Browse the evidence

Increasing total dietary fibre intake by 7 g/day is associated with a 9% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease.

To lower your risk of heart disease, aim to add roughly 7 grams of fibre to your daily diet. This is roughly equivalent to one extra serving of whole grains, fruit, or vegetables. Start by swapping refined grains for whole grains or adding a piece of fruit to your snacks. Consistency matters more than perfection.

Specific types of fibre (soluble, insoluble, cereal, vegetable) show varying degrees of association with reduced cardiovascular risk, with insoluble and cereal fibre showing significant risk reductions.

Not all fibre sources are equal in this analysis. Insoluble fibre (found in whole grains, nuts, seeds) and fibre from cereals and vegetables showed stronger associations with risk reduction than fruit fibre alone. Prioritize whole grains and vegetables for maximum cardiovascular benefit.

Consuming kefir significantly increases Helicobacter pylori eradication rates and reduces gastrointestinal side effects (diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea) during standard triple antibiotic therapy for H. pylori infection.

If you are being treated for H. pylori with antibiotics, ask your doctor about adding 500mL of traditional kefir daily. One study showed this nearly doubled the success rate of clearing the infection and significantly reduced stomach pain and diarrhea caused by the drugs. Do not use heat-treated kefir, as the live microbes are required for this effect.

Higher grip strength is a strong, long-term predictor of reduced mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in elderly men, independent of body composition measures.

For elderly men, maintaining strong grip strength is a critical factor for longevity, independent of how much muscle mass or body fat you have. Focus on functional strength training rather than just aesthetics or size, as strength appears to be a key driver of survival.

Regular nut consumption is inversely associated with the risk of type-2 diabetes in women, but evidence in men is inconclusive.

For women, eating nuts 5 or more times a week may help reduce the risk of developing type-2 diabetes. For men, the evidence is not yet clear, so nuts should be consumed for their overall cardiovascular benefits rather than specifically for diabetes prevention.

Metabolic flexibility, defined as the efficient switching between fuel sources (glucose vs. fatty acids) based on availability and demand, is essential for maintaining energy homeostasis and preventing metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity.

To maintain metabolic health, avoid constant snacking on high-calorie processed foods which impairs your body's ability to switch fuels. Incorporate regular physical exercise and vary your diet to ensure your body can efficiently use both glucose and fatty acids. This adaptability protects against metabolic diseases.

Higher social integration is associated with lower risk of physiological dysregulation (inflammation, hypertension, obesity) in a dose-response manner across the life span, with effects emerging in adolescence and persisting into old age.

Prioritize maintaining social connections throughout your life, especially during adolescence and old age. Strong social integration acts as a protective factor against inflammation, hypertension, and obesity, with effects comparable to physical activity. In late life, social isolation poses a greater risk for hypertension than having diabetes, highlighting the critical importance of social embeddedness for longevity.

Social strain (negative quality of relationships) is a significant predictor of worsening physiological outcomes (inflammation, obesity) in midlife and late adulthood, often more so than social support.

Be mindful of the quality of your social relationships, not just the quantity. High-strain relationships (those causing stress or conflict) are linked to increased inflammation and obesity, particularly in midlife and old age. Prioritizing positive, low-strain interactions may be more beneficial for physiological health than maintaining numerous but stressful connections.

The physiological impact of social relationships varies by life stage, with social integration being most critical in adolescence and late adulthood, while social support/strain is more salient in midlife.

Tailor your social health strategy to your life stage. In adolescence and old age, focus on building and maintaining a broad social network (integration). In midlife, focus on the quality of your relationships, minimizing strain and maximizing support, as these factors become more predictive of physiological health.

Rapid urbanization and economic growth in lower-income countries drive a nutrition transition characterized by increased consumption of fats and sweeteners alongside reduced physical activity, leading to rising obesity and chronic disease rates.

In lower-income countries, moving to cities and gaining income often leads to eating more fat/sugar and moving less, causing obesity and diabetes. To stay healthy, these populations need targeted interventions to maintain physical activity and choose healthier foods despite urbanization.

Short sleep duration (less than 7-8 hours) and poor sleep quality are associated with a 9% increased risk of type 2 diabetes for each hour of shorter sleep, mediated by decreased insulin sensitivity.

Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Each hour of sleep lost beyond this range increases your diabetes risk by 9%. Sleep restriction directly decreases whole-body insulin sensitivity, so prioritizing sleep duration is a critical, non-negotiable part of diabetes prevention.

High levels of sitting time are associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risk, but this association is attenuated or eliminated in adults who meet or exceed current physical activity recommendations (specifically ≥300 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity).

If you sit for more than 6 hours a day, your risk of early death increases significantly unless you are highly active. To neutralize this risk, you need to engage in at least 300 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (like brisk walking, jogging, or sports). Simply meeting the minimum 150-minute guideline reduces but may not fully eliminate the risk if you sit very long hours; higher activity volumes provide better protection.

A lower ratio of fat to carbohydrate oxidation (indicated by a lower 24-hour respiratory quotient) predicts subsequent body weight gain in Pima Indians.

