Browse the evidence

Physical activity interventions that combine self-directed activity with professional guidance and ongoing support produce moderate, statistically significant improvements in self-reported physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness in adults.

To successfully increase your physical activity, do not rely on a single piece of advice or a one-time class. Instead, choose activities you enjoy (self-directed) but ensure you have a professional or coach to guide your choices and check in with you regularly over at least six months. This combination of autonomy and support is proven to work best.

The European Calcified Tissue Society recommends food fortification and routine Vitamin D supplementation for specific risk groups (infants, children, pregnant women, older persons, non-Western immigrants) to prevent deficiency.

If you are pregnant, older, a non-Western immigrant, or have young children, do not rely on diet alone. The ECTS recommends routine Vitamin D supplementation. Additionally, look for fortified foods like milk, bread, and cereals to help maintain your levels.

Low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIT) using constant-load intervals significantly increases skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity and improves exercise performance in healthy adults.

Perform 6-8 minutes of actual work per session, three times a week. Cycle at a high but sustainable effort (around 100% of your max power from a fitness test) for 60 seconds, followed by 75 seconds of slow pedaling. Repeat this 8 to 12 times per session. This short, structured approach significantly boosts your muscle's energy production and endurance without requiring extreme exhaustion.

Increasing daily step count to 8,000 or more steps per day is significantly associated with lower all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality in US adults aged 40 and older, independent of step intensity.

To maximize longevity, aim for at least 8,000 steps per day. If you can reach 12,000, the mortality benefit is even greater. You do not need to walk fast or intensely; the total number of steps is the key factor. Start where you are and gradually increase your daily step count.

Increasing weekly resistance training volume (total sets per muscle group) produces a graded, dose-response increase in muscle hypertrophy, with higher volumes yielding greater gains than lower volumes.

To maximize muscle growth, you should aim for higher weekly training volumes. Specifically, performing 10 or more sets per muscle group per week yields significantly greater hypertrophy than performing fewer than 5 sets. Each additional set provides a small but consistent benefit, so prioritizing volume (within reason and recovery capacity) is a key lever for muscle gain.

A 13-week intervention of a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein nutritional supplement significantly increases appendicular muscle mass and improves lower-extremity function (chair-stand time) in sarcopenic older adults, independent of exercise.

For older adults with sarcopenia who cannot or do not exercise, consuming a specific nutritional supplement twice daily (containing whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D) for 13 weeks can significantly increase muscle mass and improve leg strength (measured by chair-stand time). This offers a practical, non-exercise-based strategy to maintain mobility and independence.

Weight loss through lifestyle modification in obese women restores menstrual cyclicity and ovulation, thereby improving the likelihood of conception.

Lose weight through diet and exercise. This is not just for health but specifically to restore ovulation and improve your chances of getting pregnant. The paper states this is proven to work.

Weight loss of 7-10% is the primary therapeutic target for NAFLD, as it resolves NASH in 65-90% of patients and improves fibrosis in 45% of patients.

To reverse fatty liver disease (NASH), you need to lose 7-10% of your body weight. Losing just 3-5% helps reduce liver fat, but you need the higher 7-10% range to resolve the inflammation and scarring. Focus on a Mediterranean-style diet and avoid snacking to achieve a steady loss of 0.5-1 kg per week.

Consuming 100g of lean Australian red meat provides significant amounts of high-biological-value protein, heme iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, often exceeding 25% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for these nutrients.

Include 100g of lean red meat in your diet to efficiently meet your daily needs for iron, zinc, and B12. It is a highly bioavailable source of these nutrients compared to many plant-based options.

Restoration of energy availability through increased caloric intake and/or reduced exercise expenditure is the primary non-pharmacological intervention required to reverse menstrual dysfunction and support bone health recovery in female athletes with the Female Athlete Triad.

If you are an athlete experiencing missed periods or low bone density, the most critical step is to eat more and/or train less to fix your energy deficit. Do not rely on your weight staying the same as a sign of health; you can be 'weight stable' but still be starving your body physiologically. Aim to increase your daily calories by 20-30% gradually (adding 200-600 calories) and consider reducing training volume if necessary. Expect menstrual cycles to return within months, but understand that bone density improvements may take years. Work with a sports dietitian and physician.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet significantly improves glycemic control, reduces insulin resistance, and promotes weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes, often outperforming low-fat diets.

Adopt a Mediterranean-style eating pattern emphasizing olive oil, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains while limiting red meat. This approach has been shown to lower blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and aid weight loss more effectively than standard low-fat diets in people with type 2 diabetes. Combine this with regular physical activity for best results.

Engaging in total physical activity of at least 4200 kJ/wk (approx. 1000 kcal/wk) reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by approximately 20% in middle-aged and older men, with the strongest risk reductions associated with vigorous-intensity activities.

To significantly lower your risk of heart disease, aim to burn at least 1,000 calories per week through physical activity. You don't need to run marathons; brisk walking, swimming, or yard work for about 30 minutes a day, most days of the week, is sufficient. If you can incorporate more vigorous sports, the benefit is even greater, but moderate activity alone is highly effective.

Physical activity reduces coronary heart disease risk even in men with multiple existing coronary risk factors (such as smoking, hypertension, diabetes, or high BMI).

