Browse the evidence

Biathletes should consume a recovery meal containing approximately 0.3 g/kg of protein and 1.2 g/kg of carbohydrates immediately after key training sessions or races to optimize glycogen resynthesis and muscle repair.

Within 30 minutes of finishing a hard session or race, eat a meal with 0.3 grams of protein and 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. A recovery shake is a convenient option if you can't eat a full meal immediately.

A once-weekly online video bodyweight resistance training program significantly reduces body fat mass and improves muscle strength and quality of life in middle-aged men.

If you are a middle-aged man who finds it hard to find time for exercise, try a 45-minute bodyweight workout once a week. You don't need weights or a gym. Focus on exercises like push-ups, squats, and bridges. Doing this online can help you stay consistent. This approach has been shown to reduce body fat and improve strength and quality of life.

A well-planned vegetarian diet supports muscle hypertrophy and strength gains comparable to omnivorous diets when protein intake (1.6-2.2 g/kg/day) and energy balance are adequately managed.

To build muscle on a vegetarian diet, prioritize getting 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Ensure you are eating enough total calories to support your training. Focus on variety—combining legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds—to ensure you get enough leucine and other essential amino acids. This approach supports muscle growth just as effectively as an omnivorous diet.

Exercise programs lasting 4 weeks or longer, performed 3 times per week, with sessions of at least 30 minutes, and utilizing specific local abdominal exercises (such as supine bridge with abdominal drawing-in maneuver) are associated with greater improvements in lateral abdominal muscle (LAM) thickness compared to other prescription variables.

To improve the thickness of your lateral abdominal muscles (Transversus Abdominis and Obliques), focus on quality over quantity. Perform specific exercises that target these muscles, such as a supine bridge combined with an abdominal drawing-in maneuver. Aim for 3 sessions per week, with each session lasting at least 30 minutes. Ensure your program runs for at least 4 weeks to see significant changes. Avoid overtraining these specific muscles with high frequency or excessive volume, as this may not yield better results than a moderate, focused approach.

Measuring Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) and adjusting caloric goals based on weight loss-induced metabolic adaptations prevents weight loss plateaus and optimizes energy balance.

If you are not losing weight despite following a standard diet, your metabolism may have adapted. Get your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) tested using a portable device or metabolic cart. Use this number to calculate a personalized calorie goal that creates a deficit relative to YOUR specific energy needs, not a generic number. Re-test as you lose weight to adjust your plan.

A comprehensive lifestyle intervention combining high-volume supervised exercise (8,000-10,000 steps/day, 6 endurance + 3 resistance sessions/week) and caloric restriction can reverse Type 2 Diabetes and normalize metabolic health in adults with lifestyle-related diseases.

To potentially reverse Type 2 Diabetes or Metabolic Syndrome, you need a high-volume, supervised lifestyle overhaul, not just 'moving more.' This means aiming for 8,000-10,000 steps daily, plus 6 days of moderate cardio and 3 days of resistance training per week, while eating a whole-food diet with a moderate caloric deficit. This approach can normalize blood sugar and allow some people to stop diabetes medications, but it requires significant time and adherence, and medication changes must be managed by a doctor.

Low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) produce greater weight loss and fat mass reduction compared to low-fat diets (LFD) in obese individuals, although both interventions significantly reduce total body mass and BMI.

If you are obese and want to lose weight, a low-carbohydrate diet (limiting carbs to <45% or <40g/day) is likely to yield faster and greater fat loss than a low-fat diet. Focus on reducing high-carb foods while ensuring adequate protein and healthy fats. Be aware of potential side effects like fatigue or constipation initially, and consult a doctor if you have kidney issues.

High-frequency, interactive telenutrition counseling (weekly video calls plus real-time messaging and group interaction) produces significantly greater weight loss and BMI reduction compared to low-interaction methods (email-only or monitoring-only) over an 8-week period.

If you are using a digital weight loss program, choose one that offers frequent, two-way communication with a dietitian and peers, rather than just a passive tracking tool. The study shows that weekly video calls combined with daily messaging and group support led to more than double the weight loss of email-only programs over 8 weeks. The key is active engagement, not just self-monitoring.

Professional supervision is a critical factor for achieving continued body composition improvements in resistance-trained individuals.

To continue making progress after your initial gains, seek professional guidance. If full-time coaching is too expensive, consider lower-cost options like online coaching, periodic in-person sessions, or using self-regulation tools like RPE and RIR to ensure you are training with sufficient intensity and proper programming.

Supervised resistance training is perceived by both trainers and trainees to be significantly more important for injury prevention, technical proficiency, and adherence compared to unsupervised training or training with a partner.

If you are new to resistance training or want to ensure you are performing exercises safely and effectively, seek out a qualified supervisor. The data suggests that supervision significantly improves adherence and reduces injury risk compared to training alone or with a partner. The most valued aspect of supervision is technical coaching.

Lifestyle modifications (balanced diet and regular exercise) are the most reasonable and cost-effective therapy for obesity, whereas pharmaceutical interventions offer modest, transient effects with significant long-term costs and side-effect risks.

Focus on sustainable diet and exercise habits first. While new drugs like Semaglutid show impressive weight loss numbers, they come with high costs, side effects, and unknown long-term risks. Lifestyle changes are cheaper, safer, and address the root cause, even if the weight loss is slower.

