Browse the evidence

The displacement of traditional food systems by ultra-processed products from transnational corporations increases the incidence of obesity and chronic diseases.

Protecting traditional food systems and limiting the penetration of ultra-processed products is a public health priority. Governments should enact legislation to support local farmers, stabilize prices of healthy staples, and restrict the marketing of ultra-processed foods, rather than partnering with transnational corporations.

Interventions targeting the gut microbiota, specifically probiotics (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains), prebiotics, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), can enhance muscle mass and physical performance in aging populations.

Focus on resistance training and protein intake as primary strategies for muscle health. While gut health is important, current evidence does not support specific probiotic or prebiotic supplements as a reliable standalone treatment for sarcopenia in humans. More research is needed before these can be recommended as standard therapy.

High consumption of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened soft drinks is an independent predictor of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in individuals without traditional risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia.

If you have been diagnosed with fatty liver, especially if you are not overweight or diabetic, review your soft drink intake immediately. This includes both regular sugary sodas and diet sodas. The study suggests that the volume and type of soft drink consumption is a primary driver of liver fat in these cases. Reducing or eliminating these beverages is the most impactful dietary change you can make, as other factors like physical activity and total calories were less predictive in this specific context.

High intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is associated with an increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer, whereas EPA and DHA show protective or neutral effects.

If you are concerned about prostate cancer, relying on high doses of flaxseed or ALA supplements may not be beneficial and could potentially increase risk for high-grade disease. Focus on marine sources of EPA and DHA, which have shown protective effects in studies, rather than high ALA intake.

EPA and DHA improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation in healthy or overweight individuals, but these benefits are not consistently observed in individuals with established Type 2 Diabetes.

If you are healthy or overweight, adding EPA and DHA (from fish or supplements) may help improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation. However, if you already have Type 2 Diabetes, fish oil is unlikely to significantly improve your blood sugar control or insulin resistance on its own.

Uncarboxylated osteocalcin (un-OC) acts as an endocrine hormone that regulates energy metabolism by stimulating pancreatic beta-cell proliferation, insulin secretion, and adiponectin production, thereby improving glucose tolerance and reducing fat mass.

Current research suggests that bone health and metabolic health are linked via osteocalcin. While you cannot directly supplement osteocalcin effectively based on this text, maintaining bone health through resistance training and adequate Vitamin K intake may support this hormonal pathway. However, human causal evidence is still pending, so prioritize standard metabolic interventions (diet/exercise) first.

Daily vitamin D supplementation (3,332 IU) for one year significantly increases total, bioactive, and free testosterone levels in overweight men with baseline vitamin D deficiency.

If you are overweight and have low Vitamin D levels, supplementing with 3,332 IU of Vitamin D daily for a year may significantly boost your testosterone levels. This effect was observed in men who were also losing weight, suggesting that correcting this specific deficiency is a valuable step for hormonal optimization in this demographic.

Standard numerical nutrition labels are insufficient for accurate consumer assessment of nutrient levels, whereas the addition of interpretational aids (verbal descriptors and reference values) significantly improves the accuracy of product comparison and dietary context assessment.

When shopping, rely on labels that include simple verbal descriptors (like 'High' or 'Low' fat) and reference values (like Guideline Daily Amounts) rather than just raw numbers. These aids help you accurately compare products and understand how a single item fits into your daily diet, especially if you are older or have lower nutrition knowledge. Standard numerical-only labels are often too confusing for accurate decision-making.

Exposure to larger-sized portions, packages, or tableware consistently increases the quantity of food and non-alcoholic beverages selected and consumed by both adults and children.

To reduce food intake without willpower, reduce the size of plates, bowls, and packages you use or buy. Larger containers lead to larger servings. Switching to smaller tableware or buying smaller package sizes is a simple environmental change that reduces consumption.

Reducing exposure to larger-sized food portions, packages, and tableware could reduce average daily energy intake by 144-228 kcal (8.5-13.5%) in UK children and adults if sustained across the whole diet.

If you want to eat less without counting calories, buy smaller packages and use smaller plates. This simple change can save you over 100 calories a day on average.

BCAA supplementation can enhance the anabolic effect of intact protein meals (e.g., whey) by potentially overcoming rate-limiting steps or activating initiation factors, though this is distinct from the effect of BCAAs alone.

If you are consuming protein, adding BCAAs might boost the muscle-building response, potentially allowing you to get more benefit from a smaller amount of protein. However, this benefit is only seen when BCAAs are mixed with complete protein, not when taken alone.

Specific probiotic and synbiotic strains reduce body mass index (BMI), visceral fat area, and fat mass in overweight or obese adults and children.

If you are overweight, specific probiotic strains (like L. gasseri SBT2055 or L. rhamnosus with inulin) taken daily for 12-36 weeks may help reduce belly fat and BMI, especially when combined with a calorie-controlled diet. However, not all probiotics work for weight loss, so strain selection matters.

