Browse the evidence

Adhering to combined moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and muscle-strengthening guidelines significantly reduces the prevalence of physical inactivity compared to adhering to MVPA guidelines alone, with only 15.0% of Australian adults meeting both.

To meet the full Australian physical activity guidelines, you must do two things: get at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity (like brisk walking or jogging) per week, AND perform muscle-strengthening activities (like resistance training) at least two days a week. Most adults fail to meet the strength component, so adding just two days of strength work to your existing cardio routine is the key to full compliance.

High levels of sedentary behavior (≥480 minutes/day) are independently associated with being classified as 'high-risk' for poor health, defined as insufficient MVPA, insufficient strength training, and high sedentary time.

If you sit for more than 8 hours a day and do not exercise regularly, you are in a 'high-risk' category for health issues. To mitigate this, you should aim to meet the full physical activity guidelines (150 mins MVPA + 2 days strength training) and actively break up long periods of sitting.

Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (approx. 120 min/week) and resistance training significantly reduce fasting insulin levels in breast cancer survivors, independent of body weight loss.

Engage in 120 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (like brisk walking) per week or twice-weekly resistance training. This helps lower insulin levels, a key factor in breast cancer prognosis, even if you do not lose weight.

Physician recommendation and referral to certified cancer exercise trainers significantly increases physical activity levels in breast cancer survivors compared to usual care.

Ask your oncologist for a recommendation to exercise and a referral to a certified cancer exercise trainer. This simple step can help you increase your physical activity levels, even if the increase is modest.

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

If you are a female athlete experiencing missed periods or low energy, your body is likely in 'survival mode' due to insufficient fuel relative to your activity. The most effective treatment is not medication, but increasing your food intake (specifically by 20-30% above your current baseline) and potentially reducing exercise volume. Aim for a daily energy availability of at least 45 kcal per kg of fat-free mass. This process takes time (often over a year) and requires working with a sports dietitian and physician to monitor weight gain and menstrual return safely.

Time-Restricted Feeding (TRF) restricts food intake to a specific window (e.g., 12 hours) and serves as an effective countermeasure to prevent obesity induced by circadian misalignment (shift work/jet lag) and high-fat diets.

Try eating all your meals within a 10-12 hour window each day (e.g., 8am to 8pm). This simple timing change can improve weight loss and metabolic health, especially if you work shifts or have erratic schedules, without needing to count calories.

Advising subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to consume a high-carbohydrate, low-glycemic index (GI) diet significantly improves glucose disposition index (DI) and beta-cell function compared to high-GI or low-carbohydrate high-MUFA diets, without altering insulin sensitivity.

If you have impaired glucose tolerance, focus on the quality of your carbohydrates rather than just cutting them out. Aim for a diet where 55% of your calories come from carbohydrates, but prioritize low-glycemic index foods like legumes, barley, and whole-grain pasta. This approach has been shown to significantly improve your pancreas's ability to secrete insulin (beta-cell function) compared to low-carb or high-glycemic diets, helping to manage your condition without needing to restrict total carbohydrate intake.

Daily supplementation with whey protein (approx. 22g/day) during a 9-month resistance training program significantly augments lean body mass gains compared to isocaloric carbohydrate or soy protein supplements.

If you are doing resistance training, adding about 22 grams of whey protein daily (roughly one scoop) can help you build more muscle than if you took the same amount of soy protein or just carbohydrates. This benefit is seen over a long period (9 months), so don't expect quick miracles from switching protein sources, but prioritize whey for its higher leucine content which supports muscle growth better than soy or carbs when total protein is already adequate.

Vitamin D supplementation (1000–5000 IU/day) prevents stress fractures in active populations by optimizing bone mineral density and calcium absorption.

If you are an athlete, especially indoors or in northern latitudes, get your Vitamin D levels checked. If you are deficient, supplement with 1000-5000 IU daily to reach optimal levels (>40 ng/mL). This helps prevent stress fractures, which can sideline your training. Aim for 15 minutes of sun exposure when possible, but don't rely on it exclusively if you avoid the sun.

Progressive resistance exercise (PRE) significantly improves the ability of individuals with various impairments (including COPD, hypertension, chronic spinal pain, and osteoarthritis) to generate muscle force, with moderate to large effect sizes.

If you have a condition that weakens your muscles (like COPD, back pain, or arthritis), progressive resistance exercise is a safe and effective way to rebuild strength. Start with weights you can lift 8-12 times, rest between sets, and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger. This improves your ability to perform daily tasks. Always consult a physical therapist to ensure the program is tailored to your specific condition.

Aquatic plyometric training produces maximum force and muscle power equivalent to dry land training while significantly reducing vertical impact forces and joint loading.

If you need to maintain explosive power (jumps, sprints) but have joint pain or are recovering from injury, perform plyometrics in chest-to-waist deep water. You will get the same strength and power benefits as land training, but with significantly less impact on your joints.

Pre-cooling via cold water immersion improves endurance performance in hot environments by reducing heat stress and delaying thermally induced fatigue.

If you are competing in endurance events in hot weather, use cold water immersion (15-30 minutes) before the event to improve your performance by up to 6.6%. This strategy is less effective for short sprints.

Higher daily intake of skim milk and dairy products is associated with a significantly reduced risk of stress fractures in young female cross-country runners.

