Browse the evidence

Post-bariatric surgery supplementation with vitamin D, calcium, and protein combined with physical exercise significantly attenuates the loss of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and lean body mass compared to no intervention.

After bariatric surgery, you must actively manage your bone and muscle health. This means taking prescribed high-dose Vitamin D and Calcium, ensuring you eat enough protein (adjusted for your size), and starting a structured exercise program (walking and strength training) as soon as your surgeon clears you. Without this active management, you will likely lose significant bone density and muscle mass.

Modifying the structure, composition, and portion size of food (e.g., using meal replacements or prepared meals) is more effective for long-term weight control than comprehensive lifestyle change programs that rely on self-regulation and calorie counting.

Stop relying solely on willpower and calorie counting. Instead, structure your food environment by using meal replacements, prepared meals, or strict meal plans that dictate what and how much you eat. This removes the need for constant decision-making and portion estimation, which are difficult to maintain long-term.

Interventions promoting walking in groups significantly increase physical activity in adults, with a medium overall effect size (d = 0.52).

Join a local walking group. Look for groups that offer flexible times and durations, and consider starting with shorter walks (e.g., 10-20 minutes) and gradually increasing. The social aspect is key to maintaining the habit, so choose a group that feels welcoming.

Targeted nutritional training (specifically high-carbohydrate or high-volume intake) adapts the gastrointestinal tract by upregulating SGLT1 transporters and accelerating gastric emptying, thereby increasing exogenous carbohydrate oxidation and reducing GI distress during endurance exercise.

Train your gut like you train your legs. If you plan to consume 60-90g of carbs per hour during races, practice this exact intake during long training sessions. Start with lower amounts and gradually increase over 2-3 weeks to upregulate your SGLT1 transporters. This reduces bloating and diarrhea risk while maximizing energy delivery. Do not restrict carbs on training days if you are an endurance athlete.

Regular moderate-intensity exercise training is safe and significantly improves cardiorespiratory function, body composition, and patient-reported outcomes (fatigue, depression, quality of life) in breast cancer survivors.

Breast cancer survivors should engage in regular moderate-intensity exercise, combining aerobic and resistance training if possible. Aim for 3 sessions per week, lasting 30-45 minutes. This is safe and helps improve heart health, muscle strength, and reduces fatigue and depression. Consult your oncology team to tailor the intensity.

Twice-weekly resistance training (52 weeks) significantly reduces cortical white matter atrophy and improves executive function in older women compared to balance-and-toning training.

For older women, engaging in twice-weekly progressive resistance training for a year can help preserve brain white matter and improve executive function. Focus on compound movements like squats and lunges, progressively increasing weight as you get stronger.

Dietary nitrate supplementation (typically via beetroot juice) improves exercise efficiency by reducing the oxygen cost of submaximal exercise and enhances muscle power/sprint performance, primarily through the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway.

If you are a recreational runner or cyclist, try 5-8 mmol of nitrate (approx. 500mg) from beetroot juice 2.5 hours before exercise. You may see a small but meaningful boost in endurance. If you are an elite pro cyclist, it likely won't help you, but if you do kayaking or rowing, it might.

Malnutrition management must prioritize the maintenance and restoration of muscle mass rather than generalized weight gain, as low muscle mass is a critical determinant of adverse health outcomes including mortality, readmission, and functional decline.

Stop focusing only on the scale. If you are sick, older, or recovering, your body loses muscle, which is dangerous. Ask your doctor or dietitian to check your muscle mass (using tools like BIA or DXA) and not just your weight. Eat enough protein (1.0-1.5g/kg/day) and consider high-protein supplements, especially those with HMB, combined with resistance exercise to rebuild muscle and reduce hospital readmission risk.

HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate) supplementation acts as a potent stimulator of protein synthesis and inhibitor of protein breakdown, helping to slow or reverse muscle loss in aging, illness, or starvation.

If you are recovering from illness or are older, ask your doctor about adding HMB to your nutritional supplements. It helps stop muscle breakdown and builds muscle when combined with protein.

Resistance training is the most effective form of exercise for improving protein synthesis rates and reversing muscle loss, superior to aerobic exercise alone.

Do resistance training (lifting weights or using resistance bands) at least twice a week. This is more important for building muscle than just walking or cycling. Work with a physical therapist to adapt the exercises to your strength level.

Calorie-restricted interventions (CRI) significantly reduce liver enzymes (ALT, AST), hepatic steatosis, and liver stiffness in NAFLD patients, with a dose-response relationship between the degree of calorie restriction and clinical benefit.

For NAFLD management, establishing a consistent calorie deficit is the most effective first-line strategy. This approach reliably lowers liver enzymes (ALT/AST), reduces liver fat, and improves liver stiffness. While specific diet types (like Mediterranean) also help, the degree of calorie restriction directly correlates with liver benefits, making energy balance the primary lever for treatment.

Mediterranean Diet (MD) interventions significantly improve liver enzymes (ALT, AST), Fatty Liver Index, and liver stiffness in NAFLD patients, often with higher adherence than other diets.