Specific probiotic and synbiotic interventions improve insulin sensitivity, fasting blood glucose, and lipid profiles in patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS).

If you have T2D or IRS, adding specific probiotics (like L. plantarum A7 or synbiotics with L. casei/rhamnosus) to your daily routine for several weeks may help lower blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity. This is a supportive strategy, not a replacement for prescribed medication.

Specific probiotic and synbiotic interventions improve liver function markers (ALT, AST) and reduce liver fat in patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and NASH.

If you have NAFLD or NASH, specific probiotics (like L. bulgaris/S. thermophilus or synbiotics with L. plantarum) taken daily for 8-30 weeks may help improve liver enzyme levels and reduce liver fat. This is a supportive strategy alongside lifestyle changes.

Mind-body exercises such as Tai Chi and Yoga show promise for improving health-related quality of life and symptoms in fibromyalgia, potentially offering benefits comparable to or exceeding conventional exercise.

Consider incorporating Tai Chi or Yoga into your routine. Tai Chi sessions (twice weekly for 12 weeks) and Yoga (weekly supervised plus home practice) can significantly improve quality of life and symptoms. These are viable alternatives to conventional exercise.

Lifestyle physical activity interventions, such as increasing daily step counts, can improve fibromyalgia symptoms and pain levels, although long-term maintenance of these benefits may be challenging without ongoing support.

Try to increase your daily step count gradually. Using a pedometer can help track progress. While this can improve symptoms in the short term, consider combining it with structured exercise for long-term benefits.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) during lockdown was associated with lower BMI and reduced perception of weight gain, suggesting MD may mitigate pandemic-related metabolic stress.

Focus on the core components of the Mediterranean Diet (vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, olive oil, fish) even during stressful periods. This pattern is associated with lower body weight and reduced perception of weight gain, potentially offering metabolic protection against pandemic-related stress.

Increased physical activity, specifically bodyweight training, during lockdown was associated with a reduced perception of weight gain.

Incorporate bodyweight training into your routine, even during lockdown. Increasing the frequency of such training (up to 5+ days/week for some) was associated with less perceived weight gain, helping to counteract the metabolic effects of reduced mobility.

Consumption of fruit fiber reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, but this effect is only statistically significant in high-quality studies (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score ≥ 7).

Ensure your fruit fiber intake comes from whole, high-quality dietary sources. The protective effect of fruit fiber on diabetes risk is evident in rigorous studies. Focus on getting fiber from whole fruits rather than supplements, and maintain a diet rich in these foods.

Consumption of vegetable fiber reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, but this effect is only statistically significant in studies with a follow-up period of 10 years or more.

Long-term consumption of vegetable fiber is key to reducing diabetes risk. Short-term studies may not capture the full benefit. Incorporate vegetables into your diet consistently over many years to realize the protective effects of vegetable fiber.

Supplementing with ketone bodies (via medium-chain triglycerides or ketogenic diets) improves cognitive performance in Alzheimer's disease patients, particularly those who are APOE4-negative.

For Alzheimer's patients, especially those not carrying the APOE4 gene, introducing ketone bodies through MCT oil or a strict ketogenic diet may improve cognitive function by providing an alternative energy source for the brain. This works by bypassing glucose metabolism defects. Consult a doctor before starting, as effects vary by genetics.

Combining metformin with lifestyle modification (diet and exercise) results in significantly greater reductions in BMI and subcutaneous adipose tissue, and increases menstrual cycle frequency, compared to lifestyle modification alone in women with PCOS over 6 months.

If you have PCOS, combining metformin with lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) leads to better weight loss and more regular periods than lifestyle changes alone. However, metformin by itself does not help with weight loss compared to lifestyle changes. The benefit of adding metformin is primarily seen in weight management and menstrual regulation, not necessarily in improving blood sugar or lipid markers beyond what lifestyle changes achieve.

Gains in cardiorespiratory fitness (peak VO2) from aerobic exercise are correlated with improved memory performance and reduced hippocampal atrophy in early Alzheimer's disease.

To potentially support memory and brain health in early Alzheimer's, patients should aim to improve their cardiorespiratory fitness through aerobic exercise. This involves activities that raise the heart rate to a moderate intensity (60-75% of max) for 150 minutes per week. The goal is to improve fitness levels, which the study links to better memory and brain volume preservation.

Modern diets with an Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio of 20-50:1, compared to the evolutionary ideal of 1-2:1, drive chronic inflammation and chronic disease by shifting lipid mediator production toward pro-inflammatory pathways.

Reduce your intake of seed and vegetable oils (corn, soybean, sunflower, safflower) which are high in Omega-6. Increase intake of Omega-3 sources like fatty fish, algae, or flax/chia seeds. Aim for a dietary ratio closer to 4-5:1 rather than the typical 20:1 found in modern diets to lower systemic inflammation.