Browse the evidence

Athletes should consume 1.4–2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight per day to optimize lean body mass and strength during resistance training.

If you train with weights, aim for 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein for every kilogram of your body weight each day. This range is the scientific standard for building and keeping muscle while you train hard.

Resistance training increases skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical function in healthy adults compared to no exercise.

If you are a healthy adult, engaging in resistance training is one of the most effective ways to increase muscle mass, strength, and physical function. You do not need a specific complex protocol to see benefits; simply performing resistance exercises against external resistance yields significant improvements compared to doing nothing.

Once-weekly mazdutide (3–6 mg) administered for 24 weeks produces robust, dose-dependent body weight reduction (up to 11.3%) and improves cardio-metabolic risk factors in Chinese overweight or obese adults.

For Chinese adults with obesity or overweight with related health issues, a once-weekly injection of mazdutide (up to 6 mg) for 24 weeks can lead to significant weight loss (up to 11%) and improved heart health markers. While gastrointestinal side effects like nausea are common, they are usually manageable and do not typically cause patients to stop treatment.

Once-weekly subcutaneous tirzepatide (5, 10, and 15 mg) produces significant, dose-dependent weight loss and improvements in cardiometabolic markers compared to placebo in adults with or without type 2 diabetes.

If you are an adult with obesity or overweight (with or without Type 2 Diabetes), once-weekly tirzepatide injections (5-15 mg) are a highly effective medical intervention for weight loss, averaging 8-12% body weight reduction depending on the dose. It also improves blood pressure, blood sugar, and lipids. While you may experience temporary gastrointestinal issues like nausea, these are usually mild and subside over time. This treatment is significantly more effective than older anti-obesity drugs and is generally safe, with no increased risk of serious adverse events compared to placebo.

Survodutide, a dual glucagon and GLP-1 receptor agonist, produces significant weight loss, BMI reduction, and waist circumference reduction in adults with overweight or obesity.

Survodutide is a once-weekly injection that significantly reduces weight, BMI, and waist size. The benefits are greater with higher doses (>2mg/week) and longer treatment durations (>16 weeks). It is particularly effective for individuals under 50 years old. Common side effects are gastrointestinal, but it offers a non-surgical option for weight management.

The efficacy of Survodutide for weight loss is conditional on dose and duration, with doses >2 mg/week and interventions >16 weeks yielding significantly greater reductions in weight and waist circumference.

To maximize weight loss with Survodutide, ensure you are on a dose above 2 mg/week and continue treatment for at least 16 weeks. Lower doses or shorter durations result in less significant weight and waist circumference reduction.

Weekly subcutaneous administration of Tirzepatide (5-15 mg) significantly reduces body weight and body fat percentage in non-diabetic obese patients compared to placebo, with effects comparable to bariatric surgery.

If you are obese and non-diabetic, Tirzepatide is a highly effective weekly injection that can lead to significant weight loss (up to ~21%) and fat loss, outperforming previous GLP-1 drugs. It requires a commitment to weekly injections and lifestyle changes (diet and 150 mins/week exercise), but may offer a better side-effect profile regarding nausea than older drugs due to its dual GIP/GLP-1 mechanism.

A once-weekly synthetic semaglutide formulation (test drug) provides weight loss efficacy and safety comparable to the innovator semaglutide (Wegovy) in Indian adults with obesity over a 24-week period.

If you are an adult in India with obesity who has struggled to lose weight through diet and exercise alone, this study shows that a once-weekly synthetic semaglutide injection works just as well as the brand-name version (Wegovy) over 24 weeks. You can expect to lose about 14-15% of your body weight if you follow the dose-titration schedule (starting low and increasing every 4 weeks) alongside a 500-calorie daily deficit and 150 minutes of weekly exercise. While you may experience common side effects like nausea or constipation, they are generally mild and manageable. This option may be more affordable than the brand name, making it a viable long-term management tool.

Intermittent Energy Restriction (including Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding) produces similar short- and long-term weight loss to continuous daily energy restriction when total caloric intake is equal.

If you struggle with daily calorie counting, try Intermittent Fasting (like 16:8 or 5:2). It works just as well as eating fewer calories every day, as long as you don't overeat on your 'off' days. Choose the schedule that fits your lifestyle best.

An 8-week Very Low Carbohydrate Diet (VLCD) in older adults with obesity promotes significantly greater loss of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) compared to a standard low-fat diet, while preserving skeletal muscle mass.

If you are an older adult with obesity, switching to a very low-carbohydrate diet (less than 10% of calories from carbs) for 8 weeks can help you lose visceral and intermuscular fat much faster than a standard low-fat diet, without losing your actual muscle mass. You don't need to count calories strictly; simply prioritizing fats and proteins while keeping carbs very low tends to naturally reduce calorie intake and improve insulin sensitivity.

A Very Low Carbohydrate Diet improves insulin sensitivity and favorable lipid profiles (increased HDL, decreased triglycerides) in older adults with obesity compared to a low-fat diet.

Beyond just weight loss, switching to a very low-carbohydrate diet can significantly improve your blood markers for heart health, specifically by lowering triglycerides and raising HDL cholesterol, more so than a standard low-fat diet would.

Tirzepatide (5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg) significantly reduces body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity compared to placebo, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and basal insulin.

Tirzepatide is a highly effective treatment for weight loss in people with T2DM or obesity, outperforming other common medications like GLP-1 agonists and insulin. It is taken as a once-weekly injection. While it causes gastrointestinal side effects like nausea and diarrhea, these are usually mild and temporary. If you are considering this, discuss the benefits of significant weight loss against the potential for temporary stomach issues with your doctor.

