Browse the evidence

The Session-RPE method (training load = RPE score x session duration) is a valid and reliable tool for monitoring training load in athletes across various sports, genders, and expertise levels, offering a practical alternative to complex physiological monitoring devices.

After every workout, ask yourself: 'How hard was that?' on a scale of 0-10 (0=rest, 10=max effort). Multiply that number by the minutes you trained. That result is your Training Load. Track this weekly. If your load is high but your routine is boring (high monotony), you risk illness or poor performance. Vary your loads to keep strain manageable.

Higher levels of physical activity are positively associated with healthy ageing, defined as maintaining functional ability and wellbeing, across longitudinal cohorts.

Engage in regular physical activity to support healthy ageing. The evidence suggests that being physically active is associated with a higher likelihood of maintaining functional ability and wellbeing as you age. While the specific type and dose vary across studies, the consistent finding is that activity is beneficial compared to inactivity.

Lifestyle interventions, specifically physical activity and healthy dietary patterns (Mediterranean/DASH), decelerate biological vascular aging and improve vascular health measures.

Prioritize regular physical activity and adopt a plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet. These are the most effective, evidence-based ways to slow down biological vascular aging and reduce cardiovascular risk.

Wearable activity trackers effectively increase daily physical activity, resulting in an average increase of 1800 steps per day and 40 minutes of walking per day across diverse populations.

Use a wearable activity tracker (pedometer, smartwatch, or fitness app) to increase your daily movement. The device acts as a tool for self-monitoring and goal setting. Evidence shows this intervention leads to an average increase of 1800 steps and 40 minutes of walking per day, regardless of whether you are healthy or have a chronic condition. The key is consistent wear and using the feedback to set goals.

Higher levels of general physical activity significantly reduce the odds of developing sarcopenia in older adults (aged 40+).

To protect your muscle mass as you age, prioritize staying physically active. You don't need a specific gym routine; any activity that raises your energy expenditure above resting levels (like walking, gardening, or housework) helps. The data shows that being active significantly lowers your risk of losing muscle mass compared to being sedentary.

Achieving a modest weight loss of 5–10% of initial body weight is sufficient to obtain substantial health benefits and decrease comorbidities, making this a primary treatment goal rather than maximum weight loss.

Set a realistic goal of losing 5–10% of your current body weight. This modest amount is clinically proven to significantly reduce health risks like diabetes and heart disease. Focus on sustainable lifestyle changes rather than rapid, extreme weight loss, which often leads to regaining the weight.

Reducing waist circumference is a more important clinical indicator than weight loss per se because it directly correlates with decreased visceral fat and associated cardiometabolic risks.

Measure your waist circumference regularly in addition to weighing yourself. A reduction in waist size is a stronger indicator of improved health and reduced heart disease risk than weight loss alone, as it reflects the loss of dangerous visceral fat.

Regular physical activity or exercise reduces all-cause mortality by approximately 13% compared to control groups, with the magnitude of benefit being larger for patients with cardiovascular disease than for other populations.

To reduce your risk of death, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity). You do not need to do extreme amounts of exercise to see benefits; simply meeting these minimums significantly lowers mortality risk, especially if you have cardiovascular issues.

Physical activity improves Quality of Life (QOL), with the greatest improvements observed in patients with mental health conditions, followed by cardiovascular disease and cancer patients.

If you are managing a chronic condition, especially mental health issues, cardiovascular disease, or cancer, regular exercise can significantly improve your daily quality of life. Try to aim for longer sessions (over 90 minutes) if possible, as they may offer greater QOL benefits, but start with what you can tolerate.

Prescription omega-3 fatty acids (EPA+DHA or EPA-only) at a dose of 4 g/d reduce triglycerides by 30-35% in patients with very high triglycerides (≥500 mg/dL) and by approximately 27% in those with high triglycerides (200-499 mg/dL).

If you have high triglycerides, ask your doctor about prescription omega-3s (like Vascepa or Lovaza) taken at 4 grams per day. These are different from store-bought supplements because they are held to stricter FDA standards. They can lower your triglycerides by about 30%, but you should also focus on lifestyle changes like losing weight, limiting alcohol, and managing blood sugar.

Lifestyle modification focusing on weight loss and exercise is the primary effective therapy for reversing features of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis.

Focus on sustainable weight loss and regular physical activity. Adopting a Mediterranean-style diet and increasing exercise are the most proven ways to reverse liver inflammation and fibrosis in NAFLD patients. This is the first-line treatment before considering medications.

Resistance exercise training (RET) significantly reduces depressive symptoms in adults, regardless of health status, total prescribed volume, or strength improvements.

Engage in resistance exercise training (RET) to reduce depressive symptoms. The specific volume, frequency, or intensity does not need to be optimized for strength gains, as the antidepressant effect is independent of these factors. Aim for a sustainable routine (e.g., 3 days/week) regardless of the total volume or whether you get stronger.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet, particularly when supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, reduces the incidence of major cardiovascular events and breast cancer risk compared to a reduced-fat diet.

