intermittent fasting, and ketogenic diets) extends healthspan and lifespan by promoting the clearance of senescent cells (senolysis), metabolic reprogramming, and epigenetic rejuvenation.

To leverage dietary restriction for longevity, you can adopt strategies like caloric restriction (eating less without being malnourished), intermittent fasting (eating within specific windows like 16:8), or ketogenic diets (high fat, low carb). These regimens aim to trigger biological processes like clearing out old cells (senolysis) and improving metabolic health, which may extend your healthspan. Start with small changes, like a shorter eating window, and ensure your diet remains nutrient-dense.

Performing leg press exercises with a knee flexion range of motion of approximately 100 degrees yields quadriceps femoris muscle hypertrophy equivalent to performing the exercise with maximum individualized knee flexion (peak ROM) in resistance-trained individuals.

If you are an experienced lifter, you do not need to force your leg press to the absolute bottom if it causes pain or technical breakdown. Stopping at approximately 100 degrees of knee flexion (where your shins are roughly perpendicular to the floor or slightly past) will build your quads just as effectively as going as deep as physically possible. Focus on reaching failure with good form at this depth rather than chasing extreme depth.

The protective effect of higher carbohydrate intake on hypertension is mediated by improved psychological well-being and reduced adiposity.

Eating a diet with 42-51% of calories from carbohydrates may help lower blood pressure not just by weight management, but also by improving mental health and reducing stress-related factors like depression and anxiety.

Three-dimensional optical (3DO) imaging using the Fit3D ProScanner is a sensitive and accurate tool for monitoring longitudinal changes in body composition (total fat mass, fat-free mass, and appendicular lean mass) compared to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Use 3DO imaging (like Fit3D) to track your body composition changes over time rather than relying solely on scale weight. The technology is validated to detect small changes in fat and lean mass comparable to clinical DXA scans. For best results, take multiple scans and average them to minimize error, and focus on trends over weeks rather than day-to-day fluctuations.

High consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (≥2 servings/day) increases cardiovascular disease risk by 15% even in individuals who meet physical activity guidelines.

If you drink two or more sugary beverages a day, your cardiovascular risk remains elevated even if you exercise regularly. While exercise is crucial for health, it does not completely cancel out the negative effects of high sugar intake. To minimize heart disease risk, limit sugary drinks regardless of your activity level.

Not meeting physical activity guidelines combined with high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (≥2 servings/week) is associated with a 47% higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

If you are not physically active, drinking sugary beverages frequently (≥2 servings/week) significantly increases your risk of heart disease. To lower your risk, you should aim to increase physical activity and reduce sugary drink intake.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and Health Behavior Intervention (HBI) are cost-effective strategies for managing class III obesity, whereas current-price pharmacotherapies (semaglutide and tirzepatide) are not cost-effective compared to no treatment or HBI.

For individuals with class III obesity, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass offers the best long-term health outcomes and cost-effectiveness. Health Behavior Intervention (13 counseling sessions) is also cost-effective. Current GLP-1/GIP medications are not cost-effective at current prices, though lower prices could change this.

Combining CPAP with weight loss (via pharmacotherapy or lifestyle) yields greater improvements in cardiovascular risk profiles (specifically systolic blood pressure) than either treatment alone.

If you use CPAP for sleep apnea, adding weight loss (through diet, exercise, or medications like Tirzepatide) provides extra protection for your heart and blood pressure that CPAP alone does not offer. The combination is superior to either treatment by itself.

Low-load, high-volume resistance training is as effective as high-load resistance training for maximizing strength.

If your goal is to get stronger (maximal strength), you need to lift heavier loads. Lighter weights with high repetitions are not as effective for this specific goal.

There is significant individual variability in response to all anti-obesity medications, with a substantial subset of patients experiencing weight gain or failing to achieve target weight loss, regardless of the drug class.

Not everyone responds to weight loss drugs the same way. Some people gain weight even on strong medications like tirzepatide. If you don't see results, it may be due to individual biological differences, not just effort. Discuss switching medications with your doctor.

High HDD diets shift gut microbial community composition from fiber-degrading taxa (e.g., Prevotella) to mucin-degrading taxa (e.g., Bacteroides, Akkermansia) due to nutrient limitation.

If you eat a diet low in fiber and high in processed ingredients, your gut bacteria may shift to eat your gut lining (mucin) instead of your food. To encourage beneficial fiber-eating bacteria, increase your intake of whole plant foods.

When resistance training is performed to volitional fatigue, muscle hypertrophy is independent of the external load used (high vs. low), provided volume load is matched or effort is equivalent.

