Browse the evidence

Maintaining a daily step count of 5000 or more is a significant predictor of clinically significant weight loss (≥5% baseline weight).

Aim for at least 5,000 steps per day. This is a significant predictor of reaching a 5% weight loss goal. Higher steps (up to 10k+) correlate with even greater loss, but 5k is a solid starting point.

Older adults require a higher per-meal protein dose (0.4–0.5 g/kg body weight) to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis compared to younger adults.

To preserve muscle as you age, do not just focus on your total daily protein. You must spread your protein intake evenly across your meals. Aim for 0.4 to 0.5 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight at each meal. For a 70kg person, this means roughly 28-35g of protein per meal. This higher per-meal dose is necessary to overcome the natural 'anabolic resistance' that comes with aging and effectively trigger muscle growth/maintenance.

Resistance exercise is a critical and non-optional component for preserving muscle mass and strength in older adults, refuting the notion of 'non-responders'.

Do not avoid resistance training because you are old or fear you won't see results. Resistance exercise is essential for maintaining independence. Even if you don't see huge muscle growth, you will likely see significant improvements in strength and functional ability. There are no 'non-responders' to resistance training in older adults.

Ingesting approximately 0.31 g/kg of high-quality, rapidly digested protein (e.g., whey) post-exercise maximizes myofibrillar muscle protein synthesis in young adults without inducing excessive amino acid oxidation.

If you are a young adult with average body composition, aim to consume about 0.31 grams of high-quality protein (like whey) per kilogram of your body weight in your post-workout meal. For example, if you weigh 70 kg, consume roughly 22 grams of protein. This amount maximizes muscle building signals without wasting protein through oxidation. You do not need to consume massive amounts (like 40g+) to get extra benefits for muscle synthesis.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (specifically Liraglutide 3.0mg and Semaglutide 2.4mg) significantly reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in obese individuals with prediabetes, often outperforming placebo and sometimes matching or exceeding lifestyle interventions.

If you are obese and have prediabetes, ask your doctor about GLP-1 medications like Semaglutide or Liraglutide. They are highly effective at preventing diabetes, often working better than diet and exercise alone because they help control appetite and blood sugar automatically.

Peri-exercise protein supplementation (specifically post-workout) optimizes physical performance and recovery in resistance and endurance training, provided total daily protein and caloric intake are adequate.

Ensure you are eating enough protein (1.4-1.6g/kg) and calories every day. After your workout, consume 20-40g of protein (whey or similar) within an hour. This helps your muscles recover faster and perform better in your next session, especially if you train multiple times a day or compete.

Whey protein supplementation during marathon preparation and recovery attenuates metabolic and muscular damage (lower CK, LDH, AST, ALT) and improves post-race performance markers compared to carbohydrate-only recovery.

If you are training for a long-distance event like a marathon, take 33.5g of whey protein within 30 minutes after your long training runs. This helps reduce muscle damage markers and may help you feel better and perform better in the race.

Distributing protein intake into moderate doses (~20g) at regular intervals (~3h) post-exercise yields superior whole-body net protein balance compared to consuming the same total protein in larger, less frequent bolus doses (e.g., 40g).

If you are resistance training, do not just focus on hitting your total daily protein goal. Try to spread that protein out. Consuming roughly 20 grams of high-quality protein every 3 hours is likely more effective for building and maintaining muscle than eating the same amount in just two or three large meals. This applies specifically in the 12 hours following your workout.

Post-diagnosis weight loss of more than 1% per year is associated with a decreased risk of microvascular complications (kidney disease and neuropathy) compared to stable weight.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes, achieving a modest weight loss of just over 1% of your body weight per year after diagnosis can significantly lower your risk of kidney and nerve damage. This does not require extreme dieting; small, consistent changes are effective.

Consuming approximately 25g of high-quality, rapidly digested protein (specifically whey or milk) immediately after resistance exercise maximizes muscle protein synthesis and hypertrophy, whereas consuming energy alone (carbohydrate) is insufficient.

After your resistance training, consume about 25 grams of high-quality protein (like whey or milk) as soon as possible. This dose provides enough essential amino acids (8-10g) and leucine to trigger maximum muscle growth. You do not need to add carbohydrates to this protein dose for muscle synthesis purposes, as protein alone is sufficient.

High loads (>60% 1RM) are superior to low loads for maximizing strength gains, while both high and low loads can produce similar hypertrophy if performed to failure.

To build strength, prioritize heavy loads (>60% 1RM). To build muscle, you can use either heavy or light loads, provided you take your sets close to failure. Light loads are a viable option for joint health or accessibility without sacrificing muscle growth.

Full range of motion (ROM) produces greater strength gains in full ROM tasks and greater hypertrophy in specific muscles (e.g., gluteus maximus) compared to partial ROM, although partial ROM can be used to overcome sticking points.

Prioritize full range of motion for your main exercises to maximize strength and muscle growth. Use partial ROM strategically to target weak points (sticking points) or to reduce joint stress, but do not replace full ROM with partial ROM as your primary strategy.

