Browse the evidence

Vicia faba protein hydrolysate (VFH) supplementation significantly increases Bone Mineral Content (BMC) compared to placebo when combined with resistance training.

If you are concerned about bone health, this specific supplement taken with resistance training may help increase bone mineral content, showing a 0.7% increase over 8 weeks.

Older adults require approximately 0.40 g/kg of high-quality protein per meal to maximize muscle protein synthesis, which is nearly double the 0.24 g/kg threshold sufficient for young adults.

To build or maintain muscle as you age, you cannot rely on the standard 'one size fits all' protein recommendation. You must eat roughly 0.4 grams of high-quality protein (like meat, eggs, or whey) for every kilogram of your body weight at each meal. For most people, this means aiming for 25-30 grams of protein per meal, spread evenly throughout the day, rather than eating most of your protein at dinner.

Resistance training is the primary intervention to restore anabolic sensitivity in aging muscle, with effects lasting 24-48 hours post-exercise.

To combat age-related muscle loss, you must engage in resistance training (lifting weights or using resistance bands) at least a few times a week. This exercise temporarily 'resensitizes' your muscles to protein, making your meals more effective at building muscle. The benefit lasts for about 24-48 hours, so consistency is key.

Creatine monohydrate supplementation provides additive benefits to resistance training in older adults by increasing intramuscular phosphocreatine stores and enhancing high-intensity exercise capacity.

If you are doing resistance training, adding creatine monohydrate is one of the most effective ways to get more out of your workouts. It helps your muscles produce energy for high-intensity efforts, allowing you to train harder and build more muscle over time.

Complementing habitual diet with a mixed plant-based protein blend (soy/pea) yields equivalent resistance training-induced muscle mass and strength gains compared to animal-based protein (whey) in healthy young men.

If you are doing resistance training, you do not need to buy whey protein to build muscle. You can use a blend of plant proteins (like soy and pea) instead. Take 15 grams of this blend three times a day with your main meals. This will help you gain muscle and strength just as well as animal protein, provided you are eating enough total protein and training consistently.

Resistance training combined with adequate protein intake (approx. 1.6 g/kg/day) maximizes muscle protein synthesis and hypertrophy by activating the mTORC1 pathway, whereas chronic mTOR hyperactivation without balance contributes to metabolic disease.

To maximize muscle growth, engage in resistance training and consume approximately 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Distribute this protein evenly across your meals, aiming for about 0.25 g/kg per meal if you are younger, or 0.40 g/kg per meal if you are older to overcome age-related anabolic resistance. Prioritize high-quality, leucine-rich protein sources like whey. To support long-term metabolic health, balance this anabolic focus with periodic AMPK activation through intermittent fasting or aerobic exercise.

An additional daily protein intake of 1 g/kg from supplements, resulting in a total daily intake of approximately 2 g/kg, is most effective for enhancing athletic performance.

Aim for a total daily protein intake of about 2 g/kg of body weight. If you eat enough protein from food, you may not need supplements. If you use supplements, adding 1 g/kg/day of protein powder is likely the optimal amount for performance gains.

Individualized nutritional rehabilitation, including whey protein (10g 3x/day), fish oil, and vitamin D supplementation combined with resistance training, significantly improves muscle strength, cognitive function, and quality of life in elderly patients with sarcopenia and cognitive impairment compared to standard care.

For elderly patients with both muscle loss and cognitive decline, a standard diet and exercise plan is often insufficient. A specialized program combining high-quality whey protein (10g, 3 times daily), Omega-3s with Vitamin D, and targeted resistance training, managed by a multidisciplinary team, significantly improves strength, thinking skills, and daily living ability. This approach requires more resources but yields superior functional outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Beta-alanine supplementation increases intramuscular carnosine levels by 40-80% over 4-6 weeks, which buffers hydrogen ions during high-intensity exercise to delay fatigue in efforts lasting 1-4 minutes.

If you do short, intense cycling efforts (1-4 minutes), take 3.2-6.4g of beta-alanine daily for at least 4 weeks. Expect some tingling, which is harmless. This will help you delay fatigue in those specific efforts.

Sodium bicarbonate supplementation of 0.2-0.3 g/kg body weight, taken 60-90 minutes before exercise, buffers acid buildup to improve high-intensity cycling performance (1-10 minutes).

For races or efforts under 10 minutes, take 0.2-0.3g of sodium bicarbonate per kg of body weight 60-90 minutes before starting. Be aware it can cause stomach issues, so practice with it in training.

Dietary nitrates (300-600 mg nitrate, ~500 ml beetroot juice) taken 2-3 hours before exercise enhance endurance and reduce oxygen cost during submaximal exercise by promoting vasodilation and improved muscle efficiency.

If you do long rides or time trials, try 300-600mg of nitrate (e.g., beetroot juice) 2-3 hours before. It can help you use oxygen more efficiently. Be aware it may lower blood pressure.

Higher weekly resistance training load is associated with greater lean body mass index (LBMI) in amateur bodybuilders, but this relationship is curvilinear, showing diminishing returns and potential stagnation at very high loads.

