Browse the evidence

Weight loss of 7-10% of body weight leads to significant resolution of NASH and fibrosis regression in patients with NAFLD.

To reverse fatty liver disease and NASH, you need to lose 7-10% of your body weight. If you have advanced fibrosis, aim for over 10% loss. Start with a daily calorie deficit of 500-1000 kcal and aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. Even losing 3-5% helps reduce liver fat and improves insulin sensitivity, so don't wait for the full 10% to see benefits.

Achieving a weight loss of greater than 5% is independently associated with slower progression of the frailty index in adults with type 2 diabetes, regardless of HbA1c levels.

Losing more than 5% of your body weight is linked to slower physical decline in people with type 2 diabetes. This benefit holds true even if your blood sugar levels don't change drastically. Focus on sustainable weight loss through diet and exercise.

Training elbow flexors in the initial range of motion (lengthened state, 0-68 degrees) promotes greater distal biceps hypertrophy and greater full-range 1RM strength gains compared to training in the final range of motion (shortened state, 68-135 degrees).

If you are doing bicep curls, try splitting your sets: do some reps starting from a fully extended arm (lengthened position) and others from a partially flexed position. This study suggests that prioritizing the lengthened position (starting from straight arms) may lead to better muscle growth in the lower part of the bicep and greater overall strength gains than prioritizing the shortened position (starting from a flexed arm).

Prevention or delay of type 2 diabetes through intensive lifestyle intervention or metformin is associated with a lower prevalence of microvascular complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy) compared to those who progress to diabetes.

Avoiding or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes significantly reduces your risk of developing serious microvascular complications like eye, kidney, and nerve damage. This benefit is observed even if you don't take medication, as long as you prevent or delay diabetes.

Pre-menopausal female athletes require higher daily protein intakes (EAR 1.28–1.63 g/kg/day for endurance, 1.49 g/kg/day for resistance, 1.41 g/kg/day for intermittent exercise) than general population guidelines, with acute doses of 0.32–0.38 g/kg post-exercise demonstrating beneficial physiological responses.

As a pre-menopausal female athlete, aim for 1.3–1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight daily, depending on your sport. For resistance or team sports, ensure you consume 0.32–0.38 g/kg of protein in the hours surrounding your workout to maximize strength and recovery benefits. Do not rely on general population guidelines of 0.8 g/kg, as this is insufficient for athletic adaptation.

Glycemic Excursion Minimization (GEM), a lifestyle intervention focusing on reducing postprandial glucose spikes through carbohydrate moderation and post-meal physical activity, results in greater reductions in HbA1c, BMI, and cardiovascular risk compared to conventional weight loss therapy in adults with type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes, try focusing on minimizing blood sugar spikes after meals rather than just losing weight. Eat fewer carbohydrates, especially refined ones, and take a mild walk (or do light activity) for 10-30 minutes after eating. This approach can lower your HbA1c and cardiovascular risk more effectively than standard weight-loss diets, without requiring you to restrict total calories or deal with hunger.

A well-designed vegan diet, supplemented with Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D, is safe, nutritionally adequate, and effective for maintaining or improving health in the general adult population.

To follow a healthy vegan diet, ensure you eat a wide variety of plant foods daily. Crucially, supplement with Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D (especially in winter). This approach is safe and supports overall health for most adults.

A well-designed vegan diet is effective for reducing body mass and improving body composition in overweight or obese adults, particularly when combined with physical activity.

Adopt a whole-food plant-based diet to lose weight. You do not necessarily need to count calories, as the diet naturally promotes satiety. Combine this with regular physical activity, including resistance training, to preserve muscle mass.

A well-designed vegan diet significantly reduces cardiovascular disease risk factors, including LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, and can reverse coronary atherosclerosis.

Adopt a well-designed vegan diet to improve heart health. This can significantly lower LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. For those with existing heart disease, this diet, combined with lifestyle changes, can help reverse atherosclerosis.

A well-designed vegan diet is an effective first-line treatment for Type 2 Diabetes, improving glycemia, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function.

Adopt a well-designed vegan diet to manage Type 2 Diabetes. This approach can significantly improve blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function, often more effectively than conventional diabetes diets.

Incorporating soy protein into a high-protein, energy-restricted diet produces weight loss and body composition changes equivalent to non-soy protein sources, making it a viable alternative for vegetarians and omnivores.

If you are trying to lose weight, you can use soy protein products (like soy protein powder, bars, or patties) to help meet your daily protein goals. You do not need to rely exclusively on meat or dairy. The study shows that using three servings of soy protein daily, alongside a calorie-controlled diet and exercise, results in the same amount of fat loss and muscle preservation as using non-soy proteins. This makes soy a flexible and effective tool for vegetarians or anyone wanting to diversify their protein sources.

Once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg, used as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention, significantly reduces the 10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adults with overweight or obesity compared to placebo.

If you have obesity or overweight with related health issues, adding once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg to your lifestyle changes can significantly lower your 10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to lifestyle changes alone. This benefit is most pronounced in those with higher baseline risk or prediabetes, and maintaining the treatment appears necessary to sustain these lower risk scores.

