Browse the evidence

A hybrid intensive lifestyle intervention (HM) combining 2 in-person and 10 virtual sessions is as effective as fully in-person or fully virtual models for reducing body weight and improving glycemic control in patients with diabetes and obesity over 12 weeks.

If you have diabetes and obesity, a hybrid lifestyle program that mixes a few clinic visits with online coaching can help you lose weight and control blood sugar just as well as going to the clinic every week. This approach saves you travel time and money while still providing the necessary medical supervision and support to succeed.

Consuming at least 3 servings (approx. 216g) of legumes daily significantly reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence in adults with a BMI between 26 and 34 kg/m2.

If your BMI is between 26 and 34, aim for 3 servings of legumes daily to help lower your cardiovascular disease risk. One serving equals 72 grams (e.g., 1 cup of cooked beans or 2 pieces of tofu). This is a specific target for your weight range; general guidelines of one serving may not be enough for this benefit.

GLP-1 receptor agonists facilitate significant weight loss and metabolic improvement in non-pregnant women, but current evidence does not demonstrate that pre-pregnancy use improves pregnancy outcomes and may be associated with increased gestational weight gain.

GLP-1 drugs like Semaglutide cause significant weight loss in women with obesity. However, because there is no proof they improve pregnancy outcomes and animal studies suggest potential fetal growth restriction (likely due to maternal weight loss/nutrition), they are not currently recommended for improving pregnancy success. Women using these drugs should use effective contraception and stop the medication at least 6 weeks before trying to conceive, as advised by current guidelines.

Combining semaglutide with cilofexor or firsocostat improves liver steatosis more than semaglutide monotherapy in patients with NASH and mild-to-moderate fibrosis, without significantly affecting liver stiffness.

For patients with mild-to-moderate NASH fibrosis, adding cilofexor or firsocostat to semaglutide treatment can reduce liver fat more effectively than semaglutide alone. However, this combination does not appear to improve liver stiffness (fibrosis) and involves taking multiple daily medications alongside weekly injections.

Oral semaglutide (up to 14 mg daily) significantly reduces liver steatosis, liver enzymes, and body weight in patients with NAFLD and Type 2 Diabetes, correlating with weight loss.

Oral semaglutide (up to 14 mg daily) is an effective treatment for NAFLD in patients with Type 2 Diabetes, significantly reducing liver fat and enzymes. The benefits are closely linked to weight loss, and side effects are generally manageable with dose escalation.

Replacing animal protein with plant protein in the diet is associated with lower cardiovascular disease mortality and all-cause mortality, particularly when substituting processed red meat.

To support long-term heart health and longevity, prioritize plant-based protein sources (legumes, grains, nuts) over animal sources, especially processed red meats. You do not need to eliminate animal protein, but shifting the balance toward plants is linked to lower mortality risk. Ensure you are eating a variety of plant proteins to cover essential amino acid needs.

High protein intake (>0.8 g/kg BW) does not negatively impact kidney function in healthy individuals, and may prevent bone loss when combined with adequate calcium and vitamin D.

If you have healthy kidneys, you do not need to limit protein for renal safety. For bone health, aim for higher protein intake (above 0.8 g/kg) but ensure you are getting enough calcium (>800 mg/day) and vitamin D, as protein helps calcium absorption and may reduce fracture risk in this context.

The combination of Baduanjin and a low-carbohydrate diet is more effective than Baduanjin alone at improving lipid metabolism (reducing Total Cholesterol and Triglycerides) in overweight individuals with drug addiction.

If lipid management is a priority, adding a low-carbohydrate diet (70-130g carbs/day) to a Baduanjin exercise routine yields better cholesterol and triglyceride results than exercise alone after 8 weeks.

Both Baduanjin exercise and a combined Baduanjin/Low-Carbohydrate Diet intervention significantly reduce drug craving scores (Visual Analog Scale) in overweight individuals with drug addiction, with no significant difference between the two intervention groups.

Drug craving reduction in this setting was driven by the structured rehabilitation environment rather than the specific exercise or diet protocol. Both exercise and combined interventions reduced craving, but so did general activity.

Higher Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) scores are independently associated with an increased risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), with a 1-unit increase in DII corresponding to an odds ratio of 1.049 for CHD after adjusting for confounders.

Focus on reducing pro-inflammatory foods and increasing anti-inflammatory ones, specifically paying attention to carbohydrate quality, ensuring adequate Vitamin C and Iron intake. While you don't need to calculate a complex index, these specific nutrients appear to drive the inflammatory response linked to heart disease risk.

The association between Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is mediated by metabolic and lipid indicators, specifically Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) index, Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI), Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR), High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), and Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR).

Managing weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol through diet can help mitigate the heart disease risk associated with inflammatory diets. Specifically, improving HDL and reducing visceral fat are key steps.

The adverse impact of Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) on Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is more pronounced in individuals aged <75 years, females, those with low cholesterol levels, and those with low Framingham risk scores.

If you are young, female, or have low traditional heart disease risk, your diet's inflammatory potential may have a disproportionately larger impact on your heart health compared to high-risk individuals.

Among dietary components contributing to the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), carbohydrate, vitamin C, and iron have the greatest impact on Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) risk, while vitamin D, alcohol, and monounsaturated fatty acids have the least impact.

