Browse the evidence

Daily oral supplementation with 714 mg nicotinamide and 19 mg pyridoxine accelerates muscle regeneration by increasing muscle stem cell (MuSC) activation and differentiation following eccentric muscle damage.

If you suffer from muscle damage (e.g., from intense exercise or injury), taking 714 mg of Nicotinamide and 19 mg of Pyridoxine daily for about a week may help your body repair muscle faster by boosting stem cell activity. This is distinct from other B3 forms like Nicotinamide Riboside, which may not be effective at these specific cellular targets. Ensure you are healthy and not taking other B-vitamin supplements before starting.

For recreationally resistance-trained men, performing a split-body resistance training routine with 2 sessions per week per muscle group yields equivalent maximal strength and muscle hypertrophy gains compared to 3 sessions per week, provided total weekly volume is equated.

If you are an experienced lifter, you don't need to train every muscle 3 times a week to maximize gains. You can split your routine over 2 days per muscle group (e.g., 9 sets per muscle per session, twice a week) and get the same strength and muscle growth as training 3 times a week (6 sets per session), as long as you hit the same total weekly volume and train hard.

Metformin is effective for preventing type 2 diabetes in prediabetic women, with efficacy varying by menopausal stage and hormonal status.

If you are a woman with prediabetes, metformin is a proven tool to prevent type 2 diabetes, but its effectiveness depends heavily on your menopausal status. It works best for premenopausal women and those who have gone through natural menopause, rather than those who have had their ovaries removed. While lifestyle changes are the first step, metformin is particularly valuable for high-risk individuals (younger, higher BMI, history of gestational diabetes) where lifestyle changes alone may not be enough. Be prepared for potential gastrointestinal side effects, which often improve over time.

A 10-year multidomain intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) targeting weight loss, physical activity, and diet in individuals with type 2 diabetes and obesity results in sustained long-term weight loss and lower deficit accumulation (frailty) compared to diabetes support and education (DSE), though it does not significantly improve composite cognitive function scores.

For older adults with type 2 diabetes, a structured lifestyle program focusing on diet, exercise, and regular monitoring can help maintain weight loss and reduce physical frailty over the long term, even if it doesn't necessarily improve cognitive function scores. The key is consistency and metabolic monitoring.

A single day of an isocaloric high-fat diet (74% fat, 11% carbs) significantly improves insulin sensitivity and lowers postprandial glucose and insulin levels compared to high-carbohydrate or control diets in healthy young men.

For healthy individuals, switching to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet for a single day can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar spikes compared to high-carb or standard balanced diets, provided total calories remain constant.

A high-carbohydrate diet (79% carbs) does not improve hedonic regulation (liking/wanting) of food intake compared to high-fat or control diets, though it may increase subjective satiety due to fiber content.

Eating a high-carbohydrate diet may make you feel more full due to fiber content, but it does not change your psychological desire (liking/wanting) for food compared to high-fat or balanced diets.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and other unsaturated fats inhibit Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine release, thereby ameliorating chronic inflammation driven by saturated fats and LPS.

To support a healthy immune response that can resolve inflammation effectively, prioritize unsaturated fats, particularly Omega-3s. These fats actively inhibit inflammatory pathways like TLR4, counteracting the pro-inflammatory effects of saturated fats found in typical Western diets.

Very-low-carbohydrate diets enhance human T-cell immunity by inducing ketone body production (specifically beta-hydroxybutyrate), which reprograms T-cells to favor oxidative metabolism, improves cellular energy supply, and increases T memory cell formation.

If you reduce carbohydrate intake significantly, your body produces ketones like beta-hydroxybutyrate. This shift can reprogram your T-cells to use energy more efficiently via oxidative metabolism, potentially enhancing their ability to form long-term memory and respond to pathogens.

Higher genetically predicted relative carbohydrate and protein intake is causally associated with a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation.

Focus on increasing your intake of carbohydrates and proteins, but prioritize quality. Choose whole grains, fruits, and vegetables for carbs, and high-quality protein sources. This dietary pattern is associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation. Avoid excessive intake of low-quality proteins and ultra-processed foods, as these may increase cardiovascular risk.

In the Iranian adult population, total fat intake (38.3% of energy in adults, 35.88% in the elderly) significantly exceeds the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) of 20-30%, with 55.77% of women and 43.53% of men consuming fat above this limit.

Check your fat intake. In this population, more than half of women and nearly half of men eat too much fat (over 30% of calories). Focus on reducing added fats and high-fat ingredients to align with health guidelines, as this is a major contributor to chronic disease risk.

Vitamin D and retinol insufficiency rates approach 100% in both genders across adult and elderly age groups in Iran, representing a critical public health gap.

Vitamin D and Retinol (Vitamin A) are critically low in this population, affecting nearly everyone. Dietary changes alone may not be enough; consider supplementation or fortified foods to address this widespread deficiency.

Sodium intake exceeds recommended levels in a significant portion of the population, particularly men (72.7% of adult men and 76.6% of elderly men), contributing to cardiovascular risk.

Men in this population consume excessive sodium, with over 70% exceeding recommendations. Reducing sodium intake is crucial for cardiovascular health. Focus on limiting processed foods and added salt.