If you struggle with weight gain despite eating what seems like a normal amount, your body might preferentially oxidize carbohydrates over fat (low fat oxidation rate). This metabolic trait predicts weight gain. Focus on strategies that may improve fat oxidation, such as resistance training or specific nutrient timing, rather than just counting calories, as your metabolic efficiency plays a larger role than previously thought.

Adherence to a Western dietary pattern (high in processed foods, refined sugars, saturated/trans fats, and low in fiber/antioxidants) causes systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut dysbiosis, leading to increased risk of chronic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Reduce intake of ultra-processed foods, added sugars, and refined grains. Increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts to improve antioxidant status and gut health. This shift addresses the root causes of inflammation and oxidative stress associated with chronic disease.

A pro-inflammatory diet, as quantified by the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), is significantly associated with elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a biomarker for cardiovascular risk.

Your daily food choices directly influence your body's inflammation levels. To lower your risk of cardiovascular issues associated with chronic inflammation, prioritize a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats (like fish and olive oil), while minimizing red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy. This 'anti-inflammatory' dietary pattern is associated with lower levels of C-reactive protein, a key marker of heart disease risk.

Lifestyle factors including smoking, obesity, stress, and pollution accelerate telomere shortening, thereby increasing the pace of biological aging and the risk of age-associated diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

To slow biological aging, prioritize avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and minimizing exposure to pollution. These factors directly impact telomere length, a key marker of cellular aging.

Self-reported insomnia in young men is a significant predictor of clinical depression and psychiatric distress decades later, independent of other risk factors.

If you struggle with insomnia, treat it as a serious warning sign for future mental health, not just a nuisance. The risk for depression persists for decades. Prioritize sleep hygiene and seek professional help for sleep disturbances early, as they are a strong predictor of future psychiatric distress.

Phenotypic Age, a composite metric derived from nine clinical chemistry biomarkers and chronological age, serves as a robust predictor of all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk across diverse demographic and health subpopulations, outperforming traditional risk factors like BMI and disease count.

Use a comprehensive clinical panel (including CRP, glucose, albumin, etc.) to calculate a 'Phenotypic Age' rather than relying solely on your birth year. This metric provides a more accurate assessment of your mortality risk and can help identify at-risk individuals earlier than traditional tools like BMI or disease count alone.

In individuals with a normal BMI (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), high body fat percentage (Normal Weight Obesity) is associated with a significantly higher prevalence of cardiometabolic dysregulation and, specifically in women, an independent increase in cardiovascular mortality risk.

If you have a normal BMI, do not assume you are metabolically healthy. High body fat percentage (Normal Weight Obesity) is a significant risk factor for heart disease and death, especially in women. You should assess your body composition (e.g., via DEXA or bioimpedance) rather than relying solely on your weight. Focus on building lean muscle and reducing body fat through resistance training and nutrition, even if your weight stays the same.

A low FODMAP diet significantly reduces total colonic bacterial abundance and increases faecal pH compared to a typical high-FODMAP diet, despite maintaining similar short-chain fatty acid concentrations.

If you are on a low FODMAP diet for IBS, be aware that it significantly reduces the total number of bacteria in your gut compared to a normal diet. While this doesn't necessarily change the amount of beneficial short-chain fatty acids produced, it does alter which bacteria are present. To mitigate this, ensure you are getting enough fiber (like psyllium or resistant starch) and consider liberalizing your FODMAP intake to the minimum amount needed to control symptoms, rather than restricting indefinitely, to support a healthier microbiome structure.

A typical high-FODMAP diet increases the relative abundance of butyrate-producing Clostridium cluster XIVa and mucus-associated Akkermansia muciniphila compared to a low FODMAP diet.

Eating a diet higher in FODMAPs (typical Western/Australian diet) promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria like Clostridium cluster XIVa (butyrate producers) and Akkermansia muciniphila (mucus-associated) compared to a strict low FODMAP diet. This suggests that long-term strict restriction might deprive the gut of substrates needed to maintain these specific beneficial populations.

Higher volumes of pericardial fat and visceral abdominal fat (VAT) are associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), whereas intrathoracic fat is not significantly associated with CVD.

Focus on reducing visceral abdominal fat and pericardial fat, not just total body weight. These specific fat deposits are strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, independent of your BMI. Strategies to reduce visceral fat include regular aerobic exercise, strength training, and a diet low in refined sugars and trans fats. Since pericardial fat surrounds the heart, reducing overall adiposity and managing metabolic health are key to lowering this specific risk.

Genetic variants associated with longer self-reported sleep duration are also associated with objectively measured longer sleep duration, greater sleep efficiency, and increased daytime inactivity as measured by accelerometers.

Self-reported sleep duration is a reasonably accurate proxy for objective sleep measures, especially when viewed through a genetic lens. If you report sleeping longer, it likely reflects your actual sleep time.

Regular consumption of blueberries or anthocyanins is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cognitive decline, and supports weight maintenance.

Include blueberries in your diet regularly. Observational data suggests that eating about one-third cup daily is associated with significant health benefits, including lower risks of heart disease and diabetes. You do not need to consume large quantities to see benefits; moderate, consistent intake is key.