Browse the evidence

A ketogenic diet maintains resistance exercise performance and does not impair strength gains, even if there is a slight loss in lean body mass.

If you lift weights, you can switch to a ketogenic diet without losing your strength. You might lose a small amount of lean mass, but your power and strength gains will be similar to those on a high-carb diet. Focus on your training intensity.

Bariatric surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) produces comparable long-term weight loss and metabolic improvements in patients with metabolic syndrome compared to those without it.

If you have severe obesity and metabolic syndrome, bariatric surgery is a highly effective option that yields long-term weight loss and metabolic improvements comparable to those without metabolic syndrome. It is currently the most effective intervention for severe cases.

Combining a hypocaloric diet with Monoselect Camellia (a green tea extract) yields superior weight loss compared to hypocaloric diet alone.

If you are following a calorie-restricted diet for weight loss, adding 150mg of Monoselect Camellia (a green tea extract) daily may help you lose more weight than dieting alone. This combination was identified as one of the most effective strategies in a large network meta-analysis of obesity treatments.

A fully health-insurance-financed, long-term (4-year) conservative multimodal obesity therapy program achieves clinically significant weight loss (average 5 kg or 4%) and metabolic improvements in patients with obesity grade 2 and 3 under real-world conditions.

If you have obesity grade 2 or 3, a fully funded, long-term conservative therapy program combining diet, exercise, and behavioral therapy can help you lose an average of 5 kg and improve your metabolic health. This program is available in Germany through specific health insurance contracts and may be more cost-effective than some medications.

Combining 16:8 time-restricted eating (TRE) with structured exercise yields modest additional reductions in body weight and fat mass compared to exercise alone.

If you already exercise regularly, adding a 16:8 time-restricted eating schedule (fasting for 16 hours, eating within 8 hours) may help you lose an extra 1-1.5 kg of body weight and about 1 kg of fat mass over 4-8 weeks compared to exercising without dietary timing restrictions. This benefit is modest but real, particularly if you perform aerobic exercise.

Engaging in more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week provides additional health benefits, though the relative benefits tend to diminish at higher levels.

If you have the time and capacity, increasing your aerobic activity beyond 300 minutes of moderate or 150 minutes of vigorous exercise per week can provide additional health benefits. However, be aware that the benefits diminish at higher levels, so focus on maintaining the baseline 150-300 minute recommendation consistently before aiming for higher volumes.

Gut microbiota composition and diversity play a significant role in obesity development, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from lean donors may improve weight loss and insulin sensitivity.

Research suggests that your gut microbiota plays a role in obesity. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from lean donors shows promise in improving weight loss and insulin sensitivity, but it is still in early stages of research. Focus on a healthy diet to support a diverse gut microbiome.

Increasing microbial production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) via dietary fiber or prebiotic intake improves gut barrier integrity and reduces intestinal inflammation.

To support gut health, focus on consuming diverse sources of indigestible carbohydrates (prebiotics and soluble fibers) to feed your gut bacteria. This encourages the production of SCFAs like butyrate, which fuel colon cells and strengthen the gut barrier. Do not rely on faecal SCFA tests to gauge success, as they are unreliable indicators of total production.

Continuously high levels of exercise (e.g., marathon running) may have detrimental effects on cardiovascular health, including increased coronary artery calcification, suggesting a U-shaped or J-shaped dose-response curve.

For most people, moderate exercise is optimal. If you are an endurance athlete, be aware that very high volumes (like multiple marathons per year for decades) may increase coronary calcification, though this does not necessarily mean higher event rates due to potentially more stable plaques. Consult a physician if you engage in extreme endurance training.

Consumption of 3-4 cups of coffee per day is associated with the largest reduction in relative risk for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and cardiovascular disease compared to non-consumption.

If you drink coffee, 3-4 cups a day appears to offer the greatest protection against early death and heart disease based on current observational data. If you do not drink coffee, this review does not strongly recommend starting, as causation is not proven, but it suggests that moderate consumption is likely safe and potentially beneficial for most adults.

Coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of several specific cancers (e.g., liver, colorectal) and metabolic conditions (e.g., type 2 diabetes, gout).

Regular coffee consumption is linked to a lower risk of certain cancers and metabolic diseases. This adds to the potential benefits of moderate coffee drinking.

Multisensory wearable sleep trackers (using HR, HRV, temperature, and motion) offer improved sleep stage classification (light, deep, REM) compared to motion-only devices, but still struggle with accurate wake detection and slow-wave sleep classification.

Multisensory wearables are better at distinguishing sleep stages than older models, but they are still not accurate enough for medical diagnosis. Use them to track general trends, not specific sleep stage durations.

The effectiveness of exercise for depression is moderated by participant sex and age, with specific modalities performing better for specific demographics.