You do not need to lift heavy weights to build muscle. If you use lighter weights (30-40% of your max), you must perform more reps (20-25) and push until you physically cannot complete another rep with good form. This effort-to-failure approach yields the same muscle growth as heavy lifting (70-80% max) done for fewer reps (8-12). Ensure you eat enough protein (at least 1.6g per kg of body weight) and train consistently 3 times a week.

Using lean body mass (LBM) and body fat percentage (BF) in reference equations for peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) provides better calibration for overweight and obese individuals compared to equations based on total body mass.

If you are overweight or obese, standard fitness tests that use your total body weight to predict your maximum oxygen uptake (VO2peak) likely overestimate your fitness level. To get an accurate assessment of your cardiorespiratory health, especially if you are older, use reference equations that account for your lean body mass and body fat percentage. This prevents being falsely categorized as 'fit' when your actual functional capacity may be lower.

Electronic health record (EHR) data from the one-year period prior to initiating anti-obesity medication (AOM) contains sufficient multidimensional clinical signals to identify distinct obesity subtypes (clusters) with unique physiological profiles, enabling precision medicine approaches that outperform traditional BMI-based classifications.

If you are considering obesity medication, ask your doctor about 'deep phenotyping.' This means using your full medical history (labs, vitals, diagnoses) from the past year to group you into a specific 'obesity subtype.' This helps predict which medication will work best for you, rather than just using your BMI. It reduces the guesswork in choosing between different drugs like GLP-1 agonists or others.

Bariatric surgery (specifically Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and biliopancreatic diversion) provides superior long-term weight loss (average 27% over 15 years) and quality of life improvements compared to lifestyle interventions and pharmacotherapy, despite carrying higher risks of postoperative complications.

If you have a BMI over 40 (or over 35 with health issues) and lifestyle changes haven't worked, bariatric surgery is the most effective medical intervention for long-term weight loss. It involves physically altering your stomach and intestines to restrict food intake and/or absorption. While it carries surgical risks and requires lifelong vitamin monitoring, it offers the highest chance of significant, sustained weight loss and improved quality of life compared to drugs or diet alone.

Combination therapies (e.g., Phentermine/Topiramate, Naltrexone/Bupropion) offer superior weight loss compared to monotherapy by targeting multiple pathways (appetite suppression and calorie absorption/reward), but carry higher risks of adverse effects and require strict monitoring.

Combination drugs like Phentermine/Topiramate can achieve nearly 11% weight loss, significantly better than placebo. They work by suppressing appetite and altering brain signaling. However, they have more side effects (dry mouth, taste disturbance, insomnia) and require careful monitoring for cognitive and cardiovascular effects. They are reserved for patients who need more than single-agent therapy.

Protein supplementation during endurance training significantly improves time to exhaustion (TTE) with a moderate effect size, despite having no significant effect on maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) or body composition in the general population.

If you are doing endurance training, adding protein supplements will likely help you exercise for a longer time before exhaustion. However, do not expect this to significantly change your body weight, body fat, or maximum oxygen capacity (VO2max) unless you are currently untrained. Focus on the performance duration benefit rather than body composition changes.

Untrained individuals may experience greater improvements in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) from protein supplementation during endurance training compared to trained individuals.

If you are new to endurance training, adding protein supplements might help slightly improve your maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max). This benefit is likely not present if you are already a trained endurance athlete.

For recreationally resistance-trained men, performing a split-body resistance training routine with 2 sessions per week per muscle group yields equivalent maximal strength and muscle hypertrophy gains compared to 3 sessions per week, provided total weekly volume is equated.

If you are an experienced lifter, you don't need to train every muscle 3 times a week to maximize gains. You can split your routine over 2 days per muscle group (e.g., 9 sets per muscle per session, twice a week) and get the same strength and muscle growth as training 3 times a week (6 sets per session), as long as you hit the same total weekly volume and train hard.

Higher genetically predicted relative carbohydrate and protein intake is causally associated with a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation.

Focus on increasing your intake of carbohydrates and proteins, but prioritize quality. Choose whole grains, fruits, and vegetables for carbs, and high-quality protein sources. This dietary pattern is associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation. Avoid excessive intake of low-quality proteins and ultra-processed foods, as these may increase cardiovascular risk.

Lengthened partial repetitions (LPs) elicit similar muscle hypertrophy and strength-endurance adaptations as full range of motion (fROM) resistance training in resistance-trained individuals.

If you are resistance-trained and want to maximize muscle growth or strength, you do not need to force full range of motion if it causes pain or technical breakdown. You can use lengthened partial reps (focusing on the stretched position at the bottom of the movement) to get the same benefits as full reps. Just ensure you are training to failure and pausing in the stretched position. This gives you flexibility to train around injuries or mobility limitations without sacrificing gains.