Browse the evidence

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) or combined interval/continuous training produces significantly greater increases in VO2max (mean +0.51 L/min) compared to traditional continuous endurance training, with evidence suggesting marked responses in nearly all subjects when using longer intervals (3-5 min).

To maximize your VO2max, incorporate High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) into your routine. Aim for at least 3 days a week, with each session including at least 10 minutes of high-intensity work. Use intervals of 3-5 minutes with equal rest periods. This approach is more effective for boosting aerobic capacity than traditional continuous endurance training, especially for healthy adults under 45.

Post-treatment maintenance programs combining behavior therapy with ongoing therapist contact significantly improve long-term weight loss maintenance compared to behavior therapy alone.

To keep weight off long-term, you cannot just finish an initial diet or exercise program and stop. You must engage in a structured maintenance phase (at least one year) that includes regular check-ins with a professional or support group. This phase focuses on problem-solving skills to handle setbacks, rather than just strict dieting. Without this ongoing support, you are likely to regain most of the weight you lost.

Combining high-frequency aerobic exercise with social influence strategies and therapist contact yields the best long-term weight loss maintenance, with one condition maintaining 99% of post-treatment weight loss at 18 months.

The most effective way to keep weight off long-term is a comprehensive approach: regular check-ins with a professional, moderate exercise you can sustain, and a support network. This combination helps you handle setbacks and maintains your weight loss almost entirely. Start with the most manageable components and build up.

Adherence to the traditional Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is associated with an 11% relative reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality or incidence for each 2-point increment in a 0-9 adherence score.

To get the cardiovascular benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, you don't need to move to Italy. Focus on making extra-virgin olive oil your primary cooking fat and dressing for salads. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. Limit red and processed meats, and choose fish and poultry more often. If you drink alcohol, do so moderately with meals, preferably wine. This pattern, not just individual 'superfoods', is what reduces heart disease risk.

Consuming home-cooked meals more than five times per week is associated with significantly higher diet quality (DASH and Mediterranean scores) and increased fruit and vegetable intake compared to consuming them less than three times per week.

Aim to eat home-cooked main meals more than five times a week. This frequency is associated with consuming significantly more fruit and vegetables and adhering better to healthy diet patterns like DASH and Mediterranean diets compared to eating them less than three times a week.

Consuming home-cooked meals more than five times per week is associated with a lower likelihood of having an overweight BMI and excess body fat, independent of dietary quality improvements.

Eat home-cooked main meals more than five times a week. This habit is linked to a significantly lower likelihood of being overweight or having excess body fat, even when accounting for the nutritional quality of the food itself.

HMB reduces markers of muscle damage (CK, LDH) and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) following exercise, particularly in untrained individuals or during high-damage activities.

Take 3g of HMB daily if you are new to exercise or doing intense eccentric workouts to reduce soreness and muscle damage markers.

A low carbohydrate Mediterranean diet (35% carbs, 45% fat) improves glycemic control (HbA1c) and cardiovascular risk factors (HDL, TG, LDL) more effectively than standard ADA or traditional Mediterranean diets in overweight type 2 diabetic patients.

For overweight type 2 diabetics, switching to a low-carb Mediterranean diet (35% carbs, 45% fat, mostly olive oil/nuts) for a year significantly improves blood sugar control and heart health markers (HDL, Triglycerides) better than standard diabetic diets. Combine this with regular aerobic exercise for best results.

Acute caffeine ingestion (2.5–7 mg/kg) significantly improves performance in short-term high-intensity exercise (sprinting, team sports, resistance training), with effects being more pronounced in trained athletes and non-habitual users.

If you are a trained athlete engaging in short, high-intensity efforts (like sprinting or heavy lifting), taking 3-6 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight about 45-60 minutes before exercise can improve performance by roughly 6-9%. This benefit is strongest if you are not a heavy daily coffee drinker. If you are untrained or doing long endurance, the benefit is less clear. Avoid doses above 9 mg/kg to prevent side effects like anxiety.

Substituting saturated fatty acids (SFA) with unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA or PUFA) found in nuts lowers blood cholesterol and improves cardiovascular risk profiles.

Replace sources of saturated fat (like fatty meats or butter) with nuts. This substitution lowers LDL cholesterol and improves overall cardiovascular risk. Because nuts are satiating, they help displace less healthy, energy-dense foods, often preventing weight gain despite their high caloric density.

Insufficient consumption of fruit, vegetables, fish, and fiber, combined with high saturated fat intake and prevalent overweight, constitutes a dietary pattern that increases the risk of obesity and chronic diseases.

To lower your risk of obesity and chronic disease, prioritize increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, and fiber while simultaneously reducing saturated fats. Simply reducing trans fats is not enough if your overall diet remains high in saturated fats and low in essential plant foods.

Specific demographic groups fail to meet recommended intakes for key micronutrients (folate, vitamin D, iron, calcium), necessitating targeted supplementation advice for those groups.