To lower your DII and potentially reduce CHD risk, prioritize managing carbohydrate intake, ensuring adequate Vitamin C and Iron, while noting that alcohol and monounsaturated fats had less impact on CHD risk in this specific analysis.

Higher consumption of favorable food groups (nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables) and physical activity are associated with normal lipid profiles at baseline.

To support healthy lipid levels, prioritize consuming more nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables, and engage in regular physical activity. These habits are strongly associated with better lipid profiles.

Adopting a low-carbohydrate diet (higher fat/protein, lower carbs) does not increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in Japanese adults, and may significantly reduce it in men when the fat source is vegetable-based.

If you are Japanese or have similar metabolic traits (high visceral fat, lower insulin secretion capacity), switching to a diet with lower carbohydrates and higher fats/proteins is not likely to increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. In fact, if your fats come from vegetable sources (like nuts, seeds, oils), it may significantly lower your risk, especially in men. This contradicts generalizations from Western studies that often involve higher red meat consumption.

The source of fat and protein in a low-carbohydrate diet matters: vegetable-based LCD scores are associated with reduced T2D risk in men, whereas animal-based LCD scores show no significant association with risk reduction.

If you are a Japanese man considering a low-carb diet, prioritize vegetable fats (like those from fish, nuts, and seeds) and vegetable proteins. This specific combination was linked to a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Simply cutting carbs and eating animal fats/proteins did not show the same benefit in this study.

Loaded inter-set stretch (20s) during resistance training selectively enhances soleus muscle thickness compared to traditional rest, while having ambiguous or negligible effects on the gastrocnemii in untrained men.

If you are untrained and want to maximize soleus growth, add a 20-second loaded stretch using your working weight immediately after each calf raise set. This may help the soleus grow more than the gastrocnemii. However, do not expect this to significantly increase the size of your calf muscles (gastrocnemii) compared to just resting between sets. Strength gains are maintained regardless of the method.

A high-carbohydrate diet (60% of energy) lowers maximal adipose tissue mitochondrial respiration compared to moderate (40%) or low (20%) carbohydrate diets, potentially favoring fat storage over oxidation.

This research suggests that eating a diet very high in carbohydrates (60% of calories) might slow down how efficiently your fat cells burn energy, potentially making it easier to store fat. However, this was a small study in people who had already lost weight. It does not mean you should avoid carbs, but it hints that diet composition matters for how your body handles fuel, not just total calories.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (liraglutide, semaglutide, tirzepatide) administered as adjunct therapy to bariatric surgery significantly reduce BMI and total body weight in patients with insufficient weight loss or weight regain.

If you have had bariatric surgery but are not losing enough weight or are gaining it back, ask your doctor about adding a GLP-1 agonist (like semaglutide or tirzepatide) to your regimen. These medications, taken weekly or daily, have been shown to significantly boost weight loss and improve metabolic health (blood sugar, blood pressure) in this specific group. Be prepared for potential mild stomach issues, which usually subside, and discuss cost coverage with your provider.

GLP-1 receptor agonists improve metabolic outcomes, including glycemic control, blood pressure, and lipid profiles, in post-bariatric surgery patients.

Beyond weight loss, GLP-1 agonists can help normalize blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and improve cholesterol levels in patients who have had bariatric surgery. This makes them a valuable tool for managing overall metabolic health, not just weight.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide) show promising results for MASH resolution and weight loss, though phase 3 histological data is still emerging.

GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide and tirzepatide are showing strong promise for resolving MASH and reducing liver fibrosis, especially in those with obesity or diabetes. While not yet universally endorsed for MASH alone, they are beneficial for comorbidities.

SANA (a nitroalkene derivative of salicylate) promotes weight loss and improves glucose management in humans through creatine-dependent thermogenesis, independent of UCP1 and AMPK.

SANA is an experimental drug that appears to trigger weight loss by increasing energy expenditure through creatine-dependent thermogenesis, rather than by suppressing appetite or increasing physical activity. In early human trials, doses of 200-400mg daily led to weight loss and improved glucose control within two weeks with a good safety profile. It works independently of the traditional UCP1 pathway, offering a potential alternative for those who do not respond to other mechanisms. Consult a physician for clinical trials or future availability.

A behavioral weight loss maintenance intervention is cost-effective for individuals with BMI ≥ 28 kg/m² if the per-person cost is ≤ £104.64, yielding a maximum justifiable cost at an ICER of £20,000 per QALY.

For a person with a BMI over 28, a behavioral weight loss maintenance program is considered cost-effective by UK health standards if it costs less than approximately £105 per person. This program focuses on maintaining weight loss through diet and exercise advice, aiming to slow down the typical weight regain seen after initial weight loss.

For individuals with type 2 diabetes on single non-insulin medication, the maximum justifiable cost for a weight loss maintenance intervention is lower (£88.14) than for those with high BMI alone (£104.64) at an ICER of £20,000 per QALY.

For a person with type 2 diabetes on medication, a weight loss maintenance program is considered cost-effective if it costs less than approximately £88 per person. This is a lower threshold than for non-diabetics because the potential for long-term health gains (QALYs) is smaller for those who already have the disease.