Browse the evidence

Adopting vegetarian or vegan diets significantly improves cardiometabolic risk factors, including lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI, and fasting glucose, compared to omnivorous diets.

To improve heart health and metabolic markers, shift your diet towards plant-based sources (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains) and reduce or eliminate animal products. Expect improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight management, though you should monitor nutrient status, particularly B12.

Enhanced mobile health self-monitoring (including smart scales, peer discussion, and text prompts) yields greater weight loss and higher adherence than basic app-only self-monitoring in rural men.

If you are a rural man looking to lose weight, a basic app might not be enough. You need more than just a logbook. Use an app that connects you with others, sends you reminders, and automatically tracks your weight. This 'enhanced' support system helps you stick to the habit of tracking, which leads to better results than trying to do it alone with a basic app.

Soy protein supplementation produces identical increases in lean mass compared to whey protein in active individuals and athletes, making it an effective alternative for muscle growth.

If you are an athlete or active individual looking to build muscle, soy protein is just as effective as whey protein. You do not need to avoid soy for muscle gains. Ensure you are consuming enough total protein (at least 1.6 g/kg/day) and that your soy protein source is of high quality (high digestibility).

Adherence to a healthful plant-based diet (hPDI) is associated with lower risk of obesity and less weight gain, whereas adherence to an unhealthful plant-based diet (uPDI) is associated with higher risk of obesity and more weight gain.

To manage weight, focus on the quality of your plant foods. Prioritize whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes (healthful plant foods) while limiting refined grains and added sugars (unhealthful plant foods). Simply being vegetarian is not enough; the quality of the plants matters significantly for preventing obesity.

A personalized mHealth intervention combining a smartphone app with health coaching and goal-setting improves health-related quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors in working adults compared to a control group.

To improve your health using technology, look for programs that combine an app with human support (like a health coach) and clear weekly goals. This study tests a platform that lets you choose from various health services (gym passes, apps, bands) tailored to your specific needs (diet, sleep, stress). The key is the personalized, multi-component approach rather than just downloading a single app.

Low physical activity is a strong independent risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) mortality, with an association magnitude of 2.4 per 100,000 persons, which is higher than dietary risks (1.4) and smoking (0.8).

Prioritize increasing your daily physical activity levels. This study identifies physical inactivity as a stronger predictor of T2DM mortality than dietary risks or smoking. You do not need a specific exercise regimen to benefit; simply reducing sedentary time and increasing movement can significantly lower your risk of dying from diabetes-related causes.

Pharmacologic management using GLP-1 receptor agonists (specifically liraglutide), topiramate, and phentermine/topiramate is effective for treating weight regain or weight loss plateaus following bariatric surgery.

If you are regaining weight after bariatric surgery, ask your provider about GLP-1 agonists (like liraglutide) or topiramate-based therapies. Current observational data supports their use for weight optimization in this specific population.

Adopting a healthful plant-based diet (high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes; low in refined grains, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and animal foods) is associated with favorable health outcomes, including reduced risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mortality.

To improve your health, focus on the quality of your plant-based foods. Prioritize whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes while minimizing refined grains, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages. You do not need to eliminate animal products entirely to see benefits; simply increasing the quality of plant foods in your diet is associated with lower risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and mortality.

Combining beinaglutide (0.2 mg TID) with metformin (850 mg BID) produces significantly greater weight loss and improvements in insulin sensitivity and hyperandrogenism compared to metformin monotherapy in obese women with PCOS over a 12-week period.

For obese women with PCOS who are already taking metformin but struggling with weight loss or high androgens, adding beinaglutide (starting low and titrating up) is a clinically superior strategy to staying on metformin alone. This combination leads to significantly more weight loss, better waist circumference reduction, and improved insulin sensitivity. While it involves injections, the study found that side effects were manageable and did not cause more people to quit than those taking metformin alone. This approach is particularly relevant for those who have not achieved sufficient results with lifestyle changes and metformin monotherapy.

Whey protein supplementation significantly increases serum levels of essential and branched-chain amino acids while reducing serum creatinine kinase and myoglobin levels in athletes compared to control groups.

If you are an athlete, consuming whey protein after training can help boost your amino acid levels and reduce markers of muscle damage (like creatinine kinase and myoglobin) compared to not taking it or taking other proteins. This may aid in recovery and performance. Ensure your supplement is compliant with anti-doping regulations.

Powerlifters can achieve meaningful increases in 1-repetition-maximum (1RM) strength by performing approximately 3–6 working sets of 1–5 repetitions per week per powerlift, using loads above 80% 1RM at an RPE of 7.5–9.5 for 6–12 weeks.

If you are a powerlifter short on time, you can still get stronger by focusing on just 3-6 hard sets of 1-5 reps per week for each lift (squat, bench, deadlift). Keep the weight heavy (over 80% of your max) and stop when you feel you could do 2-5 more reps (RPE 7.5-9.5). Do this over 6-12 weeks. You can add a few lighter accessory exercises if you want, but the main lifts are the priority.

Lifestyle interventions, specifically combining dietary changes (low-calorie, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, high-protein, or low-glycemic-index diets) with exercise, are the first-line and fundamental treatment for obesity.

Start with lifestyle changes as your primary tool. Combine a calorie-controlled diet (whether low-fat, low-carb, or high-protein) with regular exercise (aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, plus strength training twice a week). This combination is more effective than diet or exercise alone. Save medications and surgery for cases where lifestyle changes are insufficient or for severe obesity.

