Browse the evidence

Government-imposed confinement and mobility restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decrease in physical activity (vigorous, moderate, and walking) and a significant increase in sedentary behavior (hours spent sitting) among pregnant women.

If you are pregnant and face mobility restrictions, expect your physical activity levels to drop significantly. To counter this, prioritize low-impact indoor movements or walking if permitted, and be aware that 'lack of space' and 'fatigue' are common barriers that need proactive management.

Wearable passive sensing technologies for food intake monitoring provide objective, real-time data that reduces the subjective bias and recall errors inherent in manual self-reporting methods, thereby enabling more reliable dietary assessment and effective health interventions.

If you struggle with remembering what you eat or under-reporting your intake, consider using a wearable food monitoring device. These devices automatically track eating events (chewing, swallowing) or food images, removing the mental burden of manual logging. While not yet perfect for all food types, they offer a more objective view of your habits than memory-based diaries, helping you and your healthcare provider make better decisions.

LAGB preferentially reduces visceral adipose tissue (VAT) compared to subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), leading to disproportionate metabolic improvements in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).

Patients with T2DM may experience greater metabolic benefits from LAGB than those with normal glucose tolerance, likely due to the preferential loss of visceral fat, which is strongly linked to insulin resistance.

Low-dose dietary antioxidants (e.g., polyphenols, cruciferous vegetables) exert hormetic, cytoprotective effects by upregulating vitagenes (HO-1, Hsp70) and reducing oxidative stress, whereas high-dose supplementation can be pro-oxidant and toxic.

Focus on getting antioxidants from whole foods like raw cruciferous vegetables and spices rather than high-dose supplements. The paper suggests that moderate intake triggers protective cellular stress responses (hormesis), while excessive supplementation may be harmful or ineffective. Prioritize dietary sources over isolated high-dose pills.

Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet, specifically through increased consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and fish, is independently associated with lower severity of psoriasis (measured by PASI score) and lower systemic inflammation (measured by CRP levels).

If you have psoriasis, increasing your intake of extra virgin olive oil and fish may help reduce skin severity and inflammation. This is not just about weight loss, but about specific anti-inflammatory compounds in these foods. Try to use EVOO as your main cooking oil and eat fish at least three times a week.

Probiotics (specifically Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains) improve gastrointestinal health by modulating the immune system, enhancing epithelial barriers, and suppressing pathogen adhesion.

To support gut health, consider incorporating probiotic-rich foods or supplements containing Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium strains. These microbes help maintain the gut barrier and support immune function. If you are immunocompromised, consult a doctor first to ensure the specific strain is safe for you.

Synbiotics (combining probiotics and prebiotics) improve the survival and efficacy of probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract compared to probiotics alone.

If you take probiotics, consider a synbiotic formulation that includes prebiotics (like oligosaccharides). This combination helps the probiotic bacteria survive stomach acid and colonize the gut more effectively.

Designers should consider including an extensive food database, a food scanner, and provision of diaries to support self-monitoring.

App designers should include an extensive food database, a food scanner, and provision of diaries to support self-monitoring.

Twelve weeks of progressive overload resistance training (80-85% 1RM, 3x/week) increases muscle strength and oxidative capacity in patients with mitochondrial myopathy caused by single, large-scale mtDNA deletions, likely by stimulating satellite cell activation and shifting wild-type mtDNA to mature muscle fibers.

If you have mitochondrial myopathy caused by large-scale DNA deletions, a supervised resistance training program (3 days/week, 80-85% of your max lift) can safely improve your strength and muscle energy efficiency. The key is progressive overload, which stimulates muscle repair and may help your body use healthier mitochondria. Always start with a warm-up and ensure proper technique to avoid injury.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in skeletal muscle function through genomic and non-genomic pathways, influencing muscle fiber type, protein synthesis, and contraction force.

Vitamin D is biologically essential for muscle health, affecting how muscles grow and contract. Maintaining adequate levels helps prevent muscle degeneration and aids recovery.

A multicomponent sleep intervention combining Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and Hypnotherapy for Insomnia (HT-I) significantly improves subjective sleep quality and reduces insomnia symptoms in university students.

If you are a student struggling with sleep, consider a structured program that combines behavioral changes (like consistent sleep/wake times and relaxation techniques) with psychological tools (like hypnosis or stress management). Standard sleep hygiene advice may not be enough if you have high anxiety about sleep or irregular schedules. Look for programs specifically designed for students that address exam stress and chronotype.

Higher plasma levels of the dietary metabolite ergothioneine are independently associated with a reduced risk of coronary artery disease, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality.

Focus on a healthy dietary pattern that includes foods rich in ergothioneine, such as mushrooms, garlic, and certain grains. This study suggests that maintaining higher levels of this specific metabolite through diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and death, independent of other risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure.