Even if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or other risk factors, staying physically active (at least 1,000 calories worth of activity per week) significantly lowers your heart disease risk compared to being inactive. Exercise helps counteract the negative effects of these other risk factors.

Daily vitamin D3 supplementation (4000 IU) for 6 months significantly reduces insulin resistance and improves insulin sensitivity in South Asian women who are both vitamin D deficient and insulin resistant, but only when serum 25(OH)D levels reach at least 80 nmol/l.

If you are a South Asian woman with known insulin resistance and low Vitamin D, taking 4000 IU of Vitamin D3 daily for 6 months can significantly improve your insulin sensitivity. However, you must achieve a blood level of at least 80 nmol/l, which requires consistent daily intake. Do not expect results in the first 3 months; the metabolic benefit typically manifests after 6 months of sustained high-dose supplementation.

A 9-month intervention of 1500 mg/day curcumin extract (75-85% curcuminoids) prevents progression to Type 2 Diabetes in prediabetic adults, reducing incidence to 0% compared to 16.4% in placebo, while improving beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity.

If you are prediabetic, taking 1500 mg of a standardized curcumin extract daily (split into two doses) for 9 months may significantly reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes compared to lifestyle changes alone. This specific extract (75-85% curcuminoids) was shown to improve insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function with minimal side effects. Consult your doctor before starting, especially if you take other medications.

Long-term metformin treatment (1700 mg/day) combined with a hypocaloric diet significantly reduces visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and body weight in abdominally obese women with PCOS compared to placebo, with effects on VAT being significantly greater in PCOS patients than in obese controls without PCOS.

For abdominally obese women with PCOS, adding metformin (1700 mg/day) to a standard hypocaloric diet (1200-1400 kcal) is more effective for reducing visceral fat and body weight than diet alone. This benefit appears specific to those with PCOS, suggesting that addressing insulin resistance is key to targeting visceral fat in this population. Side effects are generally mild and transient.

Metformin treatment in abdominally obese women with PCOS significantly decreases serum testosterone and leptin levels, and improves hirsutism and menstrual cycle regularity, effects not seen with placebo.

For women with PCOS, metformin (1700 mg/day) combined with diet not only aids weight loss but also specifically targets hormonal imbalances by lowering testosterone and leptin levels. This leads to tangible clinical improvements, including reduced hirsutism (excess hair growth) and more regular menstrual cycles, which are key quality-of-life factors for PCOS patients.

Dietary fiber modulates gut microbiota composition and function, leading to the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which improve glucose and lipid metabolism in individuals with metabolic diseases.

Increase your intake of diverse dietary fibers, particularly soluble and fermentable types like beta-glucan, inulin, and resistant starch. These fibers feed beneficial gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which help regulate blood sugar and fat metabolism. Focus on whole plant foods rather than isolated supplements for best results, and introduce fiber gradually to minimize digestive discomfort.

Increasing daily step volume to approximately 4,400 steps is associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality compared to lower volumes (approx. 2,700 steps), with benefits continuing to increase until approximately 7,500 steps per day.

For older women, aiming for 4,400 steps a day provides significant mortality benefits compared to being sedentary. Increasing steps up to 7,500 a day yields progressively greater benefits. You do not need to force yourself to 10,000 steps to see health improvements; focus on reaching 4,400 first, then gradually increase toward 7,500.

Mobile phone app-based interventions result in statistically significant weight loss (mean -1.04 kg) and BMI reduction (mean -0.43 kg/m²) compared to control groups.

Use a mobile app designed for weight loss that allows you to track your food and activity. The app itself provides a small but significant advantage (about 1 kg more weight loss) compared to standard care. To make it work, choose an app that is easy to use and engaging, as sticking with it is the key to success.

Consumption of whole grains reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease by improving insulin sensitivity and lowering postprandial glucose and insulin responses.

To lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease, prioritize whole grains over refined grains. The physical structure of whole grains slows digestion, leading to lower insulin spikes. Choose intact grains like barley, oats, and rye, or minimally processed whole grain products, as they have lower glycemic indices than refined flours.

Sleeping less than six hours per night increases all-cause mortality risk by 13% compared to sleeping seven to nine hours, while sleeping six to seven hours increases risk by 7%.

Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep nightly. Sleeping less than 6 hours significantly raises your risk of death from all causes, and 6-7 hours also carries increased risk. Prioritize consistent sleep duration to protect long-term health.

Insufficient sleep (less than 6 hours) reduces workplace productivity by increasing absenteeism and presenteeism, resulting in approximately 6 lost working days per year compared to those sleeping 7-9 hours.

Prioritize 7-9 hours of sleep to maximize work productivity. Sleeping less than 6 hours costs you approximately 6 working days per year in lost time due to being sick or less effective at work.

Preoperative weight loss via low-calorie or very low-calorie diets reduces postoperative complications and surgical complexity in bariatric surgery patients.

If you are scheduled for bariatric surgery, follow your surgeon's preoperative diet instructions strictly. This typically involves eating 800-1200 calories a day for 2-4 weeks before the operation. This is not just about weight loss; it shrinks your liver, making the surgery safer and reducing the risk of complications.