High-protein diets promote weight loss and fat mass reduction while maintaining fat-free mass by increasing energy expenditure through diet-induced thermogenesis and stimulating anorexigenic hormones.

Consider increasing your protein intake to help with weight loss and preserving muscle. This works by boosting your metabolism and reducing hunger hormones. It is one of several effective dietary strategies.

A low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) with carbohydrate intake restricted to <14% of total energy (approx. <50g/day) enables significant medication withdrawal and superior glycemic control compared to a low-fat diet (LFD) in type 2 diabetes patients, without increasing adverse events.

To achieve medication withdrawal in Type 2 Diabetes, restrict carbohydrates to under 50 grams per day (less than 14% of calories) while ensuring adequate protein and unsaturated fats. This approach, combined with regular exercise and clinical monitoring, allows for significant reduction in diabetes medications and better blood sugar control compared to traditional low-fat diets, without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia.

Implementing a Low Carbohydrate Diet (LCD) with 12% carbohydrate intake significantly reduces glucose variability (M value) and average blood glucose in Type 2 Diabetes patients compared to standard Calorie Restriction (CR) diets within 48 hours.

For Type 2 Diabetics, switching to a Low Carbohydrate Diet (around 12% carbs, ~1400 calories) for just two days can significantly stabilize blood sugar swings compared to standard calorie-restricted diets. This suggests that reducing carbohydrate intake is a potent lever for managing glucose variability, even in the short term.

An intensive lifestyle intervention combining a low-energy diet (approx. 800 kcal/day via meal replacements) and physical activity (≥150 min/week) can induce remission of type 2 diabetes in younger patients with early-onset disease.

If you have early-stage type 2 diabetes and are under 50, a structured program involving very low-calorie meal replacements (around 800 calories) for the first few months, followed by a gradual return to solid foods, combined with at least 150 minutes of weekly exercise, may help you achieve diabetes remission. This approach focuses on significant weight loss rather than just symptom management.

Adjunctive telephone and text message support improves behavioral adherence and clinical outcomes (weight loss, self-efficacy) in adults with class III obesity compared to standard community-based care alone.

Use simple, low-tech tools like SMS and phone calls instead of complex apps for obesity management, especially for those with low tech literacy. Personalize the content and timing of messages to fit the individual's lifestyle, and ensure the support feels genuine and non-judgmental. Consider a gradual tapering of support rather than stopping abruptly to prevent relapse.

In patients with overweight or obesity without type 2 diabetes, 1-year treatment with semaglutide 2.4 mg or tirzepatide results in clinically meaningful weight loss of 14.1% and 16.5%, respectively, in real-world clinical practice.

If you have obesity or are overweight and do not have type 2 diabetes, treatment with semaglutide (Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Zepbound/Mounjaro) for one year in a real-world setting leads to significant weight loss, averaging 14-16% of body weight. This effectiveness holds true in routine clinical practice, not just in clinical trials, although reaching the maximum dose is not guaranteed for everyone.

Semaglutide administration (1-2 mg weekly) produces significant weight loss (median 13.3% at 6 months) in adults with obesity, with efficacy maintained even at lower maintenance doses (1 mg).

Semaglutide is a highly effective treatment for obesity, producing significant weight loss even at lower maintenance doses. It requires a weekly injection and is most effective when combined with lifestyle counseling. Patients should be aware of potential gastrointestinal side effects, which are usually mild.

Maintaining or increasing resistance training volume (≥10 weekly sets per muscle group) during caloric restriction spares lean mass in resistance-trained athletes, particularly females, whereas reducing volume leads to greater lean mass loss.

If you are cutting weight, do not drop your training volume. Aim for at least 10 sets per muscle group per week. If you can, try to increase volume over time. This is especially important for female athletes to prevent muscle loss.

Strength training improves critical stroke recovery outcomes including walking capacity, balance, functional mobility, and walking speed.

For stroke survivors, strength training is a critical component of recovery that goes beyond just building muscle. It significantly improves your ability to walk, balance, and perform daily tasks. Work with a physical therapist to find a safe program that fits your current ability level.

A formula-based low-calorie diet (800 kcal/day) supplemented with 200g non-starchy vegetables for 8 weeks serves as an effective weight loss induction phase for adults with obesity (BMI 30-39.9), provided participants achieve >4kg weight loss to qualify for maintenance.

To kickstart weight loss, use a structured 8-week program involving 800 kcal of formula meals daily, plus 200g of non-starchy vegetables. This creates a strong caloric deficit. You must lose at least 4kg in these 8 weeks to move to the next phase of personalized maintenance.

For long-term weight maintenance, a personalized energy intake calculated as 10% below Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) multiplied by Physical Activity Level (PAL) is used, combined with either a low-carb (30% carb) or low-fat (25% fat) diet.

Maintain your weight by eating slightly less than your body burns at rest (minus 10%). You can choose a low-carb approach (30% carbs) or a low-fat approach (25% fat). Use digital tools or newsletters for ongoing support to stay on track for 12 months.

An 8-week combined intervention of Baduanjin (moderate-intensity mind-body exercise) and a low-carbohydrate diet (70-130g carbs/day) significantly reduces body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and body fat percentage in overweight individuals with drug addiction compared to general physical activity alone.

For overweight individuals in recovery, combining a structured, moderate-intensity mind-body exercise like Baduanjin (approx. 60 mins, 5x/week) with a low-carbohydrate diet (70-130g carbs daily) for 8 weeks can significantly reduce body weight and fat. Light activity alone is likely insufficient for weight loss in this demographic.