Browse the evidence

Consumption of probiotics and prebiotics modulates intestinal microbiota composition and metabolic activity, which is associated with health benefits including reduced risk of intestinal infections, respiratory tract infections, CVD, osteoporosis, urogenital infections, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Probiotics and prebiotics show promise for various health conditions, but results vary by strain and specific health issue. Do not expect a universal cure. Consult a healthcare provider for strain-specific recommendations for conditions like IBS or antibiotic-associated diarrhea, as evidence is mixed for some applications.

Synbiotics, which combine probiotics and prebiotics, may offer synergistic benefits by enhancing the survival and effectiveness of probiotic strains.

Consider synbiotic products that combine specific probiotics and prebiotics, as they may offer enhanced benefits. However, choose products with well-studied strain and substrate combinations.

Females have greater basal autophagy activity but lower basal ubiquitin-proteasome activity compared to males, leading to different catabolic responses during muscle stress.

Your body's internal 'clean-up' systems for muscle proteins work differently than a man's. You may rely more on autophagy (cellular recycling) while men rely more on the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This is a biological baseline difference driven by hormones and doesn't necessarily require intervention, but it explains why muscle responses to stress can vary.

Multi-agonists (GLP-1/Glucagon, GLP-1/GIP, or GLP-1/GIP/Glucagon) show greater potential for weight loss than single-agonists by combining appetite suppression with increased energy expenditure.

Newer 'multi-agonist' drugs that target multiple hormones (like GLP-1, GIP, and Glucagon) are in development. They aim to lose weight by both reducing hunger and increasing energy burn. These are not yet widely available for obesity treatment but show promise for those who need more than standard therapies.

Frequent fast food consumption is inversely associated with overall diet quality, specifically lowering adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) and Healthy Eating Index (HEI).

Eating fast food frequently (weekly or more) significantly lowers your overall diet quality, reducing your intake of fruits, vegetables, and olive oil while increasing fat and sugar. To maintain a high-quality diet, limit fast food frequency.

Frequent fast food consumption is associated with higher total energy intake and a higher likelihood of failing to meet the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for energy.

Frequent fast food eaters consume significantly more energy than recommended. This excess energy contributes to weight gain. Reducing fast food frequency can help align energy intake with requirements.

Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/L) is an independent predictor of increased mortality in patients with heart failure, while vitamin D supplementation is associated with reduced mortality in this population.

If you have heart failure, ask your doctor to check your Vitamin D levels. This study suggests that deficiency is linked to higher mortality risk, and supplementation (typically 800-1000 IU/day in this study) was associated with better survival outcomes. Ensure your levels are optimized as part of your overall heart health management.

Adherence to the principles of the traditional Mediterranean diet is associated with lower overall mortality and longer survival in elderly populations, regardless of ethnic origin.

For elderly adults, adopting the core components of a Mediterranean diet—high intake of vegetables, legumes, cereals, fruits, and monounsaturated fats, with moderate ethanol and low meat/dairy—is associated with a significant reduction in overall mortality. This benefit appears transferable across different ethnic backgrounds, suggesting that focusing on these food group principles is more important than adhering to a specific cultural cuisine.

Adherence to a 'prudent dietary pattern' (high fruit, green leafy vegetables, poultry, fish) during pregnancy is associated with a decreased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), whereas a 'Western dietary pattern' (high red/processed meat, refined grains, sweets) increases GDM risk.

During pregnancy, prioritize a diet rich in fruits, green leafy vegetables, poultry, and fish while limiting red meat, processed meats, refined grains, sweets, and fried foods. This 'prudent' pattern is linked to a lower risk of gestational diabetes compared to a 'Western' pattern high in processed and refined foods.

Maternal vitamin C intake below 70 mg per day is associated with an 1.8-times increased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus compared to higher intakes.

Ensure daily Vitamin C intake of at least 70 mg during pregnancy to help lower the risk of gestational diabetes. This can be achieved through diet (citrus fruits, berries, peppers) or supplementation if dietary intake is insufficient.

Maternal plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL are associated with a 2.66-times increased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus, independent of other confounding factors.

Maintain maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels at or above 20 ng/mL during pregnancy to help reduce the risk of gestational diabetes. This can be monitored through blood tests and managed through diet, sunlight exposure, or supplementation as advised by a healthcare provider.

Attention bias toward food in obese individuals is not consistently characterized by approach (craving); it can also manifest as avoidance (worry) or show no difference compared to healthy-weight individuals.

Don't assume that your attention to food is always a sign of craving. For some, it might be worry or dieting intentions causing avoidance. If you find yourself avoiding food cues, it might be because you are trying to restrict intake. Recognizing this can help you address the underlying motivation rather than just fighting the attention itself.

A mixed herbal preparation containing Yerba Mate, Guarana, and Damiana (YGD) significantly delays gastric emptying and induces weight loss in overweight patients over 45 days.

