Browse the evidence

Supplementation with 500 mg/day of Sensoril (aqueous ashwagandha extract) for 12 weeks significantly increases maximal strength (1-RM squat and bench press) and aerobic endurance (7.5 km cycling time trial) in recreationally active men undergoing resistance training compared to placebo.

If you are a man who lifts weights recreationally, taking 500 mg of Sensoril (a specific ashwagandha extract) daily for 12 weeks, alongside your normal 4-day/week resistance training, can help you gain more strength and improve your aerobic endurance than training alone. Ensure you are healthy, normotensive, and not taking other ergogenic supplements before starting.

Weight reduction in individuals with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) significantly reduces the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), with a 20% BMI reduction associated with a 57% AHI reduction, though the incremental benefit diminishes beyond this threshold.

If you have OSA and are overweight, losing weight is one of the most effective treatments available. Losing 20% of your body weight can reduce your sleep apnea severity by more than half. However, be aware that the biggest improvements happen in the first stages of weight loss; losing even more weight still helps, but the gains become smaller. Don't let the diminishing returns stop you—every bit of weight loss contributes to better sleep health.

Replacing saturated fatty acids (SFA) with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly plant-based ePUFAs, is associated with less long-term weight gain and reduced risk of obesity in prospective cohort studies.

To prevent age-related weight gain, replace saturated fats (found in animal products) with polyunsaturated fats (found in plant oils, nuts, seeds). This substitution is associated with less long-term weight gain compared to diets high in saturated fats or trans fats.

Progressing resistance training by increasing repetitions while keeping load constant produces similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gains as progressing by increasing load while keeping repetitions constant over an 8-week period.

You do not need to add weight to the bar every week to keep building muscle. If you are stuck at a certain weight, focus on doing more repetitions with that same weight. As long as you are pushing close to failure, increasing your reps is just as effective for building muscle and strength as increasing the weight itself. This gives you a flexible way to progress, especially when you hit a plateau with adding weight.

Performing three sessions of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) during a five-night period of sleep restriction (4 hours time in bed) mitigates the detrimental effects of sleep loss on glucose tolerance, mitochondrial respiratory function, and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis.

If you are going through a period of poor sleep (e.g., new parent, shift work, stress), do not skip exercise. Instead, perform short, high-intensity interval sessions (like 10x 60s sprints on a bike) 3 times during the week. This specific type of exercise appears to protect your body's ability to handle sugar and maintain muscle energy production, counteracting the negative effects of losing sleep.

Creatine supplementation combined with resistance training produces a small but statistically significant increase in regional skeletal muscle hypertrophy (measured by direct imaging like MRI/ultrasound) compared to resistance training alone.

If you are lifting weights, adding creatine (3-5g daily or 0.1g/kg) will likely help you build a small amount of extra muscle compared to lifting alone. The effect is small, not massive, but it is real and supported by direct imaging studies. It works for both young and older adults, though the benefit may be slightly larger in younger individuals.

In adults with type 2 diabetes, a 10% reduction in fat mass (FM) over one year is significantly associated with a lower risk of incident heart failure (HF), whereas changes in lean mass (LM) are not significantly associated with HF risk.

If you have type 2 diabetes, losing fat mass is a powerful way to lower your risk of heart failure. This study shows that a 10% drop in fat mass significantly reduces risk, while losing muscle mass does not have the same protective effect. Focus your lifestyle efforts on reducing fat through diet and activity, rather than worrying excessively about losing muscle during weight loss.

Time-restricted feeding (16:8) and macronutrient-based diets (MBD) produce equivalent reductions in body weight, fat mass, and waist circumference in physically active, overweight individuals, provided adherence exceeds 70%.

You can lose fat using either a 16:8 fasting window or by tracking macros/calories, as long as you maintain a caloric deficit. The key is adherence: you must follow the plan more than 70% of the time. If you struggle with counting macros, try 16:8. If you struggle with fasting windows, track macros. Both require consistency to see changes in weight and waist size.

Individuals with elevated fasting plasma glucose (prediabetes or diabetes) achieve significantly greater weight loss on low-carbohydrate or high-fiber/low-glycemic-load diets compared to those with normal fasting plasma glucose, who show minimal differential response to these dietary compositions.

If you are overweight and have high fasting blood sugar (prediabetes or diabetes), you are likely to lose more weight by choosing a diet lower in carbohydrates or higher in fiber/low glycemic load. If your blood sugar is normal, the specific type of healthy diet matters less for weight loss magnitude, and adherence is the primary driver.

Physique athletes should consume 1.8-2.7 g/kg/day of protein (up to 3.5 g/kg for hunger mitigation) to preserve lean mass and manage satiety during caloric deficits.

Aim for 1.8 to 2.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. If you are struggling with hunger during your diet, you can safely increase this to 3.5 g/kg, provided you still eat enough carbohydrates and fats to train effectively. Spread this protein across 4-5 meals, ensuring one is near your workout and one before sleep.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet reduces cardiometabolic risk by improving lipid profiles, lowering blood pressure, and enhancing insulin sensitivity.

Adopt a Mediterranean-style eating pattern by prioritizing plant-based foods, healthy fats like olive oil, and moderate protein from fish and poultry. This approach is linked to lower risks of heart disease and stroke. Focus on long-term adherence rather than strict calorie counting.

The Mediterranean diet reduces visceral adiposity and insulin resistance, key drivers of metabolic syndrome.

