Browse the evidence

Ingesting 100 mg of slow-release caffeine in a carbohydrate performance bar significantly improves complex cognitive processing speed and endurance time-to-exhaustion during prolonged moderate-intensity cycling.

For endurance athletes, consuming a bar with 100mg of slow-release caffeine along with carbohydrates before and during exercise (e.g., at 55 and 115 minutes) can improve both your mental focus on complex tasks and your physical ability to sustain effort. This approach does not increase perceived fatigue or side effects compared to just eating carbs or doing nothing, making it a viable strategy for events requiring sustained concentration.

Older adults (60-66 years) can increase muscle power output to a similar magnitude as younger adults (21-30 years) through 12 weeks of high-intensity progressive resistance training.

If you are in your 60s, you can significantly improve your muscle power through resistance training. Follow a program that trains twice a week, using weights that are 80% of your one-rep max. Perform three sets per exercise, with the last set taken to fatigue. This will help you maintain independence and functional ability.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) significantly reduces the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cardiovascular Disease, and improves cognitive function and longevity.

Adopt a plant-forward diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and olive oil. Aim for high fiber intake (30-35g/day) and moderate healthy fats. This pattern is associated with lower risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline, regardless of your cultural background.

The Mediterranean Diet improves gut microbiota diversity and increases the abundance of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bifidobacteria, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) and short-chain fatty acid producers, while reducing pro-inflammatory species.

Eating a diverse range of plant-based foods, especially high-fiber vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, feeds beneficial gut bacteria. This supports metabolic health and reduces inflammation.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern (rich in olive oil, nuts, vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish; moderate alcohol; low red/processed meat) significantly reduces the prevalence and incidence of metabolic syndrome compared to control or low-fat diets.

Adopt a Mediterranean dietary pattern as your primary nutritional strategy for metabolic health. Focus on daily consumption of extra virgin olive oil, mixed nuts, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and fish. Limit red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, and whole-fat dairy. Moderate alcohol consumption (if any) is acceptable. This approach improves metabolic syndrome markers (blood pressure, lipids, glucose) through food quality and fat composition, not just calorie restriction.

Progressive resistance exercise (PRE) significantly improves the ability of individuals with various impairments (including COPD, hypertension, chronic spinal pain, and osteoarthritis) to generate muscle force, with moderate to large effect sizes.

If you have a condition that weakens your muscles (like COPD, back pain, or arthritis), progressive resistance exercise is a safe and effective way to rebuild strength. Start with weights you can lift 8-12 times, rest between sets, and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger. This improves your ability to perform daily tasks. Always consult a physical therapist to ensure the program is tailored to your specific condition.

Aquatic plyometric training produces maximum force and muscle power equivalent to dry land training while significantly reducing vertical impact forces and joint loading.

If you need to maintain explosive power (jumps, sprints) but have joint pain or are recovering from injury, perform plyometrics in chest-to-waist deep water. You will get the same strength and power benefits as land training, but with significantly less impact on your joints.

Resistance training with volume equated across intensities of 40% to 80% 1RM produces equivalent muscle hypertrophy, whereas 20% 1RM is suboptimal for maximizing muscle size.

To maximize muscle growth, you do not need to lift extremely heavy weights. Training with loads between 40% and 80% of your one-rep max is just as effective for building muscle as lifting heavier weights, provided you perform enough total work (volume) and train close to failure. However, lifting very light weights (20% 1RM) is not enough to maximize muscle size, even if you do many reps. Aim for moderate weights that allow you to complete the required reps with good form near failure.

Higher intensity resistance training (60-80% 1RM) is superior to lower intensities (20-40% 1RM) for maximizing long-term strength gains, although all intensities increase strength in beginners.

If your main goal is to get as strong as possible, you should eventually incorporate heavier weights (60-80% 1RM). While lighter weights (20-40% 1RM) will help you get stronger, especially in the first few weeks, they will not help you maximize your strength potential as effectively as heavier weights. For general fitness and muscle growth, moderate weights are sufficient and may be easier on your joints.

A 5-week resistance training program using a non-gravity-dependent flywheel system induces significant muscle hypertrophy (approx. 6.1% increase in quadriceps volume) and strength gains comparable to traditional gravity-dependent resistance training.

To build muscle using this method, perform 4 sets of 7 reps of knee extensions (or similar compound movements) using a flywheel device. Focus on maximal effort during both the pushing (concentric) and pulling back (eccentric) phases. Do this 2-3 times a week for at least 5 weeks to see significant volume increases.

Adherence to dietary patterns emphasizing plant foods, fish, seafood, vegetable oils, and low-fat dairy is associated with a lower risk of most chronic diseases, whereas Western-type diets high in energy, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined cereals, solid fats, and processed meats are associated with adverse health effects.

Focus on building a dietary pattern rather than fixing single nutrients. Prioritize plant foods, fish, seafood, vegetable oils, and low-fat dairy. Minimize Western-style foods like sugary drinks, refined grains, solid fats, and processed meats to reduce chronic disease risk.

