Browse the evidence

Sustained exposure to a BMI of 27 kg/m² or higher is positively associated with increased all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Keep your BMI below 27 kg/m². Sustained exposure to a BMI of 27 or higher increases your risk of dying from heart disease, cancer, or other causes. If your BMI is consistently above 27, work with your doctor to lower it gradually.

A non-carbohydrate counting (non-CC) meal bolus strategy based on preprandial glucose levels, when used with open-source automated insulin delivery (AID), significantly improves time in range (TIR) and reduces glycemic variability compared to manual open-loop modes in adults with Type 1 Diabetes.

If you have Type 1 Diabetes and find carbohydrate counting stressful or error-prone, consider using an open-source automated insulin delivery system (like AndroidAPS) with a simplified bolus strategy. Instead of counting carbs, you calculate your insulin based on your pre-meal glucose level and your average mealtime insulin needs. This approach can significantly improve your time in range and reduce glycemic variability, especially at night, without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia. It is a viable alternative for those who find traditional carb counting burdensome.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil reduces the risk of cardiovascular events by 1.7%–2.1%.

Adopt a Mediterranean-style eating pattern emphasizing extra-virgin olive oil, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish while limiting red meat and sweets. This specific dietary pattern has been shown in trials to reduce cardiovascular event risk by approximately 2%.

Relocation to redeveloped low-income housing reduces waist circumference and abdominal obesity, but does not significantly change BMI or overall obesity prevalence.

Moving to a better neighborhood isn't enough on its own; you likely need to move into better housing that facilitates healthier habits (like better kitchens or water quality). Focus on reducing added sugars, as this specific change was linked to waist reduction in this study.

Relocation to redeveloped housing reduces added sugar intake, primarily from sugar-sweetened beverages, which may drive the observed reduction in waist circumference.

If you live in housing with poor water quality, you might be drinking more soda than you realize. Improving water access or quality can help reduce sugar intake and waist size.

Intensive lifestyle interventions (ILI) involving caloric restriction and physical activity cause a significant increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and suppress parathyroid hormone (PTH) elevation during the period of maximal weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes and are losing weight through diet and exercise, expect your Vitamin D levels to rise and your Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) to decrease, especially in the first year. This is a normal and likely beneficial response to weight loss, though it may normalize over time. Monitor your bone health as weight loss can also lead to bone loss.

Pre-existing mental health status (depressive symptoms, loneliness, insomnia) is the strongest predictor of developing or maintaining these conditions during the pandemic, with odds ratios increasing significantly for those with prior symptoms.

If you have a history of depression, loneliness, or insomnia, you are at significantly higher risk for these issues to persist or worsen during stressful times. Proactive mental health management and monitoring are essential for this group.

Women and non-Hispanic White individuals with type 2 diabetes had higher odds of experiencing depressive symptoms and loneliness during the pandemic compared to men and underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, respectively.

Be aware that being female or non-Hispanic White may be associated with a higher risk of depression and loneliness during stressful periods. This may be linked to social factors like living alone or less multigenerational support. Seek out community and social support.

Performing resistance training with light loads (25-30 RM) to volitional failure induces significantly higher perceived effort, discomfort, and displeasure compared to moderate loads (8-12 RM) performed to failure.

If you are struggling to stick with your resistance training program, check your load selection. Training with very light weights (25-30 reps) to failure is significantly more unpleasant and exhausting than using moderate weights (8-12 reps) to failure. Since both can build muscle similarly, choosing moderate loads may make your workouts feel better and help you stay consistent.

Mineral deficiencies are disproportionately common in specific gastrointestinal disorders (Celiac, Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis) due to malabsorption, leading to specific mineral shortfalls (Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Selenium) that exacerbate tissue inflammation.

If you have Celiac, Crohn's, or Colitis, standard multivitamins may not be enough. You are at high risk for specific mineral deficiencies (Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc) due to gut damage. Work with your doctor to monitor and replace these specific minerals to support gut healing and reduce inflammation.

High dietary carbohydrate density (defined as the percentage of energy from carbohydrates) is associated with an increased risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) in non-diabetic subjects with normal baseline renal function.

If you do not have diabetes and have normal kidney function, be mindful of the proportion of carbohydrates in your diet. This study suggests that diets where carbohydrates make up a very high percentage of your total energy (e.g., >75% of calories) may be associated with a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease over time compared to diets with moderate carbohydrate intake. You do not need to eliminate carbs, but balancing them with adequate protein and healthy fats may support long-term kidney health.

Obesity accelerates aging and increases mortality risk in younger individuals, but the relationship between adiposity and mortality becomes non-linear and potentially protective in elderly populations, where overweight status may be associated with lower mortality than healthy weight.

If you are older, do not panic about being slightly overweight (BMI 25-30). Research suggests this range may be associated with better survival outcomes than being underweight or even 'healthy' weight in the elderly. Focus on maintaining muscle mass and metabolic health rather than aggressive weight loss, which can be detrimental in older adults.

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than overall BMI or subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), while SAT may be associated with lower mortality risk.

