Browse the evidence

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome significantly improves objective daytime sleepiness and mood, but does not produce major improvements in cognitive function.

If you have sleep apnoea, using CPAP nightly will likely make you less sleepy and improve your mood, especially if you use it for more than 4.5 hours a night. However, do not expect CPAP to fix cognitive issues like memory or processing speed; these may not improve with treatment alone.

Nutrition and lifestyle factors significantly influence the rate of molecular damage accumulation, thereby modulating the pace of ageing.

Adopt a diet that minimizes molecular damage, such as one rich in antioxidants and low in excess sugar and saturated fats. This reduces the burden on your body's limited repair systems, slowing the accumulation of age-related damage.

Shorter self-reported sleep duration is linearly associated with prevalent and persistent psychological distress in young adults, with each hour less of sleep increasing the risk of distress persistence.

If you are a young adult (17-24) struggling with persistent low mood or anxiety, your sleep duration matters significantly. Each hour of sleep you lose increases your risk of maintaining that distress. Prioritize getting 8-9 hours of sleep, as this is the reference range associated with the lowest risk of psychological distress in this demographic.

Men experience greater absolute gains in leg extensor power and strength than women when performing high-intensity resistance training, regardless of age.

Women can achieve similar relative improvements in muscle power and strength as men through resistance training. While men may see larger absolute gains due to higher baseline muscle mass, women should not be discouraged. Focus on progressive overload and consistency.

Acarbose treatment in prediabetic patients selectively modulates gut microbiota by increasing beneficial taxa (Lactobacillus, Dialister) and decreasing potentially harmful taxa (Ruminococcus, Butyricicoccus), which correlates with improved metabolic markers such as reduced triglycerides and insulin levels.

If you have prediabetes, acarbose may help improve your metabolic profile by changing your gut bacteria. It works by increasing beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Dialister while reducing others. To avoid stomach upset, start with a low dose and gradually increase it over the first week. Take it with the first bite of your meals.

A 12-week dietary intervention using a portfolio of functional foods (high-fibre, polyphenol-rich, vegetable-protein) significantly reduces metabolic endotoxaemia (LPS), improves glycaemic control (HbA1c, glucose AUC), and attenuates dyslipidaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes by modifying faecal microbiota (increasing Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila, decreasing Prevotella copri).

For people with Type 2 Diabetes, incorporating a specific mix of functional foods—specifically dehydrated nopal, chia seeds, soy protein, and inulin—into a reduced-calorie diet for 12 weeks can significantly improve blood sugar control, lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides, and reduce inflammation. This is achieved by positively shifting gut bacteria, increasing beneficial species like Akkermansia and Faecalibacterium, and decreasing harmful ones like Prevotella. This dietary strategy complements standard diabetes medications.

Both high intensity (HI) and low-to-moderate intensity (LMI) exercise significantly reduce cancer-related fatigue, with no statistically significant difference between the two intensities.

If you are a cancer survivor recovering from treatment, you can choose either high or low-to-moderate intensity exercise to fight fatigue. Both work equally well. Focus on consistency (twice weekly supervised + home activity) rather than pushing for maximum intensity, as this reduces fatigue without the higher risk or discomfort of HI training.

Treating sleep disorders (insomnia, sleep apnea, nightmares) in trauma survivors reduces systemic inflammation and improves physical health outcomes.

If you are a trauma survivor with sleep problems, get assessed for sleep disorders like apnea or insomnia. Treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), CPAP for apnea, or specific medications (like Trazodone) can reduce inflammation and improve your physical health. Be open with your provider about any trauma triggers related to sleep devices.

Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is associated with an increased risk of overall cancer incidence and cancer-related mortality, with specific significant associations observed for ovarian and breast cancer mortality.

To lower your risk of cancer, try to reduce the proportion of ultra-processed foods in your diet. This includes items like soft drinks, packaged snacks, and reconstituted meat products. Focus on replacing these with unprocessed or minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. This change is particularly important for preventing ovarian and breast cancer mortality.

Cold water immersion (CWI) post-exercise reduces perceived muscle soreness and accelerates recovery compared to passive rest or active recovery, though it may temporarily impair high-intensity performance if used immediately before subsequent intense bouts.

Use cold water immersion after intense training to reduce muscle soreness and speed up recovery. However, do not use it immediately before a high-intensity workout or competition, as it may temporarily reduce your performance for about 45 minutes.

Human longevity is determined by a combination of genetic factors (accounting for ~25% of variance) and lifestyle/environmental factors, with lifestyle interventions capable of modulating genetic pathways to extend healthspan.

Focus on lifestyle factors that mimic the effects of calorie restriction and efficient nutrient sensing, such as maintaining a healthy weight and eating nutrient-dense foods (like the Mediterranean diet). While you cannot change your genes, you can modulate their expression through epigenetic mechanisms to potentially extend your healthspan, not just your lifespan.

High fat diets increase the contribution of fat to oxidative metabolism at the same relative exercise intensity, raising the crossover point, but may initially decrease endurance performance by lowering muscle glycogen.

Eating a high-fat diet trains your body to burn more fat, allowing you to exercise at higher intensities without depleting sugar stores as fast. However, because your sugar stores are lower, you might feel weaker initially. Long-term adaptation may improve endurance at moderate intensities.

