Browse the evidence

Combining a modestly hypocaloric diet (500 kcal/day deficit) with moderate-intensity aerobic or resistance exercise (30-60 min, 3-5 days/week) is the most effective lifestyle intervention for reducing hepatic steatosis and improving NAFLD markers.

To improve your liver health, aim to lose 5-10% of your body weight. Do this by eating 500 calories less per day than your body needs, combined with 30-60 minutes of moderate exercise (like brisk walking) on 3 to 5 days a week. This combination is proven to be more effective than diet or exercise alone for reducing liver fat.

Adherence to a low-fat vegan diet for 16 weeks significantly reduces body weight, fat mass, and visceral fat while improving insulin sensitivity in overweight adults, mediated by specific shifts in gut microbiota composition.

To lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity, switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet that excludes all animal products and added oils, keeping daily fat intake between 20-30 grams. Ensure you take 500 mcg of Vitamin B12 daily. This approach was shown to reduce body weight by nearly 6 kg and visceral fat significantly over 16 weeks in overweight adults.

A low-fat vegan diet increases the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and preserves Bacteroides fragilis levels compared to a control diet, and these microbial shifts correlate with greater weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity.

Eating a low-fat vegan diet changes your gut bacteria in ways that support weight loss. Specifically, it increases Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and helps maintain Bacteroides fragilis, both of which are linked to better insulin sensitivity and fat loss.

Combined diet and exercise interventions produce greater reductions in liver enzymes (ALT, AST) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) than either diet or exercise alone in patients with NAFLD.

For NAFLD, doing just one thing (diet OR exercise) is less effective than doing both together. Aim for a caloric deficit (750-1000 kcal/day reduction) combined with at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week. This combination is superior for lowering liver enzymes and improving insulin resistance compared to either intervention alone.

Adhering to a vegan diet for at least 12 weeks significantly reduces body weight, BMI, HbA1c, total cholesterol, and LDL-C in individuals with overweight or type 2 diabetes compared to control diets.

If you have overweight or type 2 diabetes, switching to a vegan diet for at least 12 weeks can lead to meaningful weight loss and improved blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Most studies used low-fat vegan diets and provided B12 supplements. You do not necessarily need to count calories, as some studies were ad libitum, but energy intake was often lower. Ensure you get B12 supplementation.

Short-term multicomponent lifestyle interventions (6 months or less) combining nutrition and physical activity achieve statistically significant weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity compared to control groups.

If you have overweight or obesity, a structured program combining diet and exercise lasting 6 months or less can help you lose weight. You don't necessarily need a year-long commitment to see results. Look for programs that offer education, tracking tools, and support, as these multicomponent approaches are effective.

Supplementation with the herbal blend LI85008F (900 mg/day) significantly reduces body weight, BMI, and visceral adiposity in healthy overweight adults compared to placebo when combined with modest caloric restriction and exercise.

Take 900mg of LI85008F daily (split into two 450mg doses) alongside a modest calorie-restricted diet (around 1800 kcal) and regular walking. This combination has been shown in a 16-week clinical trial to significantly reduce body weight and BMI in overweight adults compared to placebo.

An energy-reduced anti-inflammatory diet significantly improves hepatic status indices (NAFLD-FLS, FLI, FIB-4) and reduces inflammatory biomarkers in younger adults with obesity compared to a standard isocaloric diet.

To improve liver health and reduce inflammation, focus on an energy-reduced diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and olive oil. This approach was shown to significantly improve liver fat scores and reduce inflammatory markers in adults with obesity over 6 months, outperforming a standard weight loss diet in some inflammatory markers.

Whey protein supplementation combined with resistance training significantly improves lean mass, fat mass, and muscular strength in healthy individuals, but fails to produce these benefits in individuals with pathological conditions.

If you are healthy and under 40, adding whey protein to your resistance training routine will likely help you gain lean mass and lose fat. However, if you are older or have a chronic health condition, whey protein alone during training may not provide these specific benefits, and you might need to look into multi-nutrient supplementation strategies instead.

A eucaloric ketogenic diet (KD) induces significant weight loss primarily through visceral fat reduction while preserving muscle and bone mass, without adverse metabolic changes, over a period of up to three months.

If you are overweight or even normal weight, a ketogenic diet can help you lose fat without losing muscle, provided you eat enough to maintain your weight (eucaloric) and monitor your ketone levels to ensure you are in ketosis. This approach also appears to improve quality of life and reduce fatigue, particularly in those with overweight. You should aim for very low carbohydrate intake (around 33-35g/day) and monitor blood ketones to confirm adherence.

Combining time-restricted eating (8-hour window) with concurrent aerobic and resistance training significantly improves body weight, BMI, fat mass, and functional capacity in overweight/obese women compared to control or TRE-only groups, with no significant difference between early (4pm-8am) and late (12pm-8pm) eating windows.

To lose weight and improve fitness, combine an 8-hour eating window with 3 days per week of exercise (mix of cardio and weights). You can choose to eat early (e.g., 8am-4pm) or late (e.g., 12pm-8pm); both work equally well when you exercise. Ensure you eat enough calories (1200-1500 kcal) within that window and do not snack outside it. Consistency in both diet timing and exercise is key.

Alternate-day fasting (ADF) and time-restricted feeding (TRF) provide superior reductions in fasting glucose and LDL-cholesterol compared to continuous energy restriction (CER) and ad libitum diets, while offering similar weight loss benefits to CER.

