Browse the evidence

Regular physical activity (at least 2.5 hours per week) combined with a calorie-restricted diet is effective in reducing body weight and fat mass while maintaining fat-free and bone mass in postmenopausal women.

To manage weight during menopause, aim for at least 2.5 hours of exercise per week (e.g., 30 minutes daily). Combine this with a diet that limits fast food and carbohydrates while increasing fruits, vegetables, and fish. This approach helps reduce fat mass while preserving muscle and bone health.

A 12-week wearable technology-based intervention (Garmin Vivofit 2) combined with behavioral feedback and telephone counseling significantly increases moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and reduces sedentary behavior in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors.

If you are a breast cancer survivor looking to be more active, using a simple fitness tracker like the Garmin Vivofit 2 combined with regular check-ins from a health coach can help you increase your physical activity and sit less. The key is not just wearing the device, but using it to set goals and getting support to troubleshoot issues. This approach is designed to be accessible and scalable compared to expensive supervised gym programs.

Supplementation with 500 mg/day of resveratrol for 12 weeks significantly reduces serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and hepatic steatosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) compared to placebo.

If you have NAFLD, taking 500 mg of resveratrol daily for 12 weeks may help lower liver enzymes (ALT) and reduce liver fat, but it will not fix your cholesterol, blood pressure, or insulin resistance. Do not rely on it as a substitute for a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Post-exercise co-ingestion of protein with carbohydrates (1.2 g/kg/day carbohydrate) accelerates protein synthesis and recovery more effectively than carbohydrates alone.

After a game or hard practice, eat a meal or snack containing both protein and carbohydrates as soon as possible. The paper suggests a carbohydrate target of 1.2 g/kg paired with protein. This combination speeds up muscle repair better than carbs alone.

Hydration status in team sport athletes should be monitored using urine specific gravity (USG) and body mass changes, as many athletes compete in a hypohydrated state.

Check your hydration before practice or games. Weigh yourself before and after training to see how much fluid you lose. If you are prone to dehydration, use a urine specific gravity refractometer to check your status. Drink about 600 mL of water or sports drink 30-45 minutes before activity to ensure you start hydrated.

Higher levels of nonsedentary physical activity (measured in MET-hours per week) are inversely associated with the risk of becoming overweight in adult men, with even moderate activity providing significant protection.

To prevent gaining excess weight, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily, such as brisk walking or jogging. You do not need intense, prolonged exercise to see benefits; consistent, moderate movement significantly lowers your risk of becoming overweight over time.

High dietary glycemic load combined with low cereal fiber intake significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, whereas high cereal fiber intake is inversely associated with diabetes incidence.

Focus on the quality and fiber content of your carbohydrates rather than just cutting them out. Choose foods with a low glycemic load and high cereal fiber (like whole grains, vegetables, and legumes) to significantly lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. Avoid high glycemic load foods, especially if your fiber intake is low.

High intake of trans fatty acids and animal (saturated) fats increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, while vegetable (unsaturated) fats are associated with a reduced risk.

Replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated vegetable fats. Focus on sources like vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. This shift is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, independent of total fat calories.

When total volume load is equated, high-intensity resistance training (3 sets of 3RM with 3-minute rest) produces significantly greater maximal strength gains than moderate-intensity training (3 sets of 10RM with 90-second rest), while both protocols yield equivalent increases in muscle thickness.

If your goal is maximum strength, use heavy weights (around 3 reps per set) with longer rest periods (3 minutes), even if you are experienced. If your goal is just muscle size, you can use lighter weights (10 reps) with shorter rest (90 seconds) and get the same muscle growth, but you will likely gain less strength. Make sure you are doing the same total amount of work (sets x reps x weight) in both cases to make a fair comparison.

Hypertrophy-style training (moderate load, short rest) is more time-efficient than strength-style training (heavy load, long rest) for achieving equivalent muscle thickness gains.

If you have limited time for workouts and your primary goal is muscle size, use moderate weights (10 reps) with short rest periods (90 seconds). This will get you the same muscle growth as heavy lifting but in a fraction of the time.

Aerobic exercise training improves systemic glucose homeostasis in individuals with type 2 diabetes by decreasing HbA1c and fasting blood glucose levels.

If you have type 2 diabetes, regular aerobic exercise is a powerful tool to lower your HbA1c and blood sugar. You don't need to spend hours exercising; studies show that walking for just 30 minutes, three times a week, can significantly improve your markers. Start with what you can sustain and gradually increase the duration or intensity.

Resistance exercise training improves systemic glucose homeostasis in individuals with type 2 diabetes by decreasing HbA1c and fasting blood glucose levels.

If you have type 2 diabetes, adding resistance training to your routine can significantly lower your HbA1c and blood sugar. You don't need to lift heavy weights; focus on performing exercises with good form and gradually increasing the difficulty (sets, reps, or resistance). Doing this 2-3 times a week can yield substantial benefits.

Weight loss, particularly through bariatric surgery or lifestyle interventions, significantly reduces ectopic fat in the liver, pancreas, and heart, improving metabolic health.

Significant weight loss, whether through diet, exercise, or surgery, is effective at reducing harmful fat deposits in organs, leading to improved metabolic health.