Take three capsules of a Yerba Mate, Guarana, and Damiana blend 15 minutes before your main meals. In a 45-day trial, this led to an average 5.1 kg weight loss in overweight individuals without requiring them to change their diet. The effect appears to work by slowing down how fast your stomach empties, making you feel full sooner. Long-term use (12 months) stabilized weight without further loss or gain.

Having parents with obesity is associated with significantly greater weight regain after a weight-loss intervention.

If your parents have obesity, you may face a higher risk of regaining weight. This is likely due to shared habits and environment. Be aware of this risk and seek support that addresses these specific environmental triggers.

Chronic thwarting of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) drives disordered eating through the adoption of 'need substitutes' (e.g., thin-ideal) and 'compensatory behaviors' (e.g., rigid restriction or binge eating).

If you are struggling with rigid dieting or binge eating, look beyond the food itself. Ask if your current approach is making you feel controlled, incompetent, or isolated. Sustainable change comes from satisfying these psychological needs—by choosing foods that align with your values (autonomy), feeling capable of managing your intake (competence), and feeling supported by others (relatedness)—rather than imposing strict, external rules that likely trigger compensatory behaviors.

Autonomous motivation and general self-determination buffer against sociocultural pressures to be thin and reduce the endorsement of the thin-ideal, leading to healthier eating behaviors.

To protect yourself from societal pressure to be thin, focus on developing autonomous motivation. Ask yourself why you are regulating your eating. If it is to align with your own health values (autonomy), feel capable of managing your body (competence), and feel connected to others (relatedness), you are less likely to succumb to the thin-ideal and more likely to engage in healthy, sustainable eating behaviors.

Intermittent Energy Restriction (IER) improves glucose and lipid homeostasis (reduced fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and triglycerides) in the short-to-medium term, potentially through mechanisms distinct from continuous energy restriction (CER) such as preferential reduction of ectopic fat and modulation of adipose tissue physiology.

Try an Intermittent Energy Restriction (IER) protocol like the 5:2 diet (eating normally 5 days, restricting calories by ~70-100% on 2 non-consecutive days) or alternate-day modified fasting. Focus on short-to-medium term goals (up to 6 months). Monitor insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles, as IER may offer benefits beyond simple weight loss, such as improved insulin sensitivity and reduced triglycerides, potentially through mechanisms like reduced ectopic fat.

Substituting saturated fat with monounsaturated fat (MUFA) in a high-fat diet leads to significant loss of body weight and fat mass without requiring changes in total energy or fat intake.

If you eat a high-fat diet, ensure the majority of that fat comes from monounsaturated sources (like olive oil, nuts, avocados) rather than saturated fats (like butter, fatty meats). This substitution may help you lose fat mass without needing to count calories or restrict total fat intake, as your body may oxidize MUFA more efficiently than SFA.

Restricting carbohydrate intake (low-carb, high-fat, or ketogenic diets) reduces the abundance and activity of intestinal SGLT1 transporters, thereby decreasing the capacity to absorb carbohydrates and increasing the risk of GI distress during competition.

If you follow a low-carb diet, your gut loses its ability to absorb large amounts of carbs. Before a race requiring high carb intake, include high-carb days to 'retrain' your gut and prevent GI issues.

Dietary nitrate supplementation improves performance in highly trained athletes engaged in upper-body dominant sports (kayaking, rowing) or intermittent sprint sports.

If you are an elite kayaker, rower, or team sport player doing sprints, nitrate supplementation (8-10mmol) can help your performance. It works by improving the efficiency of your fast-twitch muscles.

Consumption of macrofungi (medicinal mushrooms) provides bioactive compounds, particularly polysaccharides, which exhibit immunomodulatory, antitumor, and metabolic regulatory effects.

Incorporate a variety of medicinal mushrooms (such as Shiitake, Reishi, or Maitake) into your diet or consider them as dietary supplements to potentially support immune function and metabolic health. While not a replacement for prescribed medication, they offer bioactive compounds that may complement a healthy lifestyle.

Daily supplementation of 1000 mg vitamin C (500 mg twice daily) for 8 weeks significantly reduces inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, IL-6) and fasting blood glucose in hypertensive and/or diabetic obese adults compared to a control group.

If you are obese and have high blood pressure or diabetes, taking 1000 mg of Vitamin C daily (split into two 500 mg doses) for 8 weeks may help lower inflammation (measured by hs-CRP and IL-6) and improve fasting blood sugar levels. This should be done alongside maintaining your usual lifestyle habits, but consult your doctor first, especially if you have other health conditions.

Exercise-induced secretion of myokines like IL-6 and BDNF mediates anti-inflammatory responses and improves glucose metabolism and fat oxidation.

Regular exercise helps control inflammation and blood sugar by triggering your muscles to release beneficial hormones like IL-6 and BDNF. This is a key reason why physical activity is prescribed for metabolic health.

Plant-based, high-fiber diets promote the growth of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Prevotella, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which reduces inflammation and protects against age-related diseases.

Eat more plants, especially high-fiber ones like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. This feeds good gut bacteria that produce anti-inflammatory compounds (SCFAs) to protect your gut and overall health as you age.