Browse the evidence

Sprint interval training (SIT) rapidly increases skeletal muscle GLUT4 and oxidative capacity (COX4) proteins, and these specific adaptations persist for at least 6 weeks after detraining, whereas fatty acid transport proteins remain unchanged.

To boost your muscle's ability to handle glucose and energy production, try Sprint Interval Training (SIT). Perform 4-6 bouts of 30-second all-out cycling, with 4 minutes of rest between each. Do this 3 times a week for 6 weeks. You will likely see significant improvements in your metabolic health markers, and these benefits will stick around even if you take a break from training for a few weeks.

Adherence to high-quality dietary patterns (specifically DASH, aHEI, or aMED scores) is associated with a 9–13% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes per 1-SD increase in score.

Adopt a dietary pattern rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy, while limiting red/processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats. This pattern (reflected in DASH, aHEI, or aMED scores) is associated with a 9–13% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. You do not need to follow every rule perfectly; focusing on these core components provides substantial benefit.

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is not a necessary condition for skeletal muscle hypertrophy, as hypertrophy occurs in the relative absence of muscle damage and is driven by mechanical tension and metabolic stress.

You do not need to be sore after every workout to build muscle. Focus on progressive overload (increasing weight, reps, or volume) and mechanical tension. Soreness is not a reliable indicator of growth, and you can achieve hypertrophy without causing significant muscle damage.

High salt intake is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, primarily mediated through elevated blood pressure, although the optimal low level of consumption remains debated.

Reduce your salt intake to help lower your blood pressure, which is the leading cause of heart disease. While there is debate on the exact optimal amount, high salt intake is consistently linked to higher blood pressure and more heart disease deaths. Focus on avoiding processed foods, which are major sources of salt.

Adherence to a Western dietary pattern, characterized by high intake of red/processed meats, refined grains, and sweets, significantly increases the risk of total and ischemic stroke in women.

To lower stroke risk, prioritize a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish, while minimizing red and processed meats, refined grains, and sweets. This 'Prudent' pattern is associated with lower risk, whereas the 'Western' pattern increases it. You don't need to track every nutrient; focus on building meals around whole plant foods and limiting processed items.

Adherence to a Prudent dietary pattern, characterized by high intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, and whole grains, is associated with a reduced risk of total and ischemic stroke in women.

Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, and whole grains. This 'Prudent' pattern is linked to a lower risk of stroke. While the statistical significance for total stroke weakened after adjusting for all lifestyle factors, the trend for ischemic stroke remained significant. Prioritize whole plant foods and fish.

High consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in adulthood and adolescence is associated with a significantly increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) in women.

For women, reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intake, especially during adolescence and adulthood, may help lower the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. Substituting SSBs with coffee, milk, or artificially sweetened beverages is associated with a lower risk. While this study focuses on women, the metabolic mechanisms (insulin resistance, inflammation) suggest broader applicability, but more research is needed for men.

Adherence to a high-quality diet, specifically the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010), is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

To lower your risk of COPD, adopt a diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats (like omega-3s), while minimizing processed meats, sugary drinks, and trans fats. This dietary pattern is associated with a 33% lower risk of developing COPD, even among smokers and ex-smokers. You don't need to track every nutrient; simply prioritize whole, plant-based foods and limit processed items.

Deliberately training in conditions of reduced carbohydrate availability (e.g., low muscle glycogen or fasted state) augments molecular markers of mitochondrial biogenesis and lipid oxidation compared to training with high carbohydrate availability.

To boost your body's ability to burn fat and build mitochondria, try performing some of your easier or moderate-intensity endurance sessions with low carbohydrate availability (e.g., fasted or after a previous session). Do not do this for every workout, especially high-intensity or race-pace sessions, as it may reduce your ability to train hard. Use strategies like caffeine or mouth-rinsing to maintain intensity if needed, and ensure you have high-carb sessions to maintain performance capacity.

Obesity, particularly severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2), is an independent risk factor for severe complications and mortality from COVID-19, driven by increased prevalence of comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension, as well as physiological factors such as visceral fat storage.

If you have obesity, you are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 complications due to associated health conditions and physiological factors. Prioritize vaccination, follow public health guidelines strictly, and seek medical attention early if symptoms arise. Healthcare providers should treat you with respect and without bias.

Metformin increases circulating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), specifically acetate, butyrate, and valerate, at 6 months, which correlates with decreased fasting insulin, although these SCFA increases do not persist at 12 months.

Metformin boosts beneficial gut byproducts called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like acetate and butyrate within the first 6 months, which is linked to better insulin control. However, this boost in SCFAs tends to fade after a year, even though the gut bacteria themselves remain changed. This suggests the body adapts to the higher SCFA levels, but the underlying microbial environment remains altered. This adaptation doesn't necessarily mean the drug stops working, but it highlights that the initial metabolic boost might be transient.

Greater leisure-time physical activity and higher exercise intensity are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease in older adults, although walking score remains the most robust independent predictor when all types are analyzed simultaneously.

While high-intensity exercise and general leisure activities help, brisk walking is the most reliable and independent protector against heart disease and stroke for older adults. Focus on consistent, brisk walking rather than just intensity.

Moderate coffee consumption (1-5 cups/day) is associated with a lower risk of total mortality, whereas heavy consumption (>5 cups/day) shows no significant association with mortality risk compared to non-drinkers.