Adopting a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern is an effective strategy for improving liver health in NAFLD. This involves increasing fiber, fruits, nuts, and healthy fats (like olive oil) while reducing refined carbohydrates and sodium. This approach not only improves liver enzymes and fat content but also tends to have higher patient adherence compared to other restrictive diets.

High-load resistance training (80% 1RM) produces greater neural adaptations and strength gains than low-load training (30% 1RM) despite inducing similar muscle hypertrophy.

If your goal is to get stronger, you must lift heavy weights (around 80% of your max). While lifting lighter weights (30% of max) to failure will build muscle size just as well, it will not make you as strong because it fails to train your nervous system to recruit muscle fibers efficiently. To maximize strength, prioritize high-load training.

Short bouts of exercise (less than 10 minutes) are effective and sufficient for health benefits, replacing the previous requirement for continuous 10-minute bouts.

You don't need to find a solid block of time. Break your 150 minutes of moderate activity into 10-minute chunks or even shorter bouts throughout the day. They all count toward your weekly goal.

Dynamic resistance training is safe and effective for patients with hypertension, provided the load is not too heavy and breath-holding is avoided.

If you have high blood pressure, you can safely do resistance training. Use moderate weights (enough to lift about 8 times), avoid holding your breath, and focus on smooth movements. This helps lower your blood pressure over time.

Consuming dietary pulses (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas) at a median dose of 130 g/d significantly reduces LDL cholesterol levels compared to isocaloric control diets.

To lower your LDL cholesterol, try adding about 1 serving (130g) of cooked beans, lentils, chickpeas, or peas to your daily diet. Replace other carbs or proteins with these pulses to keep your calories the same. You might feel some bloating at first, but it usually gets better. This simple change can lead to a modest but meaningful drop in bad cholesterol.

Physical activity suppresses vascular endothelial cell senescence and improves vascular function in older adults.

Regular exercise helps keep your blood vessels young by reducing cellular aging markers. Aim for consistent physical activity to maintain vascular health as you age.

Adherence to a healthful plant-based diet (high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes; low in refined grains, sugary drinks, sweets, and animal products) is associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

To lower your risk of death, heart disease, and cancer, focus on a diet rich in whole plant foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Minimize refined grains, sugary drinks, sweets, and animal products. You don't need to track complex scores; just prioritize these healthy plant foods and limit the less healthy ones.

GIP-GLP-1 co-agonists (e.g., tirzepatide) produce superior weight loss and glycemic control compared to GLP-1 receptor agonists alone in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

For patients with T2DM and obesity, combining GIP and GLP-1 activity in a single weekly injection (like tirzepatide) is more effective for weight loss and blood sugar control than using GLP-1 agonists alone. This works despite GIP being ineffective on its own in diabetic patients, likely due to altered receptor signaling in the combined molecule.

Achieving significant weight loss within the first six months of a dietary intervention is the primary predictor of long-term retention and success (loss of ≥5% body weight) over two years.

Your first six months are the most critical. If you lose a significant amount of weight early on, you are much more likely to stick with the program and succeed long-term. If you are struggling to lose weight in the first few months, seek extra support or adjust expectations, as this is the biggest risk factor for dropping out.

Holidays trigger a significant decrease in dietary adherence, followed by a partial rebound, requiring amplified intervention during these periods.

Expect your adherence to drop during holidays. This is a common challenge, so plan for it and focus on getting back on track as soon as possible.

Multiple-set low-intensity resistance exercise (20% 1RM) combined with continuous blood flow restriction (BFR) achieves intramuscular metabolic stress and fast-twitch fiber recruitment equivalent to high-intensity resistance exercise (65% 1RM).

If you cannot lift heavy weights due to injury, age, or joint pain, try low-weight resistance exercises (20% of your max) while using a blood flow restriction cuff. Keep the cuff on continuously, even during rest periods between sets. This method creates the same metabolic stress and muscle fiber recruitment as heavy lifting, allowing for effective training with minimal joint stress.

A structured neuromuscular training program significantly reduces the risk of acute non-contact leg injuries in female floorball players.

If you are a female floorball player, incorporate a 20-30 minute neuromuscular training session before your regular practice 2-3 times a week. Focus on balance, body control, and proper technique for sports-specific movements. This simple addition can significantly lower your risk of non-contact leg injuries like ankle sprains and knee ligament issues.

Consumer wearable activity tracker (CWAT)-based interventions significantly increase daily physical activity (steps) and improve cardiometabolic health markers (systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, LDL cholesterol) in patients with chronic diseases compared to control groups.

If you have a chronic condition, using a wearable activity tracker combined with a simple goal-setting strategy (like aiming for 10,000 steps or increasing your daily steps by 10%) can significantly boost your physical activity. This increase in movement leads to measurable improvements in blood pressure, waist size, and cholesterol levels. The key is consistency and using the device's feedback, potentially supported by brief counseling or phone calls, to maintain motivation over several months.