Retatrutide, a triple hormone agonist (GLP-1, GIP, glucagon), administered subcutaneously once weekly, produces substantial, progressive weight loss (up to 24.2%) and HbA1c reduction in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes, significantly outperforming placebo and, in some metrics, the dual agonist tirzepatide.

Retatrutide is a once-weekly injection that combines three hormones to help you lose significant weight and lower blood sugar. It works best if you start with a low dose and increase it slowly to manage stomach side effects. While it causes more nausea than other drugs, it leads to greater weight loss, potentially helping you reach a level of weight loss that can put type 2 diabetes into remission. You should expect regular check-ins and lifestyle counseling alongside the medication.

Engagement with a digital weight management platform (coaching, app usage, weight tracking) significantly enhances weight loss outcomes in individuals using GLP-1 or GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists compared to pharmacotherapy alone.

If you are using GLP-1 or GLP-1/GIP medications for weight loss, actively using the supporting digital tools (app, coaching, tracking) will help you lose significantly more weight than just taking the medication alone. Aim to attend coaching sessions, track your weight weekly, and use the app regularly to maximize your results.

GLP-1 receptor agonists and co-agonists induce significant weight loss (10–25%) in adults without diabetes, with newer multi-agonists (e.g., tirzepatide, retatrutide) demonstrating superior efficacy compared to earlier single-agonists.

If you have obesity or overweight with related health issues, GLP-1 medications (like semaglutide or tirzepatide) are now a standard, effective treatment option that can produce significant weight loss (10-25%), comparable to surgery. Newer oral options exist, and these drugs work independently of diabetes status. Consult a doctor to see if you qualify, as they are typically reserved for those who haven't succeeded with lifestyle changes alone.

Retatrutide (LY3437943) administered subcutaneously once weekly produces significant, dose-dependent weight loss and improved glycaemic control in adults with obesity or type 2 diabetes, outperforming placebo and dulaglutide at higher doses (8-12 mg).

Retatrutide is a once-weekly injection that significantly reduces body weight (up to 26 kg in trials) and improves blood sugar control in people with obesity or type 2 diabetes. It works by targeting three hormone receptors (GIP, GLP-1, Glucagon). Higher doses (8-12 mg) are more effective but may cause mild gastrointestinal side effects that usually improve over time. It appears more effective than some existing treatments like dulaglutide for weight loss.

Adjuvant GLP-1 RA therapy combined with high-protein intake (≥1.2 g/kg/day) and resistance training is necessary to counteract metabolic adaptation and preserve lean body mass after bariatric surgery.

After bariatric surgery, your body fights back against weight loss by slowing your metabolism. If you experience weight regain, adding a GLP-1 medication can help. Crucially, to prevent losing muscle along with fat, you must eat at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily and engage in supervised resistance training. This combination helps maintain your metabolic health and muscle mass.

Tirzepatide treatment in patients with obesity and type 1 diabetes results in significant weight loss (median 8.5-12.2%) and reduced insulin requirements without increasing hypoglycemia or serious adverse events.

If you have Type 1 Diabetes and obesity, Tirzepatide is a viable option for weight loss and reducing insulin needs. Start with a low dose (2.5mg) and increase slowly to minimize nausea. You must work with your doctor to adjust your insulin doses to prevent hypoglycemia. Combine the medication with a modest calorie deficit and regular exercise for best results.

85.6% of powerlifters reported paying specific attention to nutrition practices in the pre-exercise period by ingesting more carbohydrate rich foods.

Practitioners should emphasize carbohydrate intake before training for optimal performance.

80% of powerlifters reported paying attention to postexercise nutrition, primarily ingesting more protein rich foods.

Advise powerlifters to prioritize protein intake after training for optimal recovery.

Long-term low caloric deficit diets (20-28 weeks) with high protein and carbohydrate diets are main strategies in the precontest phase.

Bodybuilders should adopt a structured approach to dieting over several months leading up to competitions.

When protein intake is matched for quantity and leucine content, plant-based protein supplements produce equivalent gains in muscle mass and strength compared to animal-based protein supplements during resistance training.

If you are training to build muscle, you do not need to buy expensive animal protein powders. You can use plant-based proteins (like soy, pea, or rice) and get the same results, provided you consume enough total protein and ensure the supplement provides a similar amount of leucine as animal sources. Match the dose (e.g., ~25g protein) and train consistently.

Higher knowledge of macronutrients is significantly associated with a decrease in BMI, with a beta coefficient of -0.310 and a p-value of 0.005.

Understanding macronutrients (proteins, carbs, fats) is linked to better weight management in athletes. Focus on learning how these nutrients function in your body.

Post-exercise ingestion of 1.2 g/kg/hour of carbohydrates for 6 hours, combined with 0.2-0.4 g/kg/hour of protein, optimizes glycogen restoration and muscle recovery in athletes, mitigating the risk of Overtraining Syndrome.

After intense training, prioritize eating carbohydrates immediately. Aim for 1.2 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight each hour for the next 6 hours. Include 10-20 grams of high-quality protein in the first hour. Also, drink enough fluids to replace 150% of the weight you lost during exercise over those 6 hours.

A high-carbohydrate diet (50-70% of energy) improves endurance performance, sprint speed, and recovery compared to low-carbohydrate diets by maximizing muscle glycogen stores.

If you are an endurance athlete (runner or cyclist), ensure 50-70% of your daily calories come from carbohydrates. This maximizes muscle glycogen, which is critical for maintaining intensity, delaying fatigue, and improving race times. Focus on foods with low to moderate glycemic indices.