Browse the evidence

Positive Allosteric Modulators (PAMs) can significantly reduce sugar content in pastries while maintaining sweetness intensity and avoiding off-tastes.

When buying reformulated pastries, look for those using advanced taste enhancers like PAMs. These allow manufacturers to cut sugar significantly while keeping the product tasting sweet and avoiding the bitter aftertaste common with other sugar substitutes.

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) often results in substantial weight regain in patients with monogenic or syndromic obesity, particularly those with MC4R pathway variants, making it less effective than targeted pharmacotherapy for these groups.

If you have a known genetic form of obesity, discuss the long-term risks of bariatric surgery with your doctor. Studies show that patients with MC4R pathway variants often regain significant weight after surgery because the underlying genetic hunger drive remains unaddressed.

Pharmacological inhibition of the postsynaptic scaffolding proteins PSD-95 (via UCCB01-147) and PICK1 (via mPD5) induces sustained weight loss in obese mice primarily through a non-aversive reduction in food intake, with effects persisting for days after treatment cessation.

This research identifies two specific brain proteins (PSD-95 and PICK1) that, when blocked by experimental drugs, cause obese mice to eat less without feeling sick, leading to significant fat loss that lasts for days after the drug is stopped. While not yet available for humans, this suggests a potential future treatment class that avoids the common side effects of current obesity drugs and offers sustained benefits.

Maintenance of weight loss (≥5% loss in the first year, maintained at 5 years) is not associated with a reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in people with type 2 diabetes, with confidence intervals overlapping the null.

Maintaining weight loss does not appear to significantly reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke if you have type 2 diabetes. Focus on other aspects of cardiovascular health, such as blood pressure and cholesterol management, rather than relying solely on weight maintenance for heart protection.

Traditional Asian dietary practices, including the consumption of ulam, probiotics from fermented foods, and herbs like curcumin and green tea, reduce dementia risk through anti-inflammatory and gut-brain axis mechanisms.

Incorporate more fermented foods (yogurt, kimchi, miso), herbs like turmeric and green tea, and leafy vegetables into your diet. These support gut health and reduce inflammation, which benefits brain health.

Dual incretin agonists (GLP-1/GIP) and triple agonists (GLP-1/GIP/Glucagon) show superior efficacy in reducing liver fat, inflammation, and fibrosis compared to GLP-1 mono-agonists in animal models, suggesting potential for enhanced clinical outcomes in MASLD.

Research suggests that newer 'dual' (GLP-1/GIP) and 'triple' (GLP-1/GIP/Glucagon) agonists may offer even greater benefits for liver health than current GLP-1 drugs, particularly in reducing liver fat and inflammation. These are still largely in clinical trials or early adoption phases for liver disease. If standard GLP-1 therapy is insufficient, discuss these newer multi-agonist options with your hepatologist or endocrinologist, keeping in mind that long-term human data for liver-specific outcomes is still being gathered.

Engineered bacteria (SYNB1020) that overproduce arginine to convert gut ammonia into L-arginine successfully lower systemic ammonia and improve survival in animal models of liver failure, but failed to show efficacy in a Phase Ib/IIa clinical trial for cirrhosis patients.

While engineered bacteria show promise in animals for clearing liver toxins, current clinical trials for liver disease patients have not yet succeeded. Do not expect this specific therapy to be available or effective for cirrhosis at this time.

Engineered bacteria producing GLP-1 or butyrate can improve glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and reduce body weight in animal models of obesity and diabetes.

Research shows that engineered gut bacteria can produce hormones like GLP-1 or butyrate to improve metabolism in animals. This is a promising area for future oral treatments for diabetes and obesity, but it is not yet a standard therapy.

Meditative movements do not significantly reduce Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Do not expect meditative movements like Tai Chi or Yoga to significantly lower your BMI. However, they still provide significant benefits for blood sugar and cholesterol control, making them valuable for overall diabetes management.

Dietary restriction (DR), including caloric restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF), delays aging and extends healthspan by regulating nutrient-sensing pathways and gut microbiota.

To leverage dietary restriction for anti-aging, you don't necessarily need to cut calories drastically all day. Consider Time-Restricted Eating (eating within a 4-12 hour window) or Intermittent Fasting patterns like the 5:2 diet. These methods regulate nutrient-sensing pathways and gut microbiota similarly to strict calorie counting but are easier to sustain long-term. Focus on consistency and moderate restriction (10-30% if doing CR) to avoid negative side effects like muscle loss.

Subcellular trafficking of signaling molecules, such as the localization of mTOR to the lysosomal membrane, is a key regulatory event in the control of muscle protein synthesis, in addition to phosphorylation.

Research is uncovering more complex mechanisms behind muscle growth, such as how signaling molecules move within cells. While this doesn't change immediate training advice, it highlights the complexity of muscle adaptation.

