Browse the evidence

Low circulating glycine levels are consistently associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and prospective studies indicate that decreased plasma glycine is a strong predictive factor for incident glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes.

If you have obesity or type 2 diabetes, your blood glycine levels are likely lower than average, which is linked to higher insulin resistance. While eating more glycine-rich foods (like vegetable proteins) might help, the root cause involves how your body makes and uses glycine, influenced by your gut bacteria. Focus on overall metabolic health improvements (weight loss, exercise) which are associated with improved glycine concentrations.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in obese women with PCOS and contributes to insulin resistance; screening and treatment (e.g., CPAP) are recommended.

Obese women with PCOS should be screened annually for OSA, as it is common and worsens insulin resistance. Treatment with CPAP can help alleviate insulin resistance.

Polyphenol-rich functional foods (green tea, yerba mate, coffee) improve insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidative stress, and lower fasting glucose.

Incorporate polyphenol-rich beverages like green tea and yerba mate into your daily routine. Clinical trials show these can significantly lower fasting glucose and improve antioxidant capacity.

The 10,12 CLA isomer is primarily responsible for the fat-loss effects in animal models but causes insulin resistance in humans, whereas the 9,11 isomer may have different metabolic effects.

Most CLA supplements contain a mix of isomers, but the 10,12 isomer is the one that reduces fat in animals but causes insulin resistance in humans. If you take CLA, you are likely consuming this isomer, which may harm your metabolic health.

Increased energy intake, driven by the availability of cheap, energy-dense, ultra-processed foods, is the primary driver of the obesity epidemic, outweighing the contribution of reduced physical activity.

Focus on reducing caloric intake, particularly from ultra-processed, energy-dense foods, as this is the primary driver of obesity. While exercise is beneficial for health, its impact on weight management is secondary to dietary changes in the current food environment.

Bariatric surgery (specifically gastric bypass) significantly increases the likelihood of remission for hypertension and type 2 diabetes compared to specialized medical treatment, while simultaneously increasing the risk of new-onset depression, opioid use, and gastrointestinal complications.

If you have severe obesity (BMI ≥40 or ≥35 with health issues), bariatric surgery (specifically gastric bypass) is significantly more effective than lifestyle/medical treatment alone for reversing high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. However, this benefit comes with a higher risk of mental health challenges (like new-onset depression), increased opioid prescriptions, and the need for future gastrointestinal surgeries. The decision requires a careful trade-off between metabolic remission and surgical/mental health risks.

Obesity superimposed on aging exacerbates chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging), which drives insulin resistance and increases the risk of age-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cognitive impairment.

If you are older and carrying extra weight, your body is likely in a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation that increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and cognitive decline. This isn't just about appearance; it's a biological process. Managing this risk involves addressing the underlying inflammation and metabolic health, not just weight loss alone.

Obesity negatively impacts the response to therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), reducing the likelihood of achieving sustained remission with both conventional and biologic agents.

If you have Rheumatoid Arthritis and are obese, your current medications (including biologics) may be less effective at putting your disease into remission. This is due to biological factors like adipokines and inflammation. Discussing weight management alongside your RA treatment plan may improve your chances of achieving remission.

Mid-life obesity is associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease later in life, whereas late-life obesity may show a paradoxical protective effect or no increased risk.

Maintaining a healthy weight in mid-life is crucial for reducing your risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease later in life. While the relationship between weight and dementia in old age is complex, keeping your weight in a healthy range during your 40s and 50s is a proven way to protect your brain health.

Urban residence, higher socioeconomic status, and female sex are significantly associated with increased prevalence of overweight, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes in sub-Saharan African populations, contradicting the traditional view that these conditions are primarily diseases of affluence in high-income countries.

If you live in an urbanizing area, your risk for obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes is significantly higher than if you lived in a rural subsistence farming environment, regardless of your income level. Focus on maintaining physical activity and monitoring blood pressure and blood sugar, as these conditions are emerging rapidly in these populations.

Urban women face the highest risk of multimorbidity (having two or more of hypertension, diabetes, or obesity) compared to rural women and men in either setting.

Urban women should be particularly vigilant about managing multiple health markers simultaneously. Because the risk of having high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess weight together is highest for this group, regular screening for all three is essential.

A significant proportion of individuals with diagnosed hypertension or diabetes in this population have poorly controlled conditions, with less than half of those on medication achieving target blood glucose or blood pressure levels.

Being on medication for high blood pressure or diabetes does not guarantee your numbers are under control. If you are on medication, you need regular monitoring to ensure it is working, as a significant number of people do not reach target levels.

Body composition assessment (quantifying fat mass and fat-free mass) is clinically superior to BMI for diagnosing and managing obesity, sarcopenia, and osteoporosis because BMI fails to distinguish between tissue compartments.

