Browse the evidence

High-intensity progressive resistance training is the optimal prescription for treating sarcopenia and improving aerobic capacity in older adults, often outperforming moderate-intensity aerobic training in specific metrics.

If you have muscle loss (sarcopenia), you need to lift heavy weights progressively to rebuild strength and even improve your heart health as much as moderate cardio does. Don't be afraid of resistance training; it is essential for fighting muscle loss and can be just as good for your cardiovascular system as moderate walking if done with high intensity.

Adherence to health-promoting dietary patterns (Mediterranean, DASH, MIND, Nordic, or traditional Asian) reduces the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes compared to Western dietary patterns.

Adopt a dietary pattern rich in plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts) and low in processed meats, saturated fats, and refined sugars. You do not need to follow one specific named diet; choose a pattern (like Mediterranean, DASH, or MIND) that fits your culture and preferences. Key actions: eat fruits and vegetables daily, choose whole grains over refined, use healthy oils (olive, rapeseed), and limit red/processed meats. Combine this with regular physical activity and adequate sleep for maximum benefit.

Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with a significantly increased risk of overall cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease.

To lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, try to keep ultra-processed foods to less than 10-15% of your total food weight. Focus on unprocessed or minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fresh meats. The risk increases by about 12% for every 10% increase in ultra-processed foods in your diet, even if you try to balance the nutrients.

Postdiagnosis physical activity provides greater mortality benefits than prediagnosis physical activity for breast and colon cancer survivors.

If you are a breast or colon cancer survivor, engage in physical activity as tolerated. Postdiagnosis activity is particularly beneficial for improving survival outcomes, so start with what you can handle and gradually increase.

Regular moderate-to-vigorous exercise reduces cardiovascular disease risk and mortality through multiple mechanisms including improved lipid profiles, enhanced insulin sensitivity, lowered blood pressure, and favorable cardiac adaptations.

Engage in regular physical activity, aiming for moderate-to-vigorous intensity several times a week. You do not need extreme volumes; even single sessions of low-intensity exercise can improve insulin sensitivity the next day. Focus on consistency over intensity to lower blood pressure and improve lipid profiles.

A Mediterranean diet supplemented with virgin olive oil or nuts reduces the progression to type 2 diabetes by approximately 50% compared to a conventional low-fat diet, independent of significant weight loss.

Adopt a Mediterranean dietary pattern, specifically ensuring you consume either 30 grams of nuts daily or 1 liter of virgin olive oil weekly. This specific supplementation has been shown in clinical trials to cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by half over four years, even without significant weight loss, likely due to anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits of these specific foods.

Resistance exercise combined with a protein intake of 1 to 1.5 g/kg/day is the primary management strategy for sarcopenia.

To fight age-related muscle loss, you must do resistance training and eat 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. Don't rely on vitamin D or steroids as primary treatments, as evidence for their benefit in sarcopenia is lacking.

Incorporating walnuts (providing ~15% of energy) into a reduced-energy diet yields weight loss comparable to a standard reduced-energy-density diet while providing superior improvements in LDL cholesterol and systolic blood pressure.

To lose weight and improve heart health markers, you can include walnuts in your diet. Aim for about 1.5 ounces (42 grams) daily if you are eating more than 1500 calories, or 1 ounce (28 grams) if eating less. This amount provides about 15% of your daily calories. This approach helps you lose weight just as effectively as a standard low-calorie diet, but it may also lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) and blood pressure more effectively. Ensure you are still in a caloric deficit and staying active.

Dietary fiber, specifically soluble gel-forming fiber, lowers blood cholesterol and reduces cardiovascular disease risk, and when added to statin therapy, doubles the efficacy of statins.

To support heart health and cholesterol levels, aim for the recommended daily fiber intake: 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women (ages 19-50). Prioritize soluble, gel-forming fibers found in oats, barley, beans, and fruits, as these are most effective at lowering cholesterol. If you are on statins, adding fiber may help them work better and potentially allow for lower doses, but consult your doctor before making changes.

Regular physical activity or exercise reduces all-cause mortality by approximately 13% compared to control groups, with the magnitude of benefit being larger for patients with cardiovascular disease than for other populations.

To reduce your risk of death, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity). You do not need to do extreme amounts of exercise to see benefits; simply meeting these minimums significantly lowers mortality risk, especially if you have cardiovascular issues.

Resistance exercise training (RET) significantly reduces depressive symptoms in adults, regardless of health status, total prescribed volume, or strength improvements.

Engage in resistance exercise training (RET) to reduce depressive symptoms. The specific volume, frequency, or intensity does not need to be optimized for strength gains, as the antidepressant effect is independent of these factors. Aim for a sustainable routine (e.g., 3 days/week) regardless of the total volume or whether you get stronger.

Adherence to plant-based dietary patterns, specifically the Mediterranean and DASH diets, is associated with significantly lower levels of oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory biomarkers compared to habitual or Western diets.

Focus on adopting a Mediterranean or DASH dietary pattern rather than relying on isolated antioxidant supplements. These patterns, rich in plant-based foods, are consistently linked to lower inflammation and oxidative stress in both observational and intervention studies. Prioritize whole foods over single-nutrient interventions for chronic disease prevention.