The deuterated-glucose disposal test (2H-GDT), which measures glycolytic glucose metabolism via deuterated water production after an oral glucose load, correlates with insulin sensitivity measured by the clamp.

The deuterated-glucose disposal test offers a physiological measure of glycolysis that correlates with insulin sensitivity. However, its moderate correlation with the gold standard and technical complexity limit its routine clinical utility compared to simpler surrogates.

Activation of Gq-coupled receptors in brown and beige adipocytes generally suppresses thermogenic competence, whereas specific Gq receptors (like GPR120) can boost lipid oxidation and mitochondrial respiration.

The role of Gq receptors in fat burning is complex. While some Gq receptors (like those activated by acetate) may reduce fat-burning capacity, others (like GPR120, activated by fatty acids) can boost it. This complexity makes it a challenging target for simple drug development.

GLP-1 RAs show therapeutic potential in neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, by reducing amyloid-β/tau pathology, neuroinflammation, and promoting neuronal survival.

GLP-1 medications are being studied for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Some trials show promise in slowing brain volume loss, but results are mixed. They are not yet a standard treatment for these conditions. Consult a neurologist if interested in clinical trials.

GLP-1 receptor activation in the brain reduces the reward value of food, suggesting potential therapeutic applications for treating addiction to food and substances of abuse.

Research suggests that GLP-1 medications might help treat addiction by changing how your brain rewards food or substances. If you struggle with addictive behaviors, this emerging area of science offers hope for treatments that target the brain's reward system directly.

None of the combined antidiabetic therapies (DPP4i, GLP1RA, TZD, SGLT2i) showed a significant change in blood pressure compared to metformin alone in women with PCOS.

Do not expect adding DPP4 inhibitors, GLP1RAs, TZDs, or SGLT2 inhibitors to metformin to significantly lower your blood pressure. Focus on these combinations for glycemic, lipid, or weight management instead.

Ultra-endurance athletes can successfully complete multi-day events despite consuming only 36-54% of their estimated energy expenditure, primarily by shifting substrate oxidation toward fat and relying on gluconeogenesis to maintain blood glucose.

If you are training for long-duration events, do not expect to eat enough to match your calorie burn. Your body will adapt to burn fat and preserve glucose. Focus on tolerating food during breaks rather than hitting specific calorie targets, as appetite suppression is a natural physiological response to prolonged exercise.

Prolonged ultra-endurance exercise leads to a significant decrease in hemoglobin and hematocrit, which is primarily due to plasma volume expansion (hemodilution) rather than a loss of red blood cell mass.

Don't panic if your hemoglobin drops after a long race. It's likely due to your blood plasma expanding to help you regulate temperature and blood pressure, not because you lost blood cells. This usually resolves with rest and hydration.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are associated with an emerging signal of suicidality, including suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicide, based on pharmacovigilance data, though large randomized controlled trials have not demonstrated a statistically significant causal increase in risk.

GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic or Wegovy) have been linked to reports of suicidal thoughts in pharmacovigilance databases, creating a safety signal. However, large clinical trials involving thousands of patients have not found a statistically significant increase in psychiatric events compared to placebo. The absolute risk appears to be very low. Clinicians should monitor patients, especially those with a history of mental health conditions, but the proven benefits for weight loss and heart health generally outweigh this rare risk for most users.

Combining HMB (3g/day) with Resistance Training does not provide a statistically significant additional benefit to muscle mass or strength compared to Resistance Training alone in elderly sarcopenic patients after hip surgery.

You do not need to take HMB if you are doing Resistance Training after hip surgery. RT alone is enough to build muscle and strength; adding HMB does not provide extra benefit for these metrics.

Saxagliptin (a DPP-4 inhibitor) is associated with an increased signal of hospitalizations for heart failure (HF), warranting vigilance in high-risk patients.

If you have type 2 diabetes and are at high risk for heart failure, discuss saxagliptin with your doctor. This specific drug has been linked to more hospitalizations for heart failure in some studies, so other options might be safer for your heart.

Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) promote atherosclerosis by activating TLR4 and NFκB pathways in macrophages, leading to increased pro-inflammatory cytokine production (IL-6, TNF-α) and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Limit intake of saturated fats (found in animal products, some tropical oils) as they may directly trigger inflammatory pathways in blood vessel walls, contributing to plaque formation.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate and acetate, produced by gut microbiota from fiber, exert anti-atherogenic effects by binding to FFAR2 receptors, reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and promoting regulatory T cell activity.

Increase fiber intake (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains) to support gut bacteria that produce SCFAs, which may help reduce vascular inflammation.

Low glycaemic index (GI) or low glycaemic load (GL) diets do not result in greater weight loss or improved metabolic markers compared to higher GI/GL diets or other standard diets in people with overweight or obesity.

If you are trying to lose weight, switching to a low GI or GL diet is unlikely to give you better results than other diets. Focus on creating a sustainable energy deficit rather than prioritizing the glycaemic index of foods.