Browse the evidence

Germination of legumes and seeds significantly increases their melatonin content (up to 400% increase in soybeans and 11-fold in mung beans) compared to their raw state.

Sprout your legumes and seeds (like soybeans and mung beans) before eating them. Germination can increase melatonin content by up to 400% in soybeans and 11-fold in mung beans, maximizing the hormonal and antioxidant benefits of these foods.

Low-load blood flow restriction (LL-BFR) training produces muscle hypertrophy comparable to high-load (HL) resistance training in older adults, though it yields lower strength gains.

Older adults who cannot or should not lift heavy weights can still build muscle mass by using low-load resistance training combined with blood flow restriction (BFR). While this method builds muscle similarly to heavy lifting, it does not increase strength as much as heavy lifting does. It is a safe and effective option for maintaining muscle mass, especially for those with joint issues or comorbidities.

Critically ill patients lose approximately 2% of skeletal muscle mass per day during the first week of ICU admission, with rectus femoris thickness decreasing by 1.75% and cross-sectional area by 2.10% daily.

If you or a loved one is in the ICU, expect rapid muscle loss (approx. 2% per day) starting immediately. This is driven by inflammation, immobility, and metabolic stress. While you cannot stop the illness, early mobilization (as tolerated) and adequate protein intake are critical to slowing this specific rate of tissue breakdown.

Adopting a pro-inflammatory diet, as measured by the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), significantly increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) and cancer-related mortality.

To lower your risk of colorectal cancer, aim for an anti-inflammatory diet. This means minimizing processed foods, added sugars, and refined grains, while maximizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. You don't need to calculate a score; just focus on whole, unprocessed foods.

A pro-inflammatory diet is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and CVD-related mortality.

Protect your heart by reducing dietary inflammation. Prioritize whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats, while limiting processed foods and added sugars. This approach supports cardiovascular health independently of other lifestyle factors.

Resistance exercise training increases the proportion of endothelial cells and pericytes in human skeletal muscle, while acute resistance exercise increases the proportion of neutrophils.

To improve muscle vascularization and immune readiness, engage in consistent resistance training (3x/week). Expect an immediate, short-term spike in neutrophils after each session, but focus on the long-term benefit of increased endothelial and pericyte presence which supports muscle health and recovery.

Higher dietary intake of fruit, whole grains, and coffee is associated with increased circulating levels of hippurate, a metabolite produced by gut microbiota that serves as a marker for higher gut microbiome diversity.

To potentially support gut microbiome diversity and metabolic health markers, increase your intake of fruit, whole grains, and coffee. These foods are associated with higher levels of hippurate, a metabolite linked to a lower risk of metabolic syndrome.

Higher circulating levels of hippurate and greater gut microbiome diversity (Shannon index) are associated with a reduced risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome (MetS).

Maintaining a diverse gut microbiome, indicated by higher hippurate levels, is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome. This can be supported by a diet rich in fruit, whole grains, and coffee.

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of initial presentation for several cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction, heart failure, ischaemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm) compared to abstinence, but heavy drinking increases the risk for most of these same conditions.

Moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a lower risk of some heart conditions compared to not drinking at all, but this benefit disappears and becomes harmful at heavy levels. Heavy drinking increases the risk of heart failure, stroke, and early death. The apparent benefit of moderate drinking is often overstated because studies that lump 'former drinkers' (who quit due to illness) with 'lifelong abstainers' make non-drinking look riskier than it is. For health, abstinence is a safe and valid choice; moderate drinking is not a prescribed treatment.

Mediterranean Diet (MD) is the recommended first-choice diet for NAFL/NASH patients, improving hepatic steatosis and visceral fat, though its efficacy in advanced NASH requires further investigation.

Adopt a Mediterranean Diet rich in whole grains and healthy fats (MUFAs). This is the recommended first-line dietary approach to reduce liver fat and visceral fat. While it helps with insulin resistance and may reduce cardiovascular risk, its ability to reverse advanced NASH is not yet fully proven.

Sharper change of direction angles (≥60°) and higher approach velocities significantly increase knee joint loading and injury risk due to greater braking forces and lateral ground reaction forces, creating a performance-injury conflict.

When coaching change of direction, recognize that sharper cuts (60 degrees or more) and faster approaches place significantly higher loads on the knees. To reduce injury risk, focus on strengthening the athlete's ability to produce force rapidly and improving their neuromuscular control, which helps them tolerate these higher loads safely.

An 'angle-velocity trade-off' exists where faster approach velocities compromise the execution of the intended change of direction angle, mediated by the athlete's physical capacity.

Understand that as athletes move faster, they may not be able to execute the exact intended angle of their cut. This is normal and depends on their strength and control. Train athletes to manage this trade-off by improving their physical capacity, allowing them to maintain better control at higher speeds.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation likely results in a slight reduction in all-cause mortality in patients with coronary heart disease.