If you are pregnant or planning pregnancy, over 50, a woman of childbearing age, or an adolescent, ensure you are meeting specific micronutrient needs (folate, vitamin D, iron, calcium) through diet or supplements as advised by health authorities, as general dietary guidelines may not be sufficient for your specific physiological stage.

Moderate physical exercise (3-4 sessions/week of walking, jogging, swimming, skiing, or cycling) significantly increases serum HDL cholesterol and decreases serum triglycerides in asymptomatic middle-aged men, independent of weight loss.

If you are a middle-aged man who hasn't been exercising much, start with 3-4 moderate exercise sessions per week (like brisk walking, jogging, or cycling). You don't need to lose weight or exercise at high intensity to see improvements in your HDL (good cholesterol) and triglycerides. The key is consistency and getting your heart rate up to a moderate level (you should be able to talk, but not sing). This change happens regardless of whether your weight stays the same.

Adopting a low glycaemic index (GI) diet improves metabolic parameters in individuals with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, including lowered HbA1c, improved glucose tolerance, and reduced insulin resistance.

To manage blood sugar and insulin resistance, prioritize foods with a low glycaemic index (GI). This includes legumes, pasta, sourdough bread, and barley. These foods release glucose slowly, reducing insulin spikes. Be aware that common staples like white bread and potatoes have high GIs, so look for specific low-GI alternatives or processing methods (like high-amylose grains) when possible.

Regular moderate-intensity physical activity (e.g., walking) reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in a dose-dependent manner, with more intense or frequent exercise providing further risk reduction.

To protect your heart, engage in regular physical activity. You do not need to run marathons; walking at a moderate pace (where you breathe harder and feel warm) is effective. If you are able, increasing the intensity to running, doing it more frequently, or extending the duration will further lower your risk.

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 33–50%, with high-risk individuals (obese or impaired glucose tolerance) deriving the greatest benefit.

If you are at high risk for type 2 diabetes, such as being obese or having impaired glucose tolerance, regular physical activity is one of the most effective steps you can take. It independently reduces your risk by 33–50%. Focus on establishing a regular activity routine.

Physical activity reduces the risk of obesity by preventing weight gain and aiding in the maintenance of weight loss, with 45–60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity daily likely necessary for prevention.

To prevent obesity, aim for 45–60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every day. If you are trying to lose weight, include regular physical activity in your program, as it is more effective at maintaining weight loss than diet alone.

Physical activity improves psychological wellbeing, reduces clinical depression risk, and has a beneficial effect on anxiety.

Regular physical activity is a proven way to improve your mental health. It reduces the risk of clinical depression, helps with anxiety, and boosts mood and self-esteem. Incorporate activity into your routine to support your psychological wellbeing.

High-intensity resistance exercise training is the most effective intervention for improving muscle strength and mass in older adults with sarcopenia.

Start resistance training 2-3 times per week. You do not need to do it every day; even once a week helps. Focus on high intensity (challenging weights) to get the best strength gains. It is safe even for very old people and those with other health issues, but you need the motivation to stick with it.

An adequate daily intake of 15 µg (600 IU) of vitamin D is required for adults and children (aged 1-17) to maintain serum 25(OH)D concentrations at or above 50 nmol/L, which is the target threshold for musculoskeletal and pregnancy-related health.

For adults and children aged 1-17, aim for 15 µg (600 IU) of vitamin D daily, especially if you have limited sun exposure. This intake helps maintain blood levels above 50 nmol/L, which supports bone health and reduces risks associated with deficiency. Infants aged 7-11 months should receive 10 µg (400 IU) daily. This is particularly important in winter months or for those with darker skin tones who synthesize less vitamin D from sunlight.

Ingestion of 9 mg/kg caffeine before prolonged exercise at ~80% VO2max significantly increases time to exhaustion and reduces early-phase muscle glycogenolysis by approximately 55% during the first 15 minutes of exercise.

Take 9 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight about an hour before a long, intense workout (like a long run or bike ride at 80% of your max effort). This dose has been shown to significantly extend how long you can exercise by sparing muscle glycogen in the first 15 minutes, allowing you to cycle longer before exhaustion. Be aware that a small number of people may experience stomach discomfort at this high dose.

Caloric restriction in humans improves metabolic health by reducing visceral adipose tissue, intramyocellular lipid content, and inflammatory markers, although long-term insulin sensitivity benefits may diminish after two years.

Sustained caloric restriction can reduce visceral fat and inflammation. However, be aware that insulin sensitivity improvements may plateau after two years, and the effort required is high.

Aggressive resistance training is the most effective intervention to offset anabolic resistance and improve muscle mass and function in older adults, especially when combined with adequate protein intake.

Engage in regular, aggressive resistance training and ensure you consume enough protein. This is the most effective way to maintain muscle and metabolic health as you age.

Creatine supplementation improves performance in short-duration, high-intensity anaerobic exercises (≤30s) by facilitating faster ATP regeneration.

If you do sprinting, interval training, or sports with short bursts of effort, creatine can help you perform slightly better (around 7.5% improvement) by helping your muscles regenerate energy faster. It won't help much with long-distance running.