Shifting dietary patterns in industrialized populations from animal-based to largely plant-based foods reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

To improve long-term health, prioritize fruits, vegetables, and grains over meat and dairy. This shift is supported by extensive evidence showing lower rates of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes in populations with high plant food intake. Be aware that industry marketing and cultural associations of meat with health and status may create barriers, but the scientific consensus favors plant-heavy diets for chronic disease prevention.

Resistance exercise-induced muscle hypertrophy is load-dependent, with high-load (80% 1RM) training producing greater hypertrophy than low-load (30% 1RM) training when sets are performed to volitional failure.

To maximize muscle growth, prioritize heavier weights (around 80% of your one-rep max). If you must use lighter weights (30% of 1RM), you must take every set to absolute muscular failure to achieve similar, though likely slightly lesser, hypertrophy compared to heavy loads. Failure is the key equalizer for low loads.

Acute supplementation with 3g/day of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate free acid (HMB-FA) taken in three 1g doses starting 30 minutes before high-volume resistance training significantly blunts markers of muscle damage (creatine kinase) and preserves perceived recovery status in resistance-trained men compared to placebo.

If you are a resistance-trained athlete doing high-volume workouts, taking 3 grams of HMB-FA (divided into three 1-gram doses, starting 30 minutes before your workout) can significantly reduce muscle damage markers (like creatine kinase) and help you feel more recovered 48 hours later compared to taking a placebo. This form of HMB absorbs faster than the calcium salt version, making it suitable for acute pre-workout use.

Periodized resistance training (linear or undulating) is superior to non-periodized training for enhancing maximal strength, with undulating models potentially offering greater benefits for leg press strength.

If your goal is maximum strength, do not stick to the same weights and reps forever. Use a periodized plan (either linear or undulating) that changes your training variables over time. This approach is consistently shown to produce better strength gains than non-periodized training, regardless of your experience level.

Intentional weight loss, particularly through bariatric surgery, significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization and ICU admission for patients with severe obesity who contract COVID-19.

For individuals with severe obesity, bariatric surgery can lead to significant weight loss and a substantially lower risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, including hospitalization and ICU admission. While surgery is a major decision, it should be considered as a viable option for those who meet the criteria, as it can offer substantial health benefits beyond weight loss.

Achieving remission from type 2 diabetes through lifestyle intervention significantly reduces the long-term incidence of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease compared to maintaining active diabetes.

Achieving remission from type 2 diabetes through intensive lifestyle changes—specifically significant weight loss, improved diet, and increased physical activity—substantially lowers your risk of developing kidney disease and heart problems over the long term. You do not need to maintain remission forever to gain these benefits; even short periods of remission are associated with significantly better health outcomes compared to staying in active diabetes.

Altering the default order of food products in an online supermarket to display items in ascending order of saturated fat content significantly reduces the percentage of energy from saturated fat in the shopping basket.

If you are designing an online grocery platform, sort products within categories by their saturated fat content in ascending order (lowest SFA at the top). This environmental nudge significantly reduces the saturated fat content of the shopping basket compared to random ordering or offering explicit swaps. This works best when the sorting is not explicitly labeled to the user, relying on the 'default' effect.

Providing augmented feedback (visual or verbal) during resistance training significantly enhances acute performance metrics, specifically increasing barbell velocity by approximately 8.4% compared to no feedback.

Use visual or verbal feedback during your resistance training sets. Specifically, provide feedback after every repetition rather than just at the end of a set. Visual feedback (seeing the data) is more effective than verbal feedback (hearing the data). This will likely increase your barbell speed and overall workout quality.

Visual feedback is significantly more effective than verbal feedback for enhancing acute resistance training performance.

If you have access to visual feedback tools (like velocity-based training devices or apps), use them. They are more effective than just hearing numbers from a coach. Displaying the data visually helps you push harder and faster.

Modifying dietary energy density by increasing water and fiber content reduces total energy intake and aids in obesity management.

Focus on lowering the energy density of your meals. Add more water-rich vegetables and high-fiber foods to your plates. This increases the physical volume of your food, triggering satiety signals from stomach distension, which helps you naturally eat less without feeling deprived.

Excess body weight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) is the primary driver of Type 2 Diabetes prevalence in rapidly developing populations, accounting for approximately half of all cases.

If you are overweight, losing weight is the single most effective step you can take to prevent or manage Type 2 Diabetes. This study found that nearly half of all diabetes cases in this population were directly linked to excess body weight. Focus on sustainable weight loss through diet and activity, as this addresses the root cause for the majority of cases.

Combining aerobic exercise with a prudent diet significantly reduces total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in adults, but does not significantly increase HDL cholesterol.

To improve your cholesterol profile, you need to do both: move your body aerobically (walking, jogging, cycling) 2-5 times a week at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity, AND eat a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol while ensuring you get enough fiber. Do this for at least 3 months. Note: While this combination lowers 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides, it may not raise 'good' cholesterol (HDL), so focus on the overall risk reduction rather than just HDL numbers.