Stop relying solely on BMI or scale weight to judge health progress. Use body composition assessments (like DXA, BIA, or skinfolds) to distinguish between fat loss and muscle loss. This is critical for older adults at risk of sarcopenia or obesity, as BMI often hides dangerous muscle loss or high fat mass.

A ketogenic diet or elevated beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) levels inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome in neutrophils, thereby preventing joint swelling and inflammation in gout models without compromising immune defense against bacterial infection.

For individuals prone to gout, maintaining elevated levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) may help prevent painful joint flares. This can be achieved through a ketogenic diet or potentially via ketone ester supplements, which inhibit the inflammatory NLRP3 complex in immune cells. This approach does not appear to compromise the body's ability to fight bacterial infections.

Soluble dietary fiber (SDF) from whole grains, specifically beta-glucan and arabinoxylan, lowers cardiovascular disease risk by forming viscous gels that reduce bile acid reabsorption and cholesterol synthesis.

Focus on whole grains known for high soluble fiber content, such as oats and barley, to help manage cholesterol levels. Beta-glucan in these grains forms a gel in the gut that helps lower cholesterol.

Nutritional ketosis, induced by carbohydrate restriction or caloric restriction, reduces systemic inflammation and ASCVD risk markers primarily through the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome.

If you have insulin resistance, reducing refined carbohydrates can trigger ketone production. This helps lower inflammation by blocking specific immune sensors (NLRP3), offering cardiovascular protection beyond just weight loss.

Higher intake of processed meat, unprocessed red meat, or poultry is significantly associated with an increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), whereas fish intake is not significantly associated with CVD risk.

If you are concerned about heart disease, be mindful of processed meats and unprocessed red meats, as higher intake is linked to a small increase in risk. However, you do not need to eliminate poultry or fish, as this study found no significant link between their consumption and cardiovascular disease. Focus on the type and quantity of meat rather than avoiding all meat.

Higher intake of processed meat or unprocessed red meat is significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, whereas poultry and fish intake are not significantly associated with all-cause mortality.

To support longevity, limit processed meats and unprocessed red meats, as higher intake is linked to a small increase in mortality risk. You do not need to avoid poultry or fish, as this study found no significant link between their consumption and all-cause mortality. Prioritize plant-based proteins and fish/poultry over red and processed meats.

The Dreem Headband (DH), a reduced-montage dry-EEG wearable device, achieves sleep staging accuracy (83.5%) comparable to the consensus of five human sleep experts (86.4%), validating its use for automated, longitudinal sleep monitoring.

If you want to track your sleep stages accurately at home without a clinical setup, the Dreem Headband is a validated option. It uses dry EEG electrodes and a machine learning algorithm to classify your sleep stages with accuracy nearly identical to human experts. It is designed to be comfortable for overnight wear and can operate without internet connectivity, making it suitable for longitudinal home use.

Intake of plant protein is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, whereas animal protein intake was not significantly associated with cardiovascular or cancer mortality.

If your goal is cardiovascular health and longevity, prioritize plant-based protein sources (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds) over animal proteins. This meta-analysis found that higher plant protein intake was linked to a lower risk of dying from heart disease, while animal protein intake showed no such significant benefit for cardiovascular mortality.

Vitamin D3 supplementation significantly reduces cancer mortality by 16%, whereas Vitamin D2 does not show this benefit.

If you take Vitamin D for cancer prevention, ensure you are taking Vitamin D3, not D2. This review found a 16% reduction in cancer death risk with D3, but no such benefit with D2. D3 is also more effective at raising blood levels of Vitamin D.

Obesity is a primary multifactorial disease (adiposopathy) driven by pathological adipose tissue dysfunction, not merely excess weight, and requires diagnosis based on body fat percentage and metabolic risk rather than BMI alone.

Stop using BMI as your sole health metric. If you have a normal BMI but feel unwell or have metabolic issues, ask for a body composition analysis (like DXA or BIA) to check your actual body fat percentage and visceral fat. Recognizing obesity as a disease (adiposopathy) helps access proper medical care rather than just diet advice.

Normal Weight Obesity (NWO) is a distinct phenotype characterized by normal BMI but high body fat percentage (>30% women, >25% men) and low lean mass, carrying significant cardiovascular and metabolic risk.

If you are normal weight, don't assume you are healthy. Get a body composition test. If you have high body fat and low muscle (NWO), you are at risk for diabetes and heart disease. Focus on building muscle and reducing visceral fat through resistance training and protein intake.

Oral contraceptives (OCs) that maintain stable, moderate estrogen levels reduce the cyclic fluctuation in knee laxity and are associated with a lower risk of ACL injury compared to women with natural menstrual cycles.

If you are a female athlete concerned about ACL injuries, using oral contraceptives may help stabilize your ligament laxity throughout the month, potentially lowering your risk of injury compared to having natural hormonal cycles. Consult your doctor to see if this is appropriate for you.