Drinking 1 to 5 cups of coffee daily is associated with a modestly lower risk of death compared to not drinking coffee. This benefit appears for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. Drinking more than 5 cups does not offer additional mortality benefits and may negate them in the general population, largely due to confounding factors like smoking. If you drink coffee, moderate consumption (1-5 cups) is likely safe and potentially beneficial for longevity.

Training with low muscle glycogen or low exogenous glucose availability (train-low) augments specific metabolic adaptations, such as mitochondrial enzyme activity and fat oxidation, compared to training with normal/high glycogen (train-high).

To boost metabolic adaptations like mitochondrial density and fat oxidation, intentionally start some training sessions with low glycogen. This can be done by training fasted, training after a previous session, or withholding carbs during/after exercise. Expect lower power output during these specific sessions, but recognize that this 'train-low' state triggers stronger metabolic signals than training with full glycogen stores.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, being overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m²) is associated with a lower all-cause mortality risk compared to normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m²), whereas obesity (BMI >30 kg/m²) confers no mortality benefit and increases cardiovascular event risk.

If you have type 2 diabetes, being overweight (BMI 25-29.9) is associated with better survival than being normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9). Obesity (BMI >30) does not increase mortality risk compared to normal weight, though it does increase cardiovascular events. Do not use this to justify obesity, but understand that extreme thinness in T2D is a high-risk state. Focus on fitness and managing comorbidities rather than aggressive weight loss alone, especially if you are already lean.

Five days of high-fat diet combined with endurance training, followed by one day of carbohydrate restoration, decreases pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activation and muscle glycogenolysis during exercise, despite fully restoring muscle glycogen levels.

If you follow a high-fat diet while training, simply eating carbohydrates the day before an event will not immediately restore your body's ability to burn those carbohydrates efficiently. Your muscle enzymes (specifically PDH) remain suppressed, meaning you will continue to rely more on fat oxidation even with full glycogen stores. This suggests metabolic adaptations persist beyond substrate availability.

Higher dietary whole grain intake is associated with significantly lower total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, with each serving (28 g/d) reducing total mortality by 5% and CVD mortality by 9%.

To reduce your risk of dying from heart disease or other causes, aim to include at least one serving (approx. 28 grams) of whole grains in your daily diet. This could be a slice of whole grain bread, a half-cup of cooked whole grain pasta, or a bowl of oatmeal. Focus on the bran component (found in whole wheat, oats, barley) as it drives the cardiovascular benefits. This is a sustainable, low-effort dietary change that compounds over time.

Higher habitual intake of specific flavonoid subclasses (anthocyanins, flavonoid polymers, and flavonols) is associated with reduced long-term weight gain in adults.

To support weight maintenance, prioritize foods rich in anthocyanins (berries), flavonoid polymers (tea, apples), and flavonols (tea, onions). While the effect size is small, consistently choosing these foods as part of a balanced diet may help prevent gradual adult weight gain.

Sodium added to food outside the home (commercial processing and restaurant preparation) accounts for approximately 71% of total sodium intake in US adults, making it the primary source of dietary sodium.

To reduce sodium, focus on the food you buy and eat outside the home, not just the salt shaker. Check Nutrition Facts labels for packaged foods and ask for nutrition info when eating at restaurants. Reducing salt at the table is helpful but insufficient on its own because most sodium is already in processed and restaurant foods.

Sodium added to food outside the home is the leading source of sodium across all demographic subgroups, including variations by age, race, education, and geographic region.

No matter your background, most of your sodium comes from food bought or eaten outside your home. Focus on choosing lower-sodium packaged foods and making smarter choices at restaurants, as this is the most effective way to reduce sodium for everyone.

In extremely obese individuals, standard two-compartment body composition models (relying on fixed fat-free mass hydration of 0.738) are inaccurate due to elevated extracellular water, whereas three-compartment models incorporating total body water measurements provide accurate assessments of body fat percentage.

If you are extremely obese (BMI > 40), standard body fat estimates based on simple assumptions (like standard BIA or BMI) are likely inaccurate because your body holds more water in your lean tissue. To track your progress accurately, especially after weight loss surgery, use methods that account for total body water, such as three-compartment models combining air displacement plethysmography (BOD POD) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

Higher circulating levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, are associated with a significantly lower incidence of congestive heart failure in older adults.

For older adults, maintaining higher levels of long-chain omega-3s (specifically EPA and DHA) is linked to a roughly 50% lower risk of developing congestive heart failure. This is best achieved through dietary sources like oily fish, as indicated by blood biomarker levels, rather than relying solely on self-reported diet. While this is observational data, it supports current guidelines to consume fish, especially oily fish, at least twice a week.

Short-term consumption of soy nuts (containing natural isoflavones and unsaturated fats) reduces inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-18, TNF-alpha, E-selectin) and increases nitric oxide levels in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome, whereas isolated soy protein does not.

If you are a postmenopausal woman with metabolic syndrome, replacing one serving of red meat daily with roasted soy nuts (30g) for at least two months may help lower inflammation and improve blood vessel function. Simply eating soy protein powder or supplements may not offer these specific benefits because the whole nut provides essential fats and fiber that isolated protein lacks.

Chronic resistance training elevates resting skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown rates, thereby attenuating the acute magnitude of protein turnover stimulation following a single bout of exercise at the same absolute workload.

As you get stronger, the same weight feels easier and triggers less acute metabolic stress. This is normal. Your body has adapted by raising its baseline protein turnover. To continue growing, you must progressively increase the load (intensity) to create a new stimulus, rather than relying on the same absolute weight.