Browse the evidence

High consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with increased risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and all-cause mortality in adults.

Limit ultra-processed foods to reduce your long-term risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and early mortality. Focus on whole foods for better health outcomes.

A personalized postprandial-targeting (PPT) diet, which uses machine learning to predict individual glycemic responses based on clinical and microbiome data, significantly improves glycemic control and metabolic health in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients compared to a standard Mediterranean-style (MED) diet.

For newly diagnosed T2DM patients, a standard Mediterranean diet may not be sufficient. A personalized diet that predicts your specific blood sugar response to foods (using your microbiome and health data) is significantly more effective at lowering blood sugar and achieving remission than standard dietary advice. This approach requires technology (CGM and an app) but offers a path to diabetes remission (61% of participants in the long-term study) that standard diets do not guarantee.

Ultra-processed foods contribute to chronic disease through specific mechanisms including gut dysbiosis from additives (e.g., carrageenan, CMC), exposure to endocrine disruptors from packaging (BPA, phthalates), and formation of neoformed compounds (acrylamide, PAH) during high-heat processing.

Be aware that UPF contain additives and packaging chemicals that may disrupt gut health and hormones. Reducing UPF intake reduces exposure to these specific risks.

Hypertrophy (muscle size increase) and strength gains are not strictly coupled; individuals can gain strength without significant muscle growth, and vice versa, due to neural and coordination adaptations.

Do not assume that muscle size is the only driver of strength. You can become stronger through improved technique, coordination, and neural efficiency even if your muscle size stays the same. Conversely, gaining muscle size does not guarantee proportional strength gains, especially in complex movements.

Plyometric training and high-speed running exposure help maintain strength and reduce injury risk during detraining by providing neural stimuli and eccentric loading.

Include plyometric exercises and high-speed running in your routine to maintain neural adaptations and strength, especially if heavy weights are not available.

Ketogenic diets may lead to a loss of fat-free mass (FFM) in resistance-trained individuals, whereas they preserve FFM more effectively in endurance-trained individuals compared to resistance training.

If you lift weights, be aware that a ketogenic diet might cause you to lose some muscle mass. If you do endurance sports, you might preserve muscle better. Monitor your strength and adjust protein intake if you notice performance or muscle decline.

Genetic predisposition for higher LDL-C limits the magnitude of LDL-C reduction achieved through a personalized lifestyle coaching program compared to those with average or lower genetic risk.

If you have a family history of high cholesterol, lifestyle changes like diet and exercise will still help lower your numbers, but you might not see as big a drop as someone with no family history. This doesn't mean the effort is wasted; it just means you may need to be more consistent or combine lifestyle changes with medical treatment if your numbers remain high. Don't let your genetics discourage you from making healthy choices.

Internal attentional focus (focusing on the muscle) increases muscle activation and hypertrophy in some muscles (e.g., biceps) but may decrease strength and efficiency compared to external focus (focusing on the movement).

Use internal focus (thinking about the muscle) when you want to maximize hypertrophy in specific muscles, especially if you are experienced. However, be aware that it may reduce your strength and efficiency. For strength and power goals, external focus (thinking about the movement) is often superior.

Periodized resistance training (linear or undulating) appears equally effective as non-periodized training for enhancing skeletal muscle hypertrophy in untrained populations, but its necessity for trained individuals remains unclear.

If you are new to resistance training, you do not need a complex periodized plan to build muscle. Non-periodized training yields similar hypertrophy results. Periodization may become relevant only after you have gained significant training experience, though current research is inconclusive on this point.

Low-load resistance training to failure (30% 1RM) can simultaneously increase both ribosome and mitochondrial biogenesis, challenging the strict competition paradigm.

If you cannot lift heavy due to injury or preference, lifting light weights (30% 1RM) to failure for 10 weeks, 3 times a week, can build muscle and mitochondria just as effectively as heavy lifting, provided you go to failure.

Practicing the strength test (one maximal repetition per set) and minimal dose eccentric resistance exercise are emerging concepts that show promise for increasing muscle strength but require further ecological validation.

While promising, these strategies (maximal single reps or eccentric-only) are still being validated for real-world use. Stick to standard minimal doses (Weekend Warrior or Single-Set) until more evidence is available.

High intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is associated with increased risk for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), though causal mechanisms remain to be fully established.

While observational studies link high UPF intake to obesity and CMD risk, the exact mechanisms are complex. Focus on reducing intake of foods high in added sugars, sodium, and low in fiber, as these are common in UPFs. Be aware that 'processed' does not always mean 'unhealthy', but UPFs often contribute to excess energy intake.

Higher gut microbiota plasticity (variability in composition) is correlated with sustained 12-month weight loss, but the specific timing and diet interaction differ: pre-diet daily plasticity predicts success on low-fat diets, while plasticity over the first 10 weeks of intervention predicts success on low-carb diets.