Adopt a Mediterranean-style eating pattern: emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and healthy fats like olive oil and nuts. Limit red meat and saturated fats. This pattern is strongly linked to lower risks of heart disease and breast cancer.

Beta-alanine is a more effective precursor than histidine for increasing muscle carnosine content and reducing fatigue during high-intensity exercise.

If your goal is to improve high-intensity exercise performance by increasing muscle carnosine, take beta-alanine (4.8–6.4 g/day) for at least 4 weeks. Taking histidine is less effective for this specific purpose.

Adherence to plant-based dietary patterns, specifically the Mediterranean and DASH diets, is associated with significantly lower levels of oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory biomarkers compared to habitual or Western diets.

Focus on adopting a Mediterranean or DASH dietary pattern rather than relying on isolated antioxidant supplements. These patterns, rich in plant-based foods, are consistently linked to lower inflammation and oxidative stress in both observational and intervention studies. Prioritize whole foods over single-nutrient interventions for chronic disease prevention.

Lifestyle intervention, specifically combining regular physical activity with nutritious dietary changes, significantly reduces the risk of progression from pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes.

If you have pre-diabetes, you can likely reverse it. Focus on two things: move your body regularly (moderate to intense exercise helps insulin sensitivity) and eat a diet rich in fiber (whole grains, bran) while cutting out sugary drinks. You don't need perfection, but consistency matters. This approach can lower your risk of developing full-blown diabetes by up to 40%.

Systematic nutritional risk screening upon hospital admission, followed by detailed assessment and tailored nutritional support, reduces mortality, length of stay, and complications in malnourished or at-risk patients.

For hospital staff: Implement a standardized, rapid nutritional screening tool (like NRS-2002) for every patient within 24-48 hours of admission. If a patient scores as at risk, do not just provide standard meals; refer them for a detailed assessment to create a tailored nutritional care plan. This proactive step is proven to reduce mortality and hospital stay length.

Dietary caloric restriction and regular exercise are effective interventions to reduce inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in obesity, although dietary weight loss alone may be less effective as a long-term anti-inflammatory intervention compared to exercise.

Combine caloric restriction with regular exercise to manage obesity and its associated inflammation. Prioritize exercise for long-term anti-inflammatory benefits, as diet alone may not sustain these effects as effectively over time.

Animal-based proteins stimulate muscle protein synthesis and support muscle mass more effectively than plant-based proteins due to higher digestibility, superior essential amino acid profiles (particularly leucine), and lower amino acid oxidation.

If your goal is maximizing muscle growth, prioritize animal proteins (whey, casein, meat, eggs) because they are digested faster and contain more leucine, which triggers muscle building more efficiently. If you rely on plant proteins, you must consume larger quantities (e.g., >30g per meal) or blend sources (like rice and pea) to ensure you get enough of all essential amino acids, particularly leucine, to overcome their lower digestibility.

Increasing the quantity of plant-based protein intake (specifically >30g per meal) can compensate for its lower anabolic quality and stimulate muscle protein synthesis rates comparable to lower doses of animal proteins.

If you eat plant protein, do not rely on small doses. Aim for at least 30 grams of protein per meal from plant sources to effectively trigger muscle growth. If you struggle to eat that much, blend different plant proteins (like pea and rice) to create a complete amino acid profile, or mix plant protein with a small amount of animal protein (like milk) to boost the leucine content.

Higher levels of objectively measured physical activity causally lower diastolic blood pressure and reduce the odds of hypertension.

To help lower your diastolic blood pressure, aim for higher levels of daily physical activity. This study provides strong causal evidence that moving more reduces hypertension risk. You do not need complex equipment; consistent, moderate movement is the key lever.

Aerobic exercise consistently increases HDL-C levels (including protective HDL2-C subfractions) and reduces triglycerides, serving as a viable non-pharmacological intervention for dyslipidemia.

Commit to aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week for 30-45 minutes. You do not need to lose weight for this to improve your HDL (good cholesterol). Moderate intensity is sufficient for most people, though higher intensity may be needed for specific triglyceride goals in some cases.

Physical activity prevents the age-associated increase in intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) and preserves strength, independent of changes in muscle mass.

Engaging in regular physical activity is a proven strategy to prevent the accumulation of fat within muscles (myosteatosis) as you age. This preservation of muscle quality helps maintain strength and mobility, even if overall muscle size decreases slightly.

Supplementation with 20 g/day of inulin-propionate ester (IPE) or inulin for 42 days improves insulin sensitivity in adults with overweight and obesity compared to cellulose.

If you have overweight or obesity, adding 20 grams daily of either inulin or inulin-propionate ester (IPE) to your diet for about six weeks can improve how your body handles insulin compared to eating non-fermentable fiber. You can split the dose into two 10-gram servings mixed into your food. While both work similarly for insulin sensitivity, IPE specifically reduces inflammatory markers, whereas inulin changes gut bacteria differently. Consult your doctor before starting, especially if you have existing digestive conditions.