Sleep disturbances are associated with higher all-cause mortality in men, particularly those under 45 years of age, whereas no such association is observed in women.

If you are a man under 45, persistent sleep problems (trouble falling asleep, waking up, or needing medication) are a significant warning sign for premature death. You should prioritize fixing your sleep hygiene and consult a doctor, as this risk is not present in women of the same age group.

Activation of G-protein coupled receptor 120 (GPR120) by n-3 fatty acids (DHA, alpha-linolenic acid) attenuates the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, MCP-1) and prevents obesity-induced glucose intolerance and insulin resistance.

Incorporate n-3 fatty acids (found in fish, flax, walnuts) into your diet. They activate a specific receptor (GPR120) that reduces inflammation in fat and muscle tissue, helping to prevent insulin resistance, especially if you are prone to obesity.

Failure to expand motor unit size via reinnervation distinguishes sarcopenic older men from healthy older men, indicating that successful motor unit remodeling is a critical mechanism for preserving muscle mass during aging.

For older men, maintaining muscle mass requires more than just resistance training; it requires preserving the neural connection to the muscle. The research suggests that healthy aging involves the nervous system compensating for neuron loss by expanding the size of remaining motor units. Sarcopenia may be characterized by a failure of this neural compensation mechanism. Therefore, interventions should focus on neuromuscular health and potentially high-threshold motor unit recruitment, not just muscle hypertrophy.

Chronic alcohol consumption causes selective atrophy of Type II muscle fibers and reduced muscle mass (up to 30%) through direct inhibition of protein synthesis and increased RNA degradation, independent of neuropathy or malnutrition.

Chronic heavy drinking directly shrinks your muscles, especially fast-twitch fibers, by blocking protein building and breaking down RNA. This happens even if you eat well and have healthy nerves. The only effective treatment is abstinence, which can reverse the atrophy over 6-12 months, though strength recovery may be incomplete.

Bariatric surgery (Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy) achieves the highest rates of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) remission compared to dietary interventions, with short-term remission rates up to 80% and long-term durability superior to non-surgical methods.

Bariatric surgery (specifically Roux-en-Y or Sleeve Gastrectomy) is currently the most effective intervention for reversing Type 2 Diabetes, offering the highest remission rates (up to 80% short-term) and better long-term durability than dietary interventions alone. It works through complex hormonal and metabolic changes, not just weight loss. However, it carries surgical risks and requires lifelong commitment to dietary and medical follow-up.

Dietary patterns (DPs) constructed using either a priori indices or a posteriori data-driven methods consistently show that 'healthy' or 'prudent' patterns are associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease, whereas 'Western' patterns are associated with increased risk.

Whether you use a predefined healthy diet index or look at your actual eating habits, prioritizing plant-based foods, fish, and whole grains over processed foods and sugars leads to better health outcomes. The method of tracking doesn't change the result.

Aerobic exercise training (AET) is superior to resistance training (RT) for reducing body weight, waist circumference, and fat mass, but inferior for increasing lean body mass.

If you only have time for one type of exercise and your main goal is fat loss, choose aerobic exercise over resistance training. However, be aware that you will lose more muscle mass with cardio alone.

Following nocturnal sleep restriction, a 10-minute afternoon nap provides immediate and sustained improvements in subjective alertness and cognitive performance, whereas a 30-minute nap causes immediate performance decline due to sleep inertia.

If you are sleep-deprived, take a 10-minute nap in the afternoon. It will boost your alertness and cognitive performance immediately and keep it up for an hour. Avoid 30-minute naps if you need to function right away, as they will likely make you feel worse due to sleep inertia until you recover after ~35 minutes.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) improves brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in obese adults, whereas moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) increases resting brachial artery diameter and enhances low flow-mediated constriction (L-FMC).

If you are obese and want to improve your blood vessel function (endothelial health), High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is more effective than moderate continuous exercise for improving flow-mediated dilation. You do not need to lose weight to see these vascular benefits. HIIT also saves you time and energy compared to moderate exercise. However, moderate exercise may still offer structural benefits like increased resting artery diameter, so both have value, but for functional dilation, HIIT wins.

Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) increases resting brachial artery diameter and enhances low flow-mediated constriction (L-FMC) in obese adults, despite not improving flow-mediated dilation (FMD).

If you prefer moderate continuous exercise (like steady-state cycling), you can still improve your blood vessel structure (diameter) and constriction function (L-FMC) even if your dilation (FMD) doesn't improve. This suggests MICT is not 'ineffective' for vascular health, just different in its benefits compared to HIIT.

High total daily sitting time (≥10 hours/day) is associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause and cardiometabolic disease mortality compared to low sitting time (<4 hours/day), independent of physical activity levels.

If you sit for 10 or more hours a day, your risk of dying from heart or metabolic issues is significantly higher, even if you exercise. Try to break up sitting time throughout the day rather than just focusing on exercise sessions.

Higher adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet (MedDiet) is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline, reduced conversion to Alzheimer's disease, and improvements in specific cognitive domains including memory, executive function, and visual constructs.

Adopting a Mediterranean-style diet, characterized by high intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil with low consumption of red meat and sugars, is associated with slower cognitive decline and better memory and executive function in adults. This dietary pattern may help maintain brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.