Browse the evidence

Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) increase retail prices by 43-100% of the tax amount, leading to a significant decrease in SSB sales and overall consumption among adults.

Implementing a tax on sugary drinks raises their price, which effectively reduces consumption among adults. Policymakers should design taxes to maximize pass-through to consumers and consider broader tax scopes to minimize unhealthy substitutions.

Dysbiosis, characterized by an altered gut microbiota composition, contributes to the development of diabetes and obesity by disturbing energy balance and promoting inflammation.

Your gut health is a key player in your metabolic health. A diverse and balanced microbiome helps regulate energy, inflammation, and insulin sensitivity. Focus on a diet rich in fiber and diverse plant foods to support a healthy gut ecosystem.

Incretin stimulation via GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., liraglutide, exenatide) and DPP-4 inhibitors reduces visceral and epicardial adipose tissue volume and thickness while promoting the browning of white adipocytes, thereby alleviating insulin resistance and associated cardiovascular pathologies in obese and type-2 diabetic patients.

For patients with obesity and Type-2 Diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists (like liraglutide) and DPP-4 inhibitors are effective pharmacological tools to specifically target dangerous visceral and epicardial fat. Unlike Metformin, these drugs significantly shrink epicardial fat thickness, which is linked to cardiovascular risk. This reduction in fat volume, combined with improved insulin sensitivity, offers a targeted approach to preventing heart disease in this population.

Front-of-package Warning Labels (WLs) are significantly more effective than Traffic-Light Labels (TLLs) at improving consumer understanding of nutrient content, identifying healthier products, and shifting purchase intentions toward healthier options or abstinence.

For policymakers and food manufacturers, implementing Front-of-Package Warning Labels (like the 'High in' octagonal signs) is a more effective strategy for improving public health literacy and encouraging healthier purchasing decisions than Traffic-Light Labels. The explicit warning format significantly reduces the ability of consumers to overlook high levels of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, leading to better product identification and healthier purchase intentions.

Postoperative sleep disturbances, characterized by fragmentation and loss of deep/REM sleep, significantly increase the risk of postoperative delirium, cardiovascular events, and delayed recovery.

Recognize that poor sleep after surgery is not just 'being tired' but a clinical risk factor for confusion (delirium) and heart issues. Advocate for sleep-promoting measures like minimizing night interruptions, using earplugs/eye masks, and discussing sleep aids with the medical team.

Pharmacological interventions including zolpidem, melatonin, and dexmedetomidine can improve postoperative sleep quality and reduce complications like delirium.

Ask your care team about sleep-promoting medications like dexmedetomidine or melatonin, especially if you are elderly or in the ICU, as they may help prevent confusion and improve recovery.

Nonpharmacological interventions such as regional anesthesia, noise reduction, and use of earplugs/eye masks improve postoperative sleep quality.

Request earplugs and eye masks from nursing staff to block out hospital noise and light, which are major disruptors of sleep architecture.

Bariatric surgeries, specifically Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), reduce fasting plasma LEAP2 levels in humans with obesity, correlating with weight loss and improved metabolic markers.

Bariatric surgeries like RYGB and VSG lower levels of the hormone LEAP2, which is typically high in obesity. This hormonal shift, along with weight loss, may help maintain the weight loss by altering hunger signaling. This suggests that surgery works partly by resetting hormonal balances.

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a significant predictor of increased all-cause mortality in adults, with a pooled hazard ratio of 1.21 compared to non-sarcopenic non-obese individuals.

Maintaining muscle mass while managing body fat is critical for longevity. If you are older or have a sedentary lifestyle, prioritize resistance training and adequate protein intake to prevent sarcopenic obesity, as this condition significantly increases your risk of death regardless of your weight.

Sarcopenic obesity defined by visceral fat area confers the highest risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 2.54) compared to other obesity definitions like BMI or waist circumference.

If you have sarcopenic obesity, knowing your visceral fat level is crucial. Visceral fat combined with low muscle mass nearly doubles your mortality risk compared to other forms of SO. Prioritize exercises and diets that reduce visceral fat and build muscle, rather than just focusing on total weight loss.

Sarcopenic obesity poses a significantly higher mortality risk for hospitalized patients (HR = 1.65) compared to community-dwelling adults (HR = 1.14).

If you are hospitalized, ask about sarcopenic obesity. The risk of death is significantly higher for hospitalized patients with SO than for those in the community. Early intervention to preserve muscle and manage fat is crucial for your prognosis.

High circulating levels of the artificial sweetener erythritol are associated with a significantly increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including heart attack and stroke, and directly enhance platelet reactivity and thrombosis potential.

If you consume erythritol (a common artificial sweetener in 'keto' products, sugar-free drinks, and baked goods), be aware that it can accumulate in your blood and make your platelets more likely to form clots. This risk is particularly relevant if you have existing heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure. While occasional use may not pose a significant risk for healthy individuals, those at higher cardiovascular risk should consider limiting erythritol intake and consulting their doctor, especially given that levels can remain elevated for days after consumption.

Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) increases the risk of developing multimorbidity, defined as the co-occurrence of at least two chronic diseases among cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.