Focus on reducing visceral fat by following a Mediterranean diet rich in fiber and healthy fats. This helps improve insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome, even if total body weight changes are gradual.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (specifically liraglutide and semaglutide) produce the greatest weight loss among anti-diabetic medications, with effects classified as strong (>5% reduction), whereas DPP-4 inhibitors and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (acarbose) produce only mild or neutral effects.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes and struggle with weight loss, GLP-1 receptor agonists (like liraglutide or semaglutide) are currently the most effective pharmacological option for reducing body weight, significantly outperforming older drugs like DPP-4 inhibitors or acarbose. While these drugs may cause initial gastrointestinal side effects, their ability to produce strong weight loss (>5%) makes them a superior choice for managing obesity in diabetic patients compared to weight-neutral or weight-gain-inducing alternatives like sulfonylureas or insulin.

A Mediterranean eating plan supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) significantly delays the initiation of new glucose-lowering medications in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to a low-fat control diet, without requiring caloric restriction or weight loss goals.

If you have type 2 diabetes, incorporating a Mediterranean-style diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil (aiming for about 4 tablespoons daily) may help delay the need to start new diabetes medications. This approach focuses on food quality rather than strict calorie counting or weight loss, and it involves regular dietary support sessions to maintain adherence.

High intake of fructose and high-glycemic carbohydrates promotes obesity and insulin resistance through de novo lipogenesis, ectopic lipid deposition, and inflammatory pathways, whereas high fiber intake improves metabolic health via short-chain fatty acid production and microbiome modulation.

Prioritize whole, fiber-rich carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains, legumes) and minimize added sugars, especially fructose and high-fructose corn syrup found in processed foods and beverages. The type of carbohydrate matters more than the total amount for metabolic health.

Higher baseline habitual physical activity, measured objectively as daily step count, is associated with a significantly lower risk of progression to type 2 diabetes in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance.

If you have prediabetes, aim to increase your daily step count. The study shows that every additional 2,000 steps per day (roughly 20 minutes of walking) lowers your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by about 5.5%. You don't need to reach 10,000 steps immediately; start by adding small amounts of walking to your day. Use a simple pedometer to track your progress objectively.

Restricting dietary carbohydrate to less than 130 grams per day improves metabolic health markers (insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, blood pressure) in individuals with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome, often superior to low-fat diets.

To improve metabolic health, especially if you have insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, reduce your daily carbohydrate intake to under 130 grams (or under 50 grams for a ketogenic effect). Ensure you eat adequate protein (1.2-2.0 g/kg of adjusted body weight) and replace lost electrolytes (sodium, potassium) to avoid side effects. This approach is more effective for metabolic markers than traditional low-fat diets.

Supplementation with plant sterols or plant stanols significantly reduces total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia.

If you have Familial Hypercholesterolemia, adding 2-3 grams of plant sterols or stanols daily to a standard cholesterol-lowering diet can significantly lower your total and LDL cholesterol. These are often found in fortified spreads or yogurts. This is an effective dietary adjunct, but it does not replace the need for medical management if prescribed.

Track and field athletes aiming for weight maintenance or gain should consume 1.3–1.7 g/kg body mass per day of protein, distributed in 0.3–0.4 g/kg servings, to optimize muscle protein synthesis and training adaptation.

If you are a track and field athlete trying to build or maintain muscle, aim for 1.3 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight each day. Spread this out over 3 to 4 meals, aiming for about 0.3 to 0.4 grams per kilogram per meal (roughly 20-30 grams per serving for most athletes). Combine this with your regular training.

Track and field athletes undergoing energy restriction (weight loss) should consume 1.6–2.4 g/kg body mass per day of protein, combined with resistance training, to preserve or increase lean body mass.

If you are cutting weight for competition, increase your protein intake to 1.6–2.4 grams per kilogram of body weight daily. Spread this across 3-5 meals. Crucially, you must also perform resistance training to signal your body to keep muscle while losing fat. This approach helps you lose fat without losing strength or muscle mass.

Implementing subjective autoregulation methods (such as Reps in Reserve or flexible daily undulation) and objective autoregulation methods (such as velocity targets or velocity loss) into resistance training programs effectively enhances maximal strength.

To maximize strength gains, stop using rigid percentage-based plans that ignore how you feel or perform on any given day. Instead, adjust your weights and volume based on your daily readiness. You can do this subjectively by tracking how many reps you have left in reserve (RIR) or using Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Alternatively, use objective tools like velocity-based training (VBT) to set velocity targets or limit velocity loss per set. Both approaches allow you to account for daily fluctuations in fatigue and fitness, leading to better strength outcomes than fixed programming.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) promote weight loss and improve glycemic control through multiple mechanisms including increased satiety, slowed gastric emptying, and enhanced insulin secretion, with semaglutide 2.4 mg showing the highest efficacy.

GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide are highly effective for weight loss and blood sugar control. Semaglutide 2.4 mg taken once weekly (either orally or by injection) resulted in an average loss of 15.3 kg over 68 weeks in clinical trials. This is significantly more effective than placebo. These drugs work by increasing satiety, slowing digestion, and improving insulin function. They are suitable for adults with obesity or type 2 diabetes.

Resistance training increases the integrated rate of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MyoPS) and the synthesis rates of individual skeletal muscle proteins in older men during energy restriction, regardless of whether dietary protein is distributed evenly or skewed.

If you are an older adult trying to lose weight, focus on resistance training. The timing of your protein intake (whether you spread it out or eat it all at once) does not significantly impact your muscle protein synthesis rates as long as you are training. Prioritize the training stimulus over complex nutritional timing.

Resistance exercise combined with protein-carbohydrate feeding induces a sustained translocation of mTORC1 to the cell periphery (sarcolemma) in human skeletal muscle, which is associated with prolonged S6K1 kinase activity compared to feeding alone.

To maximize the duration of muscle-building signals, combine resistance training with protein intake. While eating protein alone triggers some signals, adding resistance exercise keeps the key growth machinery (mTORC1) active at the muscle cell membrane for longer (up to 3 hours post-workout), potentially supporting better muscle growth over time.