To maximize benefits, consider your demographics. Women may find strength training and cycling more effective for depression. Men may find yoga, tai chi, or aerobic exercise combined with therapy more effective. Older adults may benefit more from yoga and aerobic therapy, while younger adults may benefit more from strength training.

Laparoscopic bariatric surgery is superior to medical management for weight loss and metabolic control in patients with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 or BMI 35-40 kg/m2 with comorbidities.

If you have a BMI over 40, or over 35 with conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, surgery is the most effective way to lose weight and fix those health issues compared to diet and medication alone. You need to be healthy enough for surgery.

Sleeve gastrectomy is preferred over adjustable gastric banding for weight loss and metabolic control.

Sleeve gastrectomy is a better choice than gastric banding because banding often fails and requires more surgeries. Sleeve offers better weight loss and metabolic benefits.

Western and fast-food dietary patterns are associated with higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers compared to plant-based or healthy dietary patterns.

Minimize consumption of Western and fast-food diets, which are linked to higher oxidative stress and inflammation. Replacing these with plant-based patterns like Mediterranean or DASH can help reduce these biomarkers.

Metabolic surgery significantly reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity compared to usual care.

For patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, metabolic surgery is associated with a significantly lower risk of major cardiovascular events and death compared to usual care. This includes reductions in heart failure, stroke, and mortality. While surgery carries short-term risks, the long-term cardiovascular benefits are substantial.

Higher relative abundance of the gut microbial genus Blautia is significantly and inversely associated with visceral fat area (VFA) in adults, regardless of sex.

Visceral fat is linked to the abundance of Blautia bacteria in your gut. While you cannot directly 'dose' Blautia like a supplement, this genus produces beneficial short-chain fatty acids (butyrate, acetate). Supporting Blautia likely involves a diet rich in diverse fibers, as fiber intake was a key variable in the study's adjustments. Focus on whole-food, high-fiber diets to support a microbiome profile associated with lower visceral fat.

Recovery interventions should be periodized (withheld or emphasized) to influence acute and chronic training adaptation and performance.

Don't use recovery tools (massage, cold baths) every day. Use them strategically: skip them after some easy sessions to let your body adapt, and use them heavily before key competitions to reduce fatigue.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MD) positively influences gut microbiota composition and immune system function, thereby reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) associated with chronic inflammation, whereas a Western diet (WD) promotes dysbiosis and immune impairment.

Prioritize a Mediterranean-style eating pattern over a Western one to support gut health and reduce chronic inflammation. Focus on increasing fiber-rich foods, healthy fats, and diverse plant sources while reducing processed foods typical of a Western diet. This dietary shift is a primary lever for improving the gut microbiota-immune system interplay and preventing non-communicable diseases.

Specific next-generation probiotics and synbiotics (e.g., VSL#3, E. coli Nissle 1917, specific Bifidobacterium strains) show promising or beneficial effects in treating Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC), unlike general probiotics.

For UC or NEC, generic probiotics may not work. However, specific strains like VSL#3 or E. coli Nissle 1917 have shown benefit. Consult a doctor for strain-specific therapy rather than buying random supplements.

Obesity (BMI ≥40) is a significant independent risk factor for increased prevalence, severity, and lethality of COVID-19, primarily driven by metabolic dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and immune system attenuation.

If you have obesity, especially with a BMI over 40 or associated conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, your risk of severe COVID-19 is significantly higher than that of a healthy-weight individual. This is not just about weight, but about how obesity affects your immune response and lung function. Prioritize prevention (vaccination, masking, distancing) aggressively, as your body may struggle more with the inflammation caused by the virus.

Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet increases gut microbiota diversity and shifts composition toward beneficial taxa (e.g., Prevotella, Bifidobacteria) and metabolites (SCFAs), while reducing pro-inflammatory markers and pathogenic bacteria associated with Western diets.

To improve your gut health, adopt a Mediterranean-style eating pattern. This means prioritizing fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and extra virgin olive oil as your main fat source. Include fish and limit red meat. This dietary pattern is associated with a more diverse and beneficial gut microbiome, which produces protective metabolites like short-chain fatty acids and reduces inflammation compared to a standard Western diet.

Specific components of the Mediterranean Diet, particularly dietary fiber and polyphenols from Extra Virgin Olive Oil, drive the beneficial modulation of gut microbiota by promoting the growth of SCFA-producing bacteria and reducing pro-inflammatory markers.

Incorporate Extra Virgin Olive Oil and high-fiber plant foods into your daily meals. The fiber feeds beneficial gut bacteria to produce protective short-chain fatty acids, while the polyphenols in olive oil help reduce inflammation. This combination is key to the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.