Plyometric jump training (PJT) significantly improves muscle power, linear sprint speed, change-of-direction speed, balance, and maximal strength in basketball players compared to control conditions.

Basketball players should incorporate plyometric jump training into their regular season or off-season programs to improve jumping, sprinting, agility, and strength. The training is safe, with no reported injuries in the reviewed studies. While specific dosing varies, performing more than two sessions per week may yield greater improvements in horizontal jumping ability. Coaches should focus on movement quality and progressive overload, though the specific prescription (duration, frequency) matters less than consistent implementation.

Older basketball players (>16.3-17.15 years) experience significantly greater improvements in horizontal jump distance, linear sprint speed (>10m), and change-of-direction speed (<40m) from plyometric jump training compared to younger players.

If you are coaching older basketball players (late teens and above), prioritize plyometric jump training for maximum gains in speed and horizontal power. The benefits are significantly larger for this group compared to younger players. For younger players, PJT still helps, but the gains in speed and horizontal power are more modest.

Combined aerobic and resistance training (CT) is the most efficacious intervention for reducing body weight, waist circumference, and fat mass in overweight/obese adults compared to aerobic-only or resistance-only training.

If your goal is to lose weight and fat while keeping muscle, combine cardio and weightlifting. Studies show this combination works better for fat loss than either method alone. Aim for at least 8 weeks of supervised training.

Resistance training (RT) is superior to aerobic exercise (AET) for increasing lean body mass in overweight/obese adults.

If you want to build or maintain muscle while losing weight, prioritize resistance training over aerobic exercise. It is significantly more effective at increasing lean body mass.

Acute caffeine supplementation (6 mg/kg) improves cycling time-trial performance regardless of habitual caffeine consumption levels (low, moderate, or high).

If you consume caffeine regularly, you do not need to stop or reduce your intake before using caffeine as a performance supplement. A standard dose of 6 mg per kg of body weight taken 60 minutes before exercise will improve your performance just as much for high consumers as it does for non-consumers. There is no need for a multi-day withdrawal period.

Exercise training, specifically aerobic and combined aerobic/resistance exercise, significantly improves endothelial function (measured by flow-mediated dilation) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes, engaging in 8-12 weeks of moderate aerobic exercise (like brisk walking or jogging) 3-5 times a week for 20-60 minutes will improve your blood vessel health. Combining this with resistance training (weights) may provide even greater benefits than aerobic exercise alone. You do not need to perform high-intensity interval training to see these vascular improvements.

Combining the Mediterranean diet with regular physical activity yields a greater reduction in metabolic syndrome odds than either intervention alone.

For the best protection against metabolic syndrome, do not choose between diet and exercise—do both. Even if you can only start with one, adding the other later will multiply your benefits. Aim for olive oil/veggie-heavy meals and regular walking.

Resistance training (RT) during diet-induced weight loss conserves fat-free mass (FFM) and resting energy expenditure (REE), whereas aerobic training (AT) and no exercise do not.

If you are losing weight through diet, add resistance training 3 times a week. This protects your muscle mass and keeps your metabolism from slowing down as much as it would if you only did cardio or no exercise. Focus on progressive overload, starting with lighter weights and increasing them as you get stronger.

Supplementation with 10.2 g/day of psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid for 8 weeks significantly reduces total cholesterol by 14.8% and LDL cholesterol by 20.2% in men with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia.

If you have high cholesterol, adding 10.2 grams of psyllium husk fiber daily (split into three 3.4-gram doses taken with meals) for at least two months can significantly lower your total and LDL cholesterol. This is a safe, well-tolerated alternative or adjunct to medication, provided you maintain a standard diet with less than 300mg of cholesterol per day.

Higher adherence to plant-based dietary patterns is associated with significantly lower risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality.

Adopting a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes while reducing animal products is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and early death. Focus on 'healthy' plant foods rather than refined carbohydrates for the best results.

Emphasizing healthy plant-based foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes) strengthens the inverse association with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer compared to overall plant-based patterns.

When following a plant-based diet, prioritize whole, unprocessed plant foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. This approach offers greater protection against chronic diseases than plant-based diets high in refined carbohydrates.

Increasing dietary fiber intake improves LDL cholesterol and fasting blood glucose levels in patients with cardiovascular disease or hypertension.

For patients with heart disease or high blood pressure, increasing fiber intake helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and improve blood sugar control. This is achieved by simply eating more fiber-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Resistance training is effective in the early stages (pre-sarcopenia/pre-frailty) of these syndromes, improving gait speed and functional strength, suggesting its value as a preventive strategy.

Don't wait until you feel frail to start strength training. If you are over 65, incorporating resistance training into your routine can help maintain your walking speed and functional strength, acting as a buffer against age-related decline. It is never too early to start building this resilience.