Do not rely on BMI alone to assess your health risk. Focus on reducing visceral fat (belly fat) through exercise and diet, as it is a stronger predictor of mortality than overall weight. Subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin) may be less harmful or even protective.

Caloric restriction and time-restricted feeding can extend healthspan and lifespan in animal models and improve metabolic health in humans, sometimes without weight loss, by reshaping molecular pathways in adipose tissue and aligning with circadian rhythms.

Try time-restricted feeding or caloric restriction without focusing solely on weight loss. Align your eating window with your circadian rhythm (e.g., eat earlier in the day) to maximize metabolic benefits and potentially extend healthspan, even if your weight doesn't change.

A short food-frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) with 50 items provides adequate agreement and reproducibility with a comprehensive 161-item questionnaire for ranking dietary intake of major food groups and macronutrients in men with prostate cancer.

For researchers or clinicians studying diet in prostate cancer patients, using a validated 50-item short questionnaire is a viable strategy. It takes only 15 minutes to complete and accurately ranks patients' intake of major food groups (like fruits, dairy, and seafood) compared to much longer surveys. This reduces participant burden and increases the feasibility of long-term studies, though it may be less accurate for total fat intake.

Intensive glycemic control (target HbA1c < 6%) significantly reduces the development of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM), but this benefit is not observed in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).

If you have Type 1 Diabetes, aiming for an HbA1c below 6% is the most effective way to prevent nerve damage. However, if you have Type 2 Diabetes, this aggressive target is not recommended due to lack of neuropathy benefit and increased mortality risk; standard control (7.0-7.9%) is advised instead.

VLCKD improves glycemic profiles (fasting glucose, HbA1c, HOMA-IR) and lipid profiles (triglycerides, total cholesterol) significantly, with some improvements (glycemia, LDL) being similar to other weight loss interventions.

You can expect your blood sugar, insulin resistance, and cholesterol numbers to improve significantly on VLCKD. However, for these specific metabolic markers, the improvement is comparable to what you might get from any other effective weight loss diet, whereas fat loss is specifically better on VLCKD.

Semaglutide significantly improves glycemic control (HbA1c and fasting blood glucose) and systolic blood pressure in overweight or obese adults, with or without type 2 diabetes.

Semaglutide not only helps with weight loss but also significantly improves blood sugar control (HbA1c and fasting glucose) and lowers systolic blood pressure in overweight or obese individuals, offering potential cardiovascular benefits.

Once-weekly semaglutide (1.0 mg) reduces ad libitum energy intake by approximately 24% through mechanisms of reduced appetite, improved control of eating, and lower preference for high-fat foods, leading to significant body weight loss without compensatory increases in energy expenditure.

Take once-weekly semaglutide (titrated to 1.0 mg over 12 weeks) to reduce hunger, improve control over eating, and lower preference for high-fat foods. This leads to a ~24% reduction in daily calorie intake and significant fat loss, without needing to increase exercise or metabolic rate. Expect mild GI side effects initially.

Intensive weight loss interventions (behavioral programs, pharmacotherapy, or surgery) significantly improve biomarkers of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), including liver enzymes (ALT, AST), steatosis, and disease activity scores, but do not significantly reverse histologic liver fibrosis in the short-to-medium term.

If you have NAFLD, intensive weight loss is the most effective way to improve liver health markers like enzymes and fat content. Focus on programs that achieve significant weight loss (via diet, exercise, medication, or surgery) rather than just changing diet composition without losing weight. Be aware that while liver fat and inflammation improve, existing scarring (fibrosis) may not reverse in the short term (6 months), so consistency is key.

Ramadan fasting induces a transient reduction in body weight and fat mass in healthy non-athlete adults, with effects being more pronounced in individuals with overweight or obesity and reversing within 2-5 weeks post-fast.

If you fast during Ramadan, expect to lose about 1.3 kg of weight and some fat by the end of the month, especially if you are overweight. This loss is not permanent; you will likely regain the weight within a month after fasting ends. To maintain any fat loss, you must manage your eating habits during the non-fasting hours (iftar/suhoor) to avoid overcompensating.

Ramadan fasting significantly reduces fat percentage and absolute fat mass in overweight/obese individuals, but not in those with normal weight, while also causing a smaller, transient loss of fat-free mass.

If you are overweight, Ramadan fasting will likely reduce your body fat percentage. If you are normal weight, your body fat percentage may not change significantly. In all cases, you will lose some lean mass, but you will lose more fat than lean mass. This benefit is temporary and reverses after the fast.

The 5:2 diet improves liver stiffness (a marker of fibrosis/inflammation) and reduces LDL cholesterol, whereas LCHF does not improve liver stiffness and may increase LDL.

If you have high cholesterol or heart disease risk, the 5:2 diet might be a better choice than LCHF because it lowers LDL and improves liver stiffness. LCHF reduces liver fat just as well but may not help with stiffness or cholesterol as much.

Intermittent fasting significantly increases adiponectin and decreases leptin levels, which may contribute to improved insulin sensitivity independent of significant fat mass loss.

Fasting may improve your metabolic health markers (like adiponectin) even if the scale doesn't move much, suggesting benefits beyond just weight loss.