If you are a female runner prone to stress fractures, increasing your daily skim milk consumption by one cup is a simple, evidence-backed step to potentially cut your fracture risk by over 60%. Aim for a diet high in dairy and low in fat to maximize bone gains and fracture protection.

Higher intakes of calcium, skim milk, dairy foods, animal protein, and potassium are associated with significant gains in whole-body and hip bone mineral density (BMD) in young female runners.

To maximize bone density, ensure your diet includes adequate calcium, animal protein, and potassium, primarily through dairy sources. This nutritional profile supports better bone mineral accrual over time.

Consuming high doses (48g) of rice protein isolate post-resistance exercise yields equivalent improvements in lean body mass, strength, and power compared to whey protein isolate.

If you prefer plant-based nutrition or have dairy sensitivities, you can build muscle just as effectively as with whey protein. The key is volume: consume 48 grams of rice protein isolate immediately after your resistance training sessions. This higher dose ensures you get enough leucine to trigger muscle growth, matching the results of whey protein.

Very low-calorie ketogenic diets (VLCKD) induce rapid weight loss primarily through initial natriuresis and diuresis driven by decreased insulin and increased glucagon, followed by sustained loss due to severe caloric restriction and preserved lean mass.

Follow a strict 600-800 calorie daily plan with less than 50g of carbs for 8-12 weeks under medical supervision. You will likely lose weight rapidly due to water loss initially, then fat loss. Take your prescribed vitamins and minerals to avoid side effects like headaches or cramps. This is a short-term intervention to jumpstart weight loss, not a lifelong diet.

VLCKD preserves lean body mass better than starvation or standard very low-calorie diets due to high biological-value protein intake and ketone-mediated protein sparing.

Ensure you are consuming the prescribed protein supplements (approx 1.2g/kg ideal body weight) during the diet. This helps protect your muscle mass while you lose fat, which is crucial for maintaining your metabolism.

Testosterone gel (Testim) at 100 mg/day normalizes serum testosterone levels in hypogonadal men, resulting in significant improvements in lean body mass, reduction in body fat percentage, and enhanced sexual function compared to a transdermal patch.

For men with clinically low testosterone, using a daily testosterone gel (like Testim) can effectively restore hormone levels. This leads to measurable gains in muscle mass, a slight reduction in body fat, and significant improvements in sexual desire and performance. It is generally well-tolerated with fewer skin issues than patches.

Resistance training with volume equated across intensities of 40% to 80% 1RM produces equivalent muscle hypertrophy, whereas 20% 1RM is suboptimal for maximizing muscle size.

To maximize muscle growth, you do not need to lift extremely heavy weights. Training with loads between 40% and 80% of your one-rep max is just as effective for building muscle as lifting heavier weights, provided you perform enough total work (volume) and train close to failure. However, lifting very light weights (20% 1RM) is not enough to maximize muscle size, even if you do many reps. Aim for moderate weights that allow you to complete the required reps with good form near failure.

Higher intensity resistance training (60-80% 1RM) is superior to lower intensities (20-40% 1RM) for maximizing long-term strength gains, although all intensities increase strength in beginners.

If your main goal is to get as strong as possible, you should eventually incorporate heavier weights (60-80% 1RM). While lighter weights (20-40% 1RM) will help you get stronger, especially in the first few weeks, they will not help you maximize your strength potential as effectively as heavier weights. For general fitness and muscle growth, moderate weights are sufficient and may be easier on your joints.

The recommended protein increment during lactation should be approximately 20 g/day (rather than 15 g/day) when accounting for non-protein nitrogen in human milk, a value consistent with nitrogen balance studies.

Increase your daily protein intake by about 20 grams while breastfeeding. This accounts for the protein lost in milk, including non-protein nitrogen components.

For individuals with the same BMI, higher levels of physical activity are associated with a significantly lower body fat percentage, indicating that BMI alone does not fully capture adiposity differences driven by activity levels.

If you are physically active, you likely have less body fat than someone with the same BMI who is sedentary. Do not rely on BMI alone to assess your health or fat loss progress. Prioritize maintaining or increasing your physical activity (walking, moderate, and vigorous exercise) as it independently reduces body fat percentage, even if your total body weight remains stable.

Combining behavioral counseling (Self-Management Support Program) with a digital monitoring and feedback tool significantly increases moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in patients with COPD or Type 2 Diabetes compared to usual care or counseling alone.

If you have COPD or Type 2 Diabetes, simply being told to exercise more by your doctor is often not enough. To actually increase your activity levels, you need a structured plan that includes regular check-ins with a healthcare provider AND a way to track your progress using a digital tool (like an activity monitor and app). This combination helps you set realistic goals and adjust them based on your actual activity, leading to a significant increase in daily exercise compared to standard advice.

A low-fat ad libitum diet promotes significant weight loss and greater LDL-C reduction compared to a low-fat diet under weight-maintenance conditions, without adverse effects on triglycerides or the TC/HDL-C ratio.

Adopt a low-fat diet (around 15% of calories from fat) without counting calories. Let your natural satiety signals guide you. You will likely eat less, lose weight, and significantly lower your LDL cholesterol without negatively impacting your triglycerides or overall heart disease risk markers.