Track your weekly training load (sets x intensity/effort). You will likely see muscle gains as you increase this load, but once you reach a 'high' level, adding more volume yields very little extra muscle. Stop increasing volume when you hit the 'high' band; further increases may just add fatigue without adding size.

Achieving a sex-specific high lean-mass profile is significantly associated with a combination of moderate-to-high training load, high recovery status, and adequate protein intake.

To maximize your lean mass, you need to hit the 'sweet spot' of training: high enough to stimulate growth, but not so high that you can't recover. Ensure you are eating enough protein (~1.75 g/kg) and sleeping well. It is the combination of these factors that predicts the best physique.

Blood flow restriction (BFR) training using low loads (30% 1RM) significantly improves quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength and physical function in the early postoperative period (up to 12 weeks) following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction compared to conventional high-load resistance training (70% 1RM).

If you have recently had ACL surgery, you do not need to lift heavy weights immediately to rebuild your leg strength. Using Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) with light weights (30% of your max) twice a week for 12 weeks can actually build your quadriceps and hamstrings faster and with less pain than traditional heavy lifting. This approach helps you regain function and reduces pain early on, provided you follow your surgeon's clearance protocols.

Under volume-equated conditions, performing resistance training 4 times per week produces greater upper-body maximal strength gains than 2 times per week, while both frequencies yield similar improvements in muscle size (hypertrophy) and power.

If you can only train twice a week, focus on full-body workouts to build muscle size and power; you will get strong enough for most goals. If you have the time and want to maximize upper-body strength (like bench press), split that same total amount of work across four sessions. Do not increase your total volume when adding days; just spread it out.

In trained males, performing resistance training 3 days per week yields equivalent muscle strength and hypertrophy gains to performing it 6 days per week, provided total weekly training volume is equated.

If you are an experienced lifter, you do not need to train 6 days a week to maximize your muscle growth or strength. As long as you are performing the same total number of sets per muscle group per week, splitting those sets across 3 days will yield the same results as splitting them across 6 days. Focus on recovering well and hitting your volume targets rather than maximizing gym days.

Creatine supplementation increases fat-free mass (FFM) and lean body mass (LBM) only when combined with resistance training (RT); it produces no significant lean mass gains in non-resistance training contexts.

If your goal is to increase muscle mass, you must lift weights. Creatine will help you gain about 3.4 kg of lean mass if you train, but it will not build muscle if you only take the supplement without resistance exercise.

Caloric restriction is the primary determinant of diet-based weight loss, whereas macronutrient composition is secondary; adherence to the caloric deficit is the key factor for success.

To lose weight, you must create a caloric deficit. The specific type of diet (low-carb, low-fat, etc.) matters less than your ability to stick to the caloric restriction. Choose a macronutrient profile that you can maintain while staying in a deficit.

High protein diets are superior to other macronutrient compositions for the maintenance of weight loss after initial weight reduction.

After you have lost the weight, switch to a higher protein diet to help keep it off. This is more effective for maintenance than other macronutrient distributions.

Physical activity alone is rarely effective for treating obesity, but when combined with diet, it produces greater weight loss than diet alone and provides significant weight-loss-independent health benefits.

Do not rely on exercise alone to lose weight. Combine at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week with a caloric deficit. Exercise will help you lose a bit more weight than diet alone and offers major health benefits regardless of weight change.

Weight loss exceeding 15% via bariatric surgery can reverse type 2 diabetes and is superior to conservative treatment for reducing incidence in individuals with BMI > 35 kg/m².

If your BMI is over 35, discuss bariatric surgery with your doctor. For this group, surgery is not just weight loss; it can reverse diabetes and is more effective than standard conservative treatments due to hormonal changes.

Phentermine-topiramate combination therapy reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 70% in prediabetic patients, demonstrating the power of significant weight loss via pharmacological means.

For those with prediabetes and metabolic syndrome, ask your doctor about phentermine-topiramate. It has shown a 70% reduction in diabetes incidence, highlighting that significant weight loss via medication is a viable and powerful preventive tool.

Weight loss interventions, including lifestyle changes and bariatric surgery, reduce blood pressure, glomerular hyperfiltration, and proteinuria in obese patients with chronic kidney disease.

If you have kidney disease and are overweight, losing weight is one of the best things you can do for your kidneys. It lowers blood pressure and reduces the strain on your kidney filters. Work with your doctor to create a safe weight loss plan that includes diet and exercise, as this can slow the progression of kidney damage.

Reducing overall carbohydrate intake (Low Carbohydrate Diet) demonstrates the most evidence for improving glycemia in diabetic individuals compared to other dietary patterns.

To manage diabetes effectively, prioritize reducing your total carbohydrate intake to 26-45% of your daily calories. Focus on non-starchy vegetables, whole foods, and lean proteins while minimizing added sugars and refined grains. This approach has the strongest evidence for lowering blood sugar (A1C) and improving other metabolic markers like blood pressure and cholesterol.