Combined reduced-calorie diet and aerobic exercise interventions significantly improve pregnancy rates in overweight and obese women seeking fertility treatment compared to standard care or no intervention.

If you are overweight or obese and trying to conceive, combining a reduced-calorie diet with aerobic exercise is the most effective non-surgical way to increase your chances of pregnancy. Focus on reducing fat and refined carbohydrates while increasing physical activity. Note that while this improves pregnancy rates, it does not necessarily reduce the risk of miscarriage.

Ketogenic diets, characterized by high fat and low carbohydrate intake, improve metabolic health and reduce body weight by shifting metabolism towards fatty acid oxidation and ketone production.

Adopt a ketogenic diet by limiting carbohydrates to under 40 grams per day, while increasing fat intake and keeping protein moderate. This shift forces your body to burn fat for fuel, which can lead to weight loss and improved metabolic markers.

Six months of daily supplementation with 3.4g of a commercial CLA mixture (containing cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 isomers) significantly reduces total body fat mass and specifically leg fat mass in overweight and obese adults, while preserving lean body mass.

If you are overweight or obese, taking 3.4g of a standard CLA mixture daily for 6 months can help you lose body fat, specifically in your legs, without losing muscle. However, do not expect the scale to drop significantly, as lean mass may increase. This works best if you maintain your usual diet and exercise habits, as no restrictions were required.

Long-term weight loss and maintenance in adults is best achieved through a combined behavioral intervention that integrates dietary therapy, physical activity, and behavior modification techniques, rather than relying on any single modality.

To lose weight and keep it off, do not rely on willpower or quick fixes. Instead, adopt a structured plan that combines a moderate calorie deficit (800-1500 kcal/day), regular physical activity (30-45 minutes, 3-5 times a week), and behavioral strategies like keeping food and exercise diaries. Start slowly, focus on building habits, and maintain this combined approach for at least 6 months and beyond to ensure long-term success.

Daily supplementation with 379 mg green tea extract (containing 208 mg EGCG) for 3 months significantly reduces body mass index, waist circumference, and serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides in obese patients.

If you are obese, taking 379 mg of green tea extract daily (providing 208 mg of EGCG) with your morning meal for 3 months can help lower your BMI, waist size, and bad cholesterol (LDL/Triglycerides). This works even if you don't change your diet or exercise routine, though maintaining your current habits is required for this specific effect.

Low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) diets produce weight loss and improved cardiovascular risk markers (lower triglycerides, higher HDL, lower blood pressure) that are at least equivalent to, and often superior to, low-fat high-carbohydrate (LFHC) diets, particularly in individuals with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.

Adopt a low-carbohydrate high-fat diet by restricting carbohydrates to less than 130g per day (or <26% of calories) and focusing on unprocessed foods like vegetables, meats, and healthy fats. You do not need to count calories; eat until satisfied. Monitor your blood lipids, especially LDL, as responses vary, but expect improvements in weight, blood sugar, and triglycerides, particularly if you have insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.

Post-exercise muscle glycogen resynthesis plateaus at approximately 5-6% per hour (5-6 mmol kg-1 h-1) when consuming 50g of high-glycemic carbohydrate every 2 hours, and does not increase with higher doses (100g+).

After intense exercise, eat or drink 50 grams of carbohydrates every 2 hours. Do not try to eat more than 50g per sitting to speed up recovery; your body cannot store it faster than this rate. Use high-glycemic liquids (glucose/sucrose/maltodextrin solutions) if you feel too full to eat solid food. Aim for a total of ~600g over 24 hours.

Pre-exercise carbohydrate ingestion (sugar) during the hour before exercise does not impair endurance performance and may improve it, despite causing transient hypoglycemia.

You can eat sugar 30-60 minutes before exercise without fear of 'crashing' or hurting your performance. While your blood sugar might dip slightly due to insulin, it doesn't seem to hurt you, and might even help. Focus on total carbohydrate intake rather than avoiding pre-exercise sugar.

Glycogen loading (supercompensation) can be achieved practically by tapering training and consuming 500-600g of carbohydrates for 3 days prior to competition, avoiding the need for extreme carbohydrate restriction.

Three days before your big event, eat 500-600g of carbs daily and reduce your training to 30-60 minutes of easy/moderate exercise. This will boost your muscle glycogen by 20-40% without the sickness associated with old-school 'starvation' loading methods.

Whole grains improve dietary carbohydrate quality by increasing dietary fiber and reducing the glycemic index/load compared to refined grains, leading to better metabolic biomarkers.

Focus on whole grains that are low in glycemic index, such as oats, barley, and rye, rather than just any whole grain. Whole grain bread and pasta can still have a high glycemic index depending on how finely they are milled. Pairing whole grains with protein and fat can further blunt blood sugar spikes.

Ingesting 100 mg of slow-release caffeine in a carbohydrate performance bar significantly improves complex cognitive processing speed and endurance time-to-exhaustion during prolonged moderate-intensity cycling.

For endurance athletes, consuming a bar with 100mg of slow-release caffeine along with carbohydrates before and during exercise (e.g., at 55 and 115 minutes) can improve both your mental focus on complex tasks and your physical ability to sustain effort. This approach does not increase perceived fatigue or side effects compared to just eating carbs or doing nothing, making it a viable strategy for events requiring sustained concentration.