Systematic nutritional risk screening upon hospital admission, followed by detailed assessment and tailored nutritional support, reduces mortality, length of stay, and complications in malnourished or at-risk patients.

For hospital staff: Implement a standardized, rapid nutritional screening tool (like NRS-2002) for every patient within 24-48 hours of admission. If a patient scores as at risk, do not just provide standard meals; refer them for a detailed assessment to create a tailored nutritional care plan. This proactive step is proven to reduce mortality and hospital stay length.

Regular exercise improves sleep quality and duration, with the effect being most robust in middle-aged and elderly adults, particularly those with chronic diseases.

If you are middle-aged or older, or manage a chronic condition like high blood pressure or diabetes, regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve your sleep. You don't need to worry about the specific type or intensity; moderate activity is sufficient. If you struggle with falling asleep, try morning exercise. If you wake up often, evening exercise might help. Consistency is key.

Meeting the 2018 physical activity guidelines (≥150 min moderate or ≥75 min vigorous aerobic activity plus ≥2 days muscle strengthening) is associated with a significantly reduced risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in US adults.

To maximize longevity, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (like brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (like running) per week, combined with muscle-strengthening exercises on two or more days. Doing both provides the strongest protection against death from all causes, including heart disease and cancer. If you can only do one, aerobic activity offers greater benefits, but adding resistance training significantly boosts your survival odds.

Combined treatment with dapagliflozin (10 mg/day) and n-3 carboxylic acids (4 g/day) significantly reduces liver fat content (PDFF) in individuals with type 2 diabetes and NAFLD, achieving a greater reduction than either monotherapy.

For individuals with Type 2 Diabetes and fatty liver, combining a standard dose of dapagliflozin (10 mg daily) with a high dose of omega-3 carboxylic acids (4 g daily) for 12 weeks significantly reduces liver fat content more effectively than using either treatment alone. This dual approach leverages both energy balance and fatty acid metabolism pathways to improve liver health.

Adhering to high-quality dietary patterns, as measured by HEI, AHEI, or DASH scores, is inversely associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Adopt a dietary pattern that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats while limiting sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats. This approach, validated by indices like DASH, HEI, or AHEI, is associated with a 14-20% reduction in the risk of major chronic diseases and mortality. Start by swapping refined grains for whole grains and increasing vegetable variety.

Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet (MD) reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes and improves glycemic control (HbA1c) independent of weight loss.

Adopt a Mediterranean-style diet focusing on fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, and nuts. You do not need to strictly count calories or restrict energy intake to see improvements in blood sugar and diabetes risk.

Combining the Mediterranean Diet with physical activity (specifically moderate-to-heavy exercise or HIIT) augments anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits compared to either intervention alone.

Do not rely on diet or exercise alone. Combine a Mediterranean-style diet with regular physical activity (such as HIIT or moderate-to-heavy exercise) to maximize anti-inflammatory benefits and metabolic health.

Adherence to low-risk lifestyle factors (whole food/Mediterranean diet, physical activity, stress management, sleep) shifts tissue cross-talk from a proinflammatory to an anti-atherogenic milieu, reducing cardiovascular risk independently of conventional risk factor changes.

Focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods (like the Mediterranean pattern with olive oil/nuts) and staying active, rather than obsessing over calorie counts or fat grams. This approach improves your body's internal environment (reducing inflammation) and protects your heart, even if your weight or cholesterol numbers don't change drastically.

Adding blood flow restriction (BFR) to low-load resistance training or walking significantly increases muscular strength and muscle mass in older adults compared to performing the same exercises without BFR.

Older adults can significantly improve their strength and muscle mass by adding blood flow restriction (BFR) to their existing low-intensity activities, such as light resistance training or walking. This method is much more effective than doing these activities without BFR, offering a powerful tool for maintaining mobility and independence without the need for heavy weights.

Small-sided games (SSGs) in soccer effectively integrate technical, tactical, and physiological demands, serving as a superior training method compared to traditional conditioning exercises by simultaneously improving physical capacities and sport-specific skills.

Use small-sided games (SSGs) instead of traditional non-ball conditioning drills. SSGs allow you to train physical fitness, technical skills, and tactical understanding all at once, making your training more efficient and specific to actual match play. Adjust pitch size, player numbers, and rules to target specific outcomes.

Higher adherence to plant-based dietary patterns is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to poorer adherence.

To lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, shift your diet towards more plant-based foods. This means eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, while reducing or excluding animal products. You do not need to be perfect; even moderate increases in plant-based food consumption are associated with a lower risk. Focus on 'healthy' plant foods rather than refined grains or sugars for the best results.

Short-to-moderate-term plant-based diets (≤24 months) significantly improve metabolic health outcomes, including weight loss, glycemic control, and lipid profiles, compared to conventional omnivorous diets in healthy, obese, and type-2 diabetic populations.

Adopting a plant-based diet (vegan or vegetarian) for 3 to 24 months is a highly effective strategy for improving metabolic health, including weight loss and better blood sugar and lipid control, especially if you are overweight or have type 2 diabetes. Focus on whole plant foods and compare your results to your previous omnivorous diet; the evidence strongly supports this shift for short-to-moderate term health gains.