If you are trying to lose weight, your gut microbiome's ability to change (plasticity) might predict success. For low-fat diets, higher daily variability before starting might help. For low-carb diets, a larger shift in your microbiome during the first 10 weeks might predict better long-term results. This is not a diagnostic tool yet, but suggests that individual metabolic flexibility, reflected in gut changes, matters.

Pre-diet daily gut microbiota plasticity is significantly higher in very successful weight lossers on a low-fat diet compared to unsuccessful losers, but this correlation is not observed for low-carb diets.

If you are starting a low-fat diet, your gut's natural day-to-day variability might predict how well you will do. Those with higher variability before starting tended to lose more weight. This is not a reason to avoid low-fat diets, but a hint that individual gut dynamics matter.

Post-exercise cooling (e.g., cold water immersion) applied in the early recovery phase (< 1 hour) improves fatigue resistance following endurance exercise in hot conditions and may enhance maximal strength recovery after resistance exercise.

If you train in the heat or do heavy lifting, a 10-30 minute cold water immersion (5-20°C) immediately after your session can help you recover strength and fatigue resistance faster. However, avoid this if you just did sprint intervals, as it may hurt your power output for the next session.

Single application of cooling has generally no effect on recovery during the 24–72 hour period following resistance and endurance exercises, though it may benefit neuromuscular function recovery 24–48 hours after sprint exercise.

If you have a competition or hard workout 24-72 hours later, cold water immersion after your initial session won't significantly help you recover from resistance or endurance training. It might help if you did sprint intervals, but don't rely on it for general late recovery.

Current standard-of-care obesity treatments (lifestyle, pharmacotherapy, surgery) exhibit high variability in weight loss outcomes, necessitating a precision medicine approach based on biological markers to predict individual response.

Standard obesity treatments (diet, drugs, surgery) do not work equally for everyone. The paper argues that future care will use biological markers (genetics, microbiome, etc.) to predict who will respond to which treatment, moving away from a 'one-size-fits-all' BMI-based approach.

Precision nutrition, which tailors dietary interventions to individual genetic backgrounds, gut microbiota, and metabolic profiles, has the potential to transform obesity management by addressing interindividual variability in weight loss responses.

Instead of following generic diet advice that may not work for you, consider approaches that look at your specific body metrics, genetics, or gut health. While full genetic testing isn't always necessary or affordable, using metabolic profiles or simple clustering can help tailor your diet for better weight loss results. The key is personalization: what works for one person might not work for you, so finding a method that fits your unique biology is crucial for long-term success.

Partial ROM training performed at long muscle lengths (e.g., bottom half of a squat) may produce greater muscle hypertrophy than full ROM training.

If you are doing partial reps, ensure you are doing them at long muscle lengths (e.g., the bottom half of a squat). This specific variation may actually build muscle slightly better than full squats. Avoid partial reps at short muscle lengths (e.g., top half of a squat) if hypertrophy is your goal, as they offer no advantage over full ROM.

Dietary fibers, particularly soluble apple pectin, selectively reshape the gut microbiota of obese individuals by increasing beneficial bacteria (Megasphaera, Akkermansia) and reducing harmful ones (Acidaminococcus intestini), thereby improving metabolic health markers compared to lean profiles.

If you are obese, not all fibers are created equal for your gut health. Soluble fibers like apple pectin appear to specifically boost beneficial bacteria (like Akkermansia and Megasphaera) and reduce harmful ones in obese gut environments. Incorporating apple pectin or whole apples may be a more effective strategy for metabolic health than generic fiber supplements.

In adults with type 2 diabetes, unintentional or pharmacologically induced weight gain exceeding 5% over three years is associated with a reduced risk of incident cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, particularly in individuals over 60 years old.

For older adults with type 2 diabetes, aggressive weight loss strategies may not be the primary goal for cardiovascular protection. Instead, focusing on stable weight or allowing for modest, non-adipose weight gain (potentially from muscle or metabolic reserve) may be associated with better heart outcomes than intentional weight loss, particularly if the patient is on sulfonylureas. Consult a doctor before changing weight management goals.

Master athletes (>35 years) do not exhibit the age-related anabolic resistance seen in sedentary older adults and therefore have protein requirements similar to young athletes.

If you are a Master athlete (over 35) training regularly, you likely do not need higher protein doses than when you were younger. Aim for ~0.3g/kg of high-quality protein per meal, spread across 4-5 meals daily, just as young athletes do. Your training history has likely preserved your muscle's ability to respond to protein efficiently.

Habitual physical activity prevents the development of anabolic resistance mechanisms (such as reduced capillarity and inflammation) in older adults.

Regular exercise preserves the muscle's sensitivity to protein. This means you don't need to eat more protein than a young person; you just need to eat it effectively (distributed across meals).

Low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and calorie restriction can improve cognitive function and combat age-related cognitive decline through mechanisms involving reduced oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory responses, and enhanced neurogenesis.

Limit carbohydrates to less than 20% of your calories, focusing on fats and proteins from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, and seeds. This approach may help combat age-related cognitive decline, especially if you have obesity or type 2 diabetes. Monitor your lipid profile as high fat intake can raise LDL.