High intake of simple sugars increases the risk of metabolic syndrome regardless of weight change, whereas the risk associated with refined grains and total carbohydrates is modified by weight status.

Focus on reducing added sugars and simple sugars, as they increase metabolic syndrome risk independently of weight. Be mindful of refined grains, especially if you are gaining weight, as their risk is amplified in that context. Total carbohydrate quantity is less critical than the source.

Weight loss mitigates the metabolic risk associated with high refined grain and carbohydrate intake, whereas weight gain exacerbates it.

If you are gaining weight, reducing refined grains is crucial to lowering metabolic syndrome risk. If you are losing weight, keeping refined grains below the median intake further reduces risk. Weight management modulates the impact of grain quality.

Lengthened partial repetitions (LPs) elicit similar muscle hypertrophy and strength-endurance adaptations as full range of motion (fROM) resistance training in resistance-trained individuals.

If you are resistance-trained and want to maximize muscle growth or strength, you do not need to force full range of motion if it causes pain or technical breakdown. You can use lengthened partial reps (focusing on the stretched position at the bottom of the movement) to get the same benefits as full reps. Just ensure you are training to failure and pausing in the stretched position. This gives you flexibility to train around injuries or mobility limitations without sacrificing gains.

Dumbbell and cable lateral raises produce equivalent lateral deltoid hypertrophy when shoulder abduction/adduction range of motion is standardized and matched between conditions.

You can use either dumbbells or cables for lateral raises to build your side delts. The key is to match the range of motion (lifting your arm to about 90 degrees) and train to failure for 5 sets, twice a week. Don't worry about which machine is 'better' mechanically; just pick the one you prefer and stick with it.

Performing resistance training to momentary muscular failure (FAIL) results in slightly greater perceived discomfort and exertion, and worsens general post-exercise feelings compared to terminating sets with 1-2 repetitions in reserve (RIR).

If you are struggling to stick to your resistance training routine because you hate how you feel after workouts, try stopping your sets 1-2 reps before you fail (1-2 RIR) instead of going to absolute failure. This study found that while muscle growth and strength gains are similar, training to failure significantly increases discomfort, exertion, and negative feelings. By using 1-2 RIR, you get the same physical benefits with better post-workout feelings, which may help you stay consistent long-term.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) engages a unique subset of skeletal muscle signaling pathways and substrates compared to work- and duration-matched moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), specifically involving kinases like PKC alpha/beta and substrates like MTFP1, which are associated with plasma lactate levels.

To trigger unique muscle adaptations associated with high-intensity training, you don't need to exercise for hours. A short session of 5 minutes of high-intensity intervals (e.g., 1-minute sprints followed by 1-minute recovery, repeated 5 times) is sufficient to activate specific signaling pathways (like PKC and MTFP1) that are not significantly engaged by moderate, continuous exercise of the same total duration and workload. This suggests HIIT is a highly time-efficient strategy for stimulating metabolic and mitochondrial adaptations.

Following behavioral weight loss, the body enters a physiological state characterized by adaptive thermogenesis (declines in energy expenditure beyond those attributable to changes in body composition) and increased energy intake, which drive weight regain.

After losing weight, your body biologically fights to regain it by lowering your energy expenditure and increasing hunger. This is a normal physiological response, not a personal failure. To maintain weight loss, you must account for these biological changes, likely requiring ongoing behavioral support and potentially adjusted energy intake/expenditure strategies, rather than relying on the same intensity of effort used during the weight loss phase.

Tirzepatide improves insulin sensitivity by 65.7%, a significantly greater improvement than the 37.5% observed with semaglutide.

Tirzepatide works differently than semaglutide by targeting both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, which leads to a much larger improvement in how your body uses insulin (65.7% vs 37.5%). This enhanced insulin sensitivity contributes to better blood sugar control and greater weight loss.

Phentermine-Topiramate produces moderate weight loss (7.87-8.45%) and improves cardiometabolic risk factors, but carries higher risks of neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular side effects compared to GLP-1RAs.

Phentermine-Topiramate is an oral medication that produces moderate weight loss (approx 8%). It is less effective than GLP-1RAs and carries higher risks of side effects like anxiety, paresthesia, and cardiovascular issues. It is not recommended for patients with existing heart disease.

Front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes are cost-effective population-level primary prevention strategies that reduce consumption, though their effectiveness varies by socioeconomic status and literacy.

Support policies like sugar taxes and clear food labeling. These are proven to reduce sugary drink consumption and encourage companies to make healthier products. While they may not solve obesity alone, they are a cost-effective way to improve population health.

GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce systolic blood pressure by 1.7 to 10.6 mmHg compared to placebo, contributing to stroke risk reduction.

GLP-1 drugs can help lower blood pressure, which is a key factor in preventing stroke. This effect is seen across different drugs in this class, with some showing reductions of up to 10 mmHg.

GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation by approximately 42% compared to placebo, which is a significant risk factor for stroke.

Taking GLP-1 drugs may also lower your risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm problem that increases stroke risk. This is another way these drugs protect your brain and heart.