Combination therapy with SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists provides additive and synergistic benefits for Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome by targeting complementary mechanisms, resulting in superior glycemic control, weight loss, and organ protection compared to monotherapy.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Failure, Kidney Disease, or Obesity, current medical guidelines strongly support using SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists, either alone or together, to protect your heart and kidneys. These drugs work through different mechanisms to lower blood sugar, reduce weight, and protect organs. While they can be expensive and hard to access, they are considered first-line treatments for high-risk patients. Talk to your doctor about whether combination therapy is appropriate for your specific risk profile, especially if single medications aren't enough.

Dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists (e.g., tirzepatide) and multi-agonists (e.g., retatrutide) produce superior weight loss compared to single GLP-1 receptor agonists by synergistically enhancing anorectic effects in the CNS and reducing emetogenic side effects.

If current GLP-1 therapy is ineffective or causes intolerable nausea, discuss dual (GLP-1/GIP) or multi-agonists (GLP-1/GIP/Glucagon) with your provider. These newer agents target multiple pathways to potentially yield greater weight loss and fewer GI side effects.

Whey protein supplementation significantly increases biceps curl strength and lower limb lean mass in postmenopausal women, but ONLY when combined with resistance training.

If you are a postmenopausal woman looking to build muscle or strength, whey protein alone will not do it. You must combine whey protein (20-40g) with resistance training (2-3 times a week). The combination significantly boosts arm strength and leg muscle mass, whereas protein without exercise offers no muscle benefit.

Greater use of weight-control strategies (exercise, reduced caloric intake, self-weighing, meal replacements) is associated with successful long-term weight loss maintenance (10% or more reduction), suggesting these behaviors contribute to success.

To maintain significant weight loss, actively use weight-control strategies like regular self-weighing, monitoring caloric intake, and using meal replacements when necessary. Successful maintainers use these strategies more frequently than those who regain weight.

Modest weight loss of 5% to 10% of body weight significantly improves glycemic control, lipids, and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aim to lose 5-10% of your current body weight through a combination of diet, exercise, and behavioral changes. This specific amount of weight loss is proven to significantly improve your blood sugar control, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Use tools like food journals and regular check-ins with a healthcare provider to help maintain the loss.

Maintaining a weight loss of ≥7% of initial body weight for a sustained proportion of time (Time in Target Range, TTR) is associated with a significantly lower risk of composite kidney outcomes in patients with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes.

For individuals with type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity, the goal should not just be to lose weight, but to keep it off. Aim to maintain a 7% reduction from your starting weight. Even if you fluctuate, spending more time within this target range significantly lowers your risk of kidney disease. This involves a combination of eating fewer calories and moving more, supported by regular counseling or self-monitoring.

Low-carbohydrate diets significantly improve glycemic control (HbA1c and FPG) and lipid profiles (reduced triglycerides, increased HDL) in overweight or obese patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus compared to control diets.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes and are overweight, reducing your carbohydrate intake to under 26% of your daily calories can significantly lower your HbA1c and fasting blood sugar. It also improves your blood fat profile by lowering triglycerides and raising good HDL cholesterol, without negatively affecting your LDL. You should work with your doctor to adjust diabetes medications (like insulin) to avoid low blood sugar as you start this diet.

Suboptimal intake of fruits and vegetables significantly contributes to global cardiovascular disease mortality, with inadequate fruit consumption linked to approximately 521,395 coronary heart disease deaths and 1,255,978 stroke deaths annually, and inadequate vegetable intake linked to 809,425 coronary heart disease deaths and 210,849 stroke deaths annually.

Increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. The data shows that not eating enough is a major contributor to cardiovascular deaths worldwide. Focus on adding more variety to your meals, as both fruits and vegetables offer distinct protective benefits against coronary heart disease and stroke.

Replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates increases cardiovascular risk and obesity prevalence, whereas replacing it with unsaturated fats (MUFA/PUFA) improves lipid profiles and reduces risk.

Do not fear dietary fat, but be selective. Replace saturated fats (butter, fatty meats) with unsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, fish) rather than refined carbohydrates (sugar, white bread). Avoid 'low-fat' products that often contain added sugars.

Protein supplementation significantly enhances muscle strength and fat-free mass gains during arduous concurrent training, but does not improve aerobic endurance.

If you are doing both weightlifting and cardio (like military training or CrossFit), take 20-50g of protein immediately after your workout. This will help you build more muscle and lose fat faster than if you didn't supplement. However, do not expect this to improve your running or cycling endurance; for that, focus on your aerobic training volume.

Tirzepatide, a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, provides superior glycemic control and weight loss compared to monotherapy by leveraging synergistic mechanisms of both incretin hormones.

Tirzepatide is a weekly injection that mimics two gut hormones (GIP and GLP-1) to improve blood sugar control and promote significant weight loss. It is a newer option for T2DM and obesity, offering benefits beyond what single-hormone therapies provide.

Adherence to a structured multidisciplinary follow-up program significantly increases the likelihood of achieving superior weight loss outcomes after endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs).

If you are getting an endoscopic weight loss procedure, your success depends less on the device used and more on showing up. Commit to attending 20-24 visits in the first year. Start with weekly or biweekly visits, then space them out as you stabilize. This structured support is the strongest predictor of keeping the weight off.