In overweight/obese adults, a low-carbohydrate diet (26% of calories) without calorie restriction produces significantly greater weight loss and BMI reduction than a calorie-restricted diet (1200-1500 kcal) with standard carbohydrate intake (55-65%).

If you are overweight or obese, try reducing your carbohydrate intake to about 26% of your total calories (roughly 50-60g of carbs per day for many adults) without worrying about counting calories. Eat more fat and protein. You do not need to restrict your total energy intake to lose weight effectively; in fact, you may eat more calories than on a standard low-calorie diet and still lose more weight. This approach was shown to be superior to standard calorie restriction over 12 weeks.

Combining low-carbohydrate intake (26% of calories) with calorie restriction (1200-1500 kcal) yields the greatest reduction in BMI, body weight, waist circumference, and body fat compared to either intervention alone.

For the fastest and most comprehensive weight loss, combine a low-carbohydrate diet (26% of calories from carbs) with a moderate calorie restriction (1200-1500 kcal/day). This dual approach was shown to reduce BMI, body weight, waist circumference, and body fat more effectively than either strategy used alone. This is the most potent dietary intervention for overweight/obese individuals in this study.

For individuals performing resistance training, muscle strength increases linearly with total protein intake up to 1.5 g/kg body weight per day, with no additional benefit from higher intakes.

If you lift weights, aim for 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. This is the sweet spot for maximizing strength gains. Eating more than this does not provide additional strength benefits.

Calorie restriction (energy deficit) is the primary driver of weight loss, with macronutrient composition having a secondary or negligible impact on long-term outcomes.

To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. The specific type of diet (low-carb, low-fat, etc.) matters less for long-term success than maintaining that calorie deficit. Choose a dietary pattern you can sustain that creates this deficit.

Behavioral interventions (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing) are essential components of obesity treatment, as nutritional guidance alone is often insufficient.

Combine dietary changes with behavioral strategies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Motivational Interviewing. These tools help build the skills necessary for long-term adherence to healthy habits.

In Thai adults with obesity and metabolic syndrome, a 12-week lifestyle education intervention combined with partial meal replacement (two meals daily) produces significantly greater weight loss and glycemic improvement than lifestyle education alone.

If you have obesity and metabolic syndrome, replacing two of your daily meals with a high-protein meal replacement shake, while also receiving basic lifestyle education on diet and exercise, will help you lose more weight and improve your blood sugar levels compared to just receiving lifestyle education alone. However, be aware that this benefit is most pronounced during the 12-week intervention period, and long-term maintenance requires ongoing support or continued use of the strategy.

In overweight and obese adults, low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) produce greater reductions in triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure, and body weight, along with greater increases in HDL cholesterol, compared to low-fat diets (LFD) over a duration of 6 to 23 months.

If you are overweight or obese, switching to a diet with less than 40% of your calories from carbohydrates (instead of less than 30% from fat) is likely to help you lose more weight, lower your triglycerides, raise your 'good' HDL cholesterol, and lower your diastolic blood pressure over the next 6-23 months. However, this benefit disappears after 24 months, where both diets are equally effective.

Reducing dietary energy density (consuming larger portions of lower-calorie foods) improves satiety and aids weight loss maintenance, regardless of total caloric intake in the short term.

To make your diet easier to stick to, choose foods that are less energy-dense. This means eating more vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins relative to fats and sugars. You can eat larger portions of these foods, which helps you feel fuller for longer, making it easier to maintain a calorie deficit without feeling deprived.

Subcutaneous Tirzepatide significantly reduces body weight, BMI, and waist circumference in adults with obesity or type 2 diabetes compared to placebo.

If you have obesity or type 2 diabetes and lifestyle changes haven't been enough, Tirzepatide is a highly effective, once-weekly injection that significantly reduces weight, BMI, and waist circumference. The effect is dose-dependent, with higher doses (up to 15mg) yielding greater weight loss. Be prepared for potential gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, which are common but often manageable.

In real-world clinical practice, tirzepatide produces significantly greater weight loss and higher rates of achieving clinically meaningful weight loss thresholds (≥5%, ≥10%, ≥15%) compared to semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity.

If you are using tirzepatide (Mounjaro) or semaglutide (Ozempic) for weight loss, real-world data suggests that tirzepatide is more effective at helping you lose significant amounts of weight (10% or more of your body weight) compared to semaglutide. You are also more likely to reach these milestones faster with tirzepatide. However, both drugs carry similar risks of gastrointestinal side effects, so tolerability is a key factor in choosing between them.

Tirzepatide produces significantly greater weight loss than semaglutide in adults with obesity or overweight, with the magnitude of loss increasing with higher doses (>10 mg) and longer treatment durations (>6 months).

If you are using semaglutide and not achieving your weight loss goals, switching to tirzepatide (particularly at doses above 10 mg and continuing for more than 6 months) is likely to result in significantly greater weight loss. The data supports tirzepatide as a more potent option for reducing body weight compared to semaglutide.

Increasing physical activity (specifically total, light, and moderate-to-vigorous activity) or decreasing sedentary time during a dietary energy restriction intervention is associated with a faster rate of weight loss in women with overweight and obesity.

If you are on a calorie-restricted diet to lose weight, try to stay active or increase your daily movement. This paper shows that people who increased their physical activity (even light activity) or reduced their sitting time lost weight faster than those who became more sedentary. You don't need to start a rigorous gym routine; simply maintaining or slightly increasing your daily steps and reducing sedentary time can help you reach your goal sooner.