Consuming tree nuts (median 56 g/d) as part of an isocaloric diet significantly improves glycemic control (lowering HbA1c and fasting glucose) in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes, adding about 56 grams (roughly a small handful) of tree nuts daily to your diet can help lower your blood sugar levels. To avoid weight gain, replace other foods in your meal with the nuts rather than eating them in addition to your usual diet. This strategy has been shown to significantly improve HbA1c and fasting glucose in clinical trials.

High energy density diets characterized by processed foods, refined sugars, and saturated fats, combined with physical inactivity, are major preventable behavioral risk factors for obesity in Latin American populations.

Focus on reducing the intake of processed foods high in sugar and saturated fats while increasing physical activity. In Latin American urban contexts, this involves shifting away from high-energy density foods toward those with more fiber and micronutrients, as these are the primary drivers of the obesity epidemic in the region.

Community-level environmental interventions (e.g., EPODE) are more effective for preventing obesity than individual dietary counseling, particularly in children.

Advocate for or participate in community-level changes that make healthy choices easier, such as better access to parks, healthy food options in local stores, and school-based health programs. Individual willpower is often insufficient against an environment designed to promote obesity.

Flywheel inertial training (FIT) provides an eccentric overload stimulus dependent on concentric velocity and inertial load, but its effectiveness is highly dependent on user technique and training status.

If using a flywheel device, focus on generating high concentric velocity to maximize eccentric overload. Ensure proper technique to decelerate the flywheel effectively. Be aware that results may vary based on your training status.

Slow tempo eccentric training may not provide superior hypertrophy or strength benefits compared to faster eccentric training and may even be suboptimal for strength adaptations.

Do not assume slower eccentrics are better. Fast eccentrics may be superior for strength and power. Experiment with different tempos to find what works best for your goals.

Resistance training (RT) and endurance training (ET) modulate distinct biochemical pathways to counteract sarcopenia, with RT primarily promoting net muscle protein anabolism and ET improving mitochondrial biogenesis and aerobic capacity.

To combat age-related muscle loss, older adults should engage in a balanced program of both resistance and endurance exercises. For resistance training, aim for at least two days per week, performing 8-12 repetitions of exercises targeting major muscle groups. Use a moderate to vigorous intensity (RPE 5-8). If joint stress is a concern, consider aquatic exercise or stationary cycling. Consistency is key, as both types of exercise have been shown to improve muscle strength, mitochondrial function, and overall muscle health.

Endurance training (ET) improves mitochondrial biogenesis, density, and function in aged skeletal muscle, thereby attenuating age-associated declines in mitochondrial protein synthesis and energy production.

Incorporate regular aerobic exercise into your routine to support muscle health and energy levels. Aim for 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (like brisk walking) or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity per week. Break this into sessions of at least 10 minutes. This helps improve your mitochondria, which are the energy powerhouses of your muscle cells, and supports overall muscle function.

Weight loss achieved through primary care interventions, whether pharmacologic or lifestyle-based, significantly attenuates over time, with an average regain of 0.53 kg per six months.

Do not expect your initial weight loss to stick if you stop the intervention. The body fights back against weight loss through hormonal changes. To maintain weight loss, you likely need to continue the intervention (medication or intensive lifestyle support) long-term, rather than treating it as a finite 'course'.

Insulin stimulates muscle sympathetic nerve activity, which contributes to 'facultative thermogenesis' (energy expenditure beyond obligatory ATP hydrolysis), particularly in response to glucose and fructose.

This is a complex physiological mechanism. For practical purposes, high insulin levels (from high carb intake) may slightly increase energy expenditure via sympathetic activation, but this is not a reliable weight loss strategy.

High-fat diets disrupt circadian clock gene expression and desynchronize peripheral clocks from the central pacemaker, leading to metabolic disorders such as obesity and insulin resistance, regardless of total caloric intake or obesity development.

Your internal biological clock is sensitive to what you eat, not just how much. High-fat diets can disrupt the timing of your metabolic genes, leading to insulin resistance and weight gain even without overeating. To support metabolic health, prioritize balanced nutrient intake and consider the timing of your meals, especially fat consumption, to align with your body's natural rhythms.

Glucose and insulin act as entraining signals for peripheral clocks, and disruptions in glucose/insulin signaling (e.g., insulin resistance) can alter circadian gene expression in the liver.

Maintaining stable blood glucose and insulin levels through a balanced diet may support healthy circadian rhythms in your liver. Avoiding large spikes in blood sugar could help keep your metabolic clock running smoothly.

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation does not enhance muscle protein synthesis in young men who are already consuming adequate protein and performing resistance exercise.

If you are a young man who eats enough protein and lifts weights, adding high-dose omega-3s (5g/day) likely won't give you extra muscle protein synthesis benefits beyond what you're already getting.