While the reduction in death risk from exercise-based cardiac rehab is slight in the short term, it is a statistically significant benefit that contributes to overall survival.

Chronic dietary l-carnitine supplementation induces gut microbiota to convert l-carnitine into trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), an atherogenic metabolite, via a two-step microbial pathway involving gamma-butyrobetaine (γBB).

If you eat red meat regularly, adding l-carnitine supplements may increase your levels of TMAO, a compound linked to heart disease risk. Vegans and vegetarians generally do not produce significant TMAO from l-carnitine unless they supplement chronically. If you are an omnivore, avoid l-carnitine supplements unless prescribed, as they may promote atherosclerosis pathways.

Short-term exercise training (both sprint interval and moderate-intensity continuous) reduces systemic and intestinal endotoxemia (measured by LBP) and modulates gut microbiota (increasing Bacteroidetes, decreasing Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio) in insulin-resistant subjects.

If you are insulin-resistant or pre-diabetic, engaging in just two weeks of exercise—whether through short, intense sprints or moderate continuous cycling—can significantly improve your gut health by reducing inflammatory markers and shifting your gut bacteria towards a healthier profile. You do not need to exercise for hours; consistency and intensity matter.

Probiotics enhance intestinal barrier function and modulate the immune system by increasing adhesion to the intestinal mucosa, producing antibacterial substances, and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Understanding that probiotics work by strengthening your gut lining and calming inflammation helps explain why they might help with digestive issues. It is not just about 'adding good bacteria' but about how those bacteria interact with your existing gut environment to protect you.

Insomnia and its components (daytime dysfunction, fragmentation, latency) are significantly associated with a higher risk of all-cause cognitive disorders and dementia.

If you suffer from chronic insomnia, fragmented sleep, or daytime dysfunction, these are not just annoyances; they are linked to a 27% higher risk of cognitive decline. Prioritizing sleep hygiene and seeking treatment for insomnia may be a crucial strategy for long-term brain health.

Sleep duration exhibits a U-shaped relationship with cognitive disorder risk, where both short (<4 hours) and long (>10 hours) nocturnal sleep durations are associated with elevated risk compared to optimal durations (5.6-7 hours).

Aim for 5.6 to 7 hours of nocturnal sleep for optimal cognitive protection. Both sleeping less than 4 hours and more than 10 hours is associated with a significantly higher risk of cognitive decline. If your sleep duration is consistently outside this window, consult a healthcare provider to investigate underlying causes.

For rural smallholder households, market-purchased foods contribute more to dietary diversity than subsistence production, regardless of season or nutrition status.

If you rely on farming for food, you must also engage with local markets to get a diverse diet. Growing many crops does not equal eating many food groups. To improve nutrition, prioritize income generation (farm or off-farm) to buy a variety of foods, especially perishables like vegetables, fruits, and animal products, which are rarely stored from harvest.

Consistent sleep duration, higher sleep quality, and longer total sleep duration over the month leading up to an assessment are associated with better academic performance in college students.

To improve your grades, focus on getting enough sleep, sleeping well, and keeping a consistent schedule throughout the week leading up to your exams, rather than just trying to cram sleep the night before. Consistency matters more than a single good night's rest right before a test.

Untrained individuals experience greater muscle hypertrophy than those with prior training experience, regardless of the load used.

If you are new to lifting, you will see faster muscle growth than someone who has been training for years, no matter what weight you use. This is because your body is adapting to a new stimulus. As you gain experience, you will need to increase volume (more sessions) to continue seeing similar gains.

Consuming high levels of resistant starch (48-66g/day) shifts the gut microbiome composition by increasing the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio and enriching butyrate-producing taxa such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia, and Ruminococcus.

To leverage resistant starch, incorporate high-amylose cornstarch (like Hi-Maize) into your diet at doses of 48-66g daily for at least two weeks. This specific type of starch resists digestion in the small intestine, allowing it to ferment in the colon. This process enriches beneficial bacteria like Faecalibacterium and Ruminococcus, which produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid linked to improved gut health and insulin sensitivity. This is particularly relevant if you have insulin resistance.

High resistant starch intake increases fecal butyrate and propionate levels and alters host lipid metabolism pathways, including increased abundance of host lipases and specific fatty acids.

High resistant starch intake not only feeds gut bacteria but also influences how your body processes fats. Studies show it increases beneficial short-chain fatty acids like butyrate and alters the levels of various fatty acids in the gut. This suggests a systemic metabolic benefit beyond just gut health, potentially aiding in lipid regulation.

Maintaining a high Cardiovascular Health Score (CHS) trajectory over time is associated with a significantly lower risk of incident cardiovascular disease compared to maintaining a low CHS trajectory.

Your long-term heart health is defined by your habits over years, not just a single check-up. Consistently maintaining good blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, weight, activity, diet, and avoiding smoking significantly lowers your risk of heart attack or stroke. Start with one or two changes and keep them up.