To lower your risk of developing multiple chronic conditions (cancer, heart disease, diabetes) simultaneously, reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods. This includes items like soft drinks, packaged snacks, processed meats, and ready-to-eat meals. Aim to replace these with less processed options, as even a moderate reduction can significantly improve long-term health outcomes.

Among ultra-processed food subgroups, animal-based products and artificially/sugar-sweetened beverages are specifically associated with increased multimorbidity risk, while ultra-processed breads and cereals may be inversely associated.

Not all ultra-processed foods are equally risky. Prioritize reducing sugar-sweetened beverages and animal-based processed products (like processed meats), as these are most strongly linked to chronic disease multimorbidity. Ultra-processed breads and cereals may not carry the same risk, so focus your efforts on the highest-impact items.

Tirzepatide, a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, produces clinically significant reductions in HbA1c and body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes, with efficacy superior to the selective GLP-1RA dulaglutide.

For patients with type 2 diabetes, tirzepatide offers superior glucose and weight control compared to existing GLP-1 drugs. To minimize stomach upset, it is crucial to follow the prescribed slow dose-escalation schedule (starting at 2.5mg or 4mg and increasing gradually over 8 weeks). This approach balances high efficacy with better tolerability.

Physical exercise, cold exposure, and certain nutritional strategies (capsaicin, caffeine, EPA) can stimulate brown and beige fat activity, offering potential therapeutic targets for age-related metabolic disease.

You can potentially boost your body's fat-burning capacity (brown and beige fat) through lifestyle choices. Regular physical activity, exposure to cooler temperatures, and consuming certain foods like spicy peppers (capsaicin), green tea (catechins), or fatty fish (EPA) may help stimulate these tissues. While the effects might be less pronounced in older adults, these strategies offer non-pharmacological ways to support metabolic health.

Front-of-package nutrient warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods significantly increase consumer attention, comprehension, and negative affect, leading to reduced behavioral intentions to purchase these products compared to no-label controls.

Look for products with clear, binary warning labels (like octagons stating 'High in Sugar'). These labels are designed to grab your attention and signal health risks quickly. While they may not change your behavior instantly, they are more effective at helping you identify unhealthy options than complex rating systems. Use them as a quick filter to avoid products with high levels of added sugars, sodium, or saturated fats.

Curcumin reduces oxidative stress and inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes patients, as evidenced by reduced levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP).

Curcumin helps lower the body's inflammation and oxidative stress, which are key drivers of diabetes complications. This supports overall health and may complement your standard treatment.

Adopting low glycaemic index (GI) or low glycaemic load (GL) dietary patterns results in small but clinically significant improvements in glycaemic control (HbA1c) and cardiometabolic risk factors (lipids, inflammation, adiposity) for adults with moderately controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes, even when concurrent with standard pharmacotherapy.

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, switching to a low GI or GL diet can help lower your HbA1c and improve cholesterol and inflammation, even if you are already taking diabetes medication. You don't need to change everything at once; focus on replacing high-GI carbohydrates (like white bread and sugary drinks) with lower-GI options (like legumes and whole grains). This approach is safe, effective, and works alongside your current treatment plan to help you reach your health goals.

Ultra-processed foods are significantly more energy-dense, less nutrient-dense, and cheaper per calorie than unprocessed foods, creating an economic incentive for overconsumption.

Ultra-processed foods are engineered to be cheap, energy-dense, and nutrient-poor. This combination makes them highly palatable and economically attractive, driving overconsumption. To improve diet quality, prioritize unprocessed foods which, while more expensive per calorie, offer better nutrient density and lower energy density, helping to regulate caloric intake.

The weight loss and metabolic benefits of Resistant Starch are mediated by an increase in Bifidobacterium adolescentis, which alters bile acid profiles (increasing GDCA/TDCA) and reduces lipid absorption.

The benefits of resistant starch depend on your gut bacteria. If you lack Bifidobacterium adolescentis, you may not see the same weight loss or metabolic improvements. Consistency is key to fostering these specific bacteria.

Insulin resistance is a major cardiovascular risk factor in subjects without diabetes and serves as a key link between MAFLD/NASH and cardiovascular disease.

Even if you do not have diabetes, insulin resistance associated with fatty liver disease significantly increases your risk of heart disease. Addressing insulin sensitivity through lifestyle changes is crucial for cardiovascular health, regardless of your diabetes status.

Spontaneous physical activity (SPA) and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) are significant contributors to energy expenditure, regulated by hypothalamic nuclei such as the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and arcuate nucleus (ARC).

Increase your daily movement through small, spontaneous actions (fidgeting, standing, walking) known as NEAT. This can account for 10-20% of your daily calorie burn. Try to break up long periods of sitting with brief movements to support your metabolism.

Caloric restriction (CR) is the only intervention shown to increase health span and decrease the risk of age-related diseases in nonhuman primates.

Caloric restriction, specifically a 15% reduction in calories, has been shown to slow metabolic aging and reduce oxidative damage in humans over a 2-year period. It is the only intervention proven to extend health span in nonhuman primates. However, adherence is difficult, leading to interest in mimetics and fasting-mimicking diets.