If you are using intermittent fasting for heart health or blood sugar, choose your strategy carefully. Alternate-day fasting appears best for lowering bad cholesterol (LDL), while time-restricted feeding (eating within a specific window each day) is superior for lowering fasting blood glucose. Both methods lose weight similarly to standard calorie restriction, but offer these specific metabolic advantages.

Resistance training combined with high protein intake (1.6-2.0 g/kg/day) preserves or increases muscle mass during caloric restriction, whereas high protein intake alone is insufficient without resistance training.

To lose fat without losing muscle, you must lift weights (at least 10 sets per muscle group per week) and eat 1.6-2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Do not rely on protein shakes or dieting alone.

Adding high-volume exercise (six sessions/week) to a caloric deficit completely preserves fat-free mass while maximizing fat loss in individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, whereas lower exercise volumes fail to prevent fat-free mass loss.

If you have type 2 diabetes and are losing weight through diet, you must add exercise to protect your muscle. Aim for 6 days of exercise per week, combining cardio and resistance training, to maximize fat loss and keep your muscle mass. If 6 days is too much, 3 days still helps lose fat, but you might lose some muscle.

Combining flexible time-restricted eating (8-hour window) with aerobic exercise yields significantly greater fat mass reduction than either intervention alone in middle-aged women with overweight/obesity.

If you are a middle-aged woman with overweight or obesity, combining an 8-hour eating window with regular moderate aerobic exercise (like brisk walking or jogging) will result in significantly more fat loss than doing either one alone. You do not need to count calories or stick to fixed meal times; simply choose an 8-hour window each day that fits your schedule and stay active.

A plant-based caloric restriction diet (PB-CRD) using a '5+2' structured meal plan is non-inferior to conventional calorie-restricted diets (CRD) for weight loss in obese adults, while providing superior reductions in total body fat percentage and improvements in metabolic markers including insulin sensitivity, uric acid, and liver enzymes.

To lose weight and improve metabolic health, you can follow a structured plant-based diet that restricts calories to 1,300-1,600 kcal/day. You do not need to be vegan 7 days a week; eating standardized plant-based meals for 5 days and allowing flexible, calorie-controlled meals for 2 days is effective. This approach matches the weight loss of traditional calorie restriction but offers better improvements in body fat percentage, insulin sensitivity, and liver health.

Daily consumption of 100 mg Kaempferia parviflora extract (SIRTMAX®) for 12 weeks significantly reduces body fat mass and visceral fat area in overweight adults compared to placebo.

Take 100 mg of Kaempferia parviflora extract (SIRTMAX®) once daily before breakfast for 12 weeks. This specific extract has been shown in a clinical trial to significantly reduce body fat mass and visceral fat in overweight adults, even without changing diet or exercise habits. It is not a magic bullet, but it provides a measurable advantage over placebo.

Adults achieve substantial health benefits by undertaking 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, combined with muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week.

To improve your health, aim for 150-300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (like brisk walking) or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity (like running) each week. You can break this into smaller chunks; they don't need to be 10-minute blocks. Additionally, perform muscle-strengthening exercises involving all major muscle groups on at least two days a week. If you are currently inactive, start with small amounts and gradually increase. You do not need a doctor's clearance unless you have specific health conditions or symptoms.

Children and adolescents (5-17 years) should perform an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity, incorporating vigorous activity and muscle/bone strengthening at least 3 days a week.

Ensure children and teens get an average of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day. This can include playing outside, walking, or sports. Include vigorous activities (like running) and muscle/bone strengthening exercises (like climbing or push-ups) at least 3 days a week. Limit recreational screen time.

High consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) displaces minimally processed foods and is directly associated with unhealthy dietary nutrient profiles (high energy density, saturated/trans fats, free sugars; low fiber, micronutrients) and increased risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases including obesity, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome.

Prioritize whole, minimally processed foods (vegetables, fruits, grains, meats) and limit ultra-processed products (packaged snacks, sugary drinks, fast food). UPFs are engineered to be hyper-palatable and energy-dense, leading to overconsumption and nutrient deficiencies. Replacing UPFs with home-prepared meals improves nutrient quality and reduces chronic disease risk.

Genetic susceptibility to obesity, including variants like the FTO gene, can be counteracted by high levels of physical activity.

If you have a family history of obesity, do not assume it is inevitable. Engaging in high levels of physical activity can help counteract genetic risks associated with genes like FTO.

Physical exercise interventions significantly improve cognitive function in adults older than 50, regardless of baseline cognitive status.

If you are over 50, moving your body is one of the best things you can do for your brain. Aim for at least 45 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. This can include walking, swimming, lifting weights, or Tai Chi. You don't need to be an athlete; just keep moving. This applies whether you are healthy or have mild memory issues.

Moderate exercise training (≥5 days/week, 20+ min bouts) significantly reduces the incidence and duration of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) compared to sedentary behavior.

Aim for at least 20 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, five days a week. This level of activity is proven to cut your risk of getting sick by nearly half compared to being sedentary, and it does so without the immune suppression risks associated with extreme endurance training.

Suboptimal intake of specific dietary factors (high sodium, low nuts/seeds, high processed meats, low seafood omega-3 fats, low vegetables, low fruits, high sugar-sweetened beverages) is associated with approximately 45.4% of cardiometabolic deaths in the US.

To significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes, prioritize reducing sodium and processed meat intake while increasing consumption of nuts, seeds, seafood omega-3s, vegetables, and fruits. Limiting sugar-sweetened beverages is also critical. These changes collectively address the dietary factors responsible for nearly half of cardiometabolic deaths in the US.