Browse the evidence

Adopting 'Planeterranea' nutritional pyramids based on local foods provides the same health benefits as the Mediterranean Diet while addressing cultural, economic, and accessibility barriers.

You do not need to move to the Mediterranean to eat like one. Identify local foods that match the nutritional profile of the Mediterranean Diet (healthy fats, high fiber, low sugar) and build your meals around them. Use local oils, nuts, grains, and vegetables to create a 'Planeterranea' diet that is sustainable and culturally appropriate.

Pandemic-related lifestyle disruption is bidirectional and associated with greater weight loss in individuals who had less healthy pre-pandemic behaviors, while those with healthy pre-pandemic behaviors showed minimal change.

If you had unhealthy habits before the pandemic, the disruption of routine might have actually helped you improve your diet and lose weight. This suggests that for some, breaking old routines can be an opportunity to adopt healthier ones, rather than a cause of decline.

Higher lifestyle disruption during the pandemic is associated with greater bidirectional weight variability, including both significant weight loss and weight gain, particularly in younger, female, and socio-economically deprived individuals.

Pandemic disruption affected everyone's weight variability, but the outcome depended on your starting point. If you had unhealthy habits, you likely improved. If you were already healthy, you likely stayed the same. Targeted support is needed for vulnerable groups who may experience negative outcomes.

In adults with type 2 diabetes, unintentional or pharmacologically induced weight gain exceeding 5% over three years is associated with a reduced risk of incident cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, particularly in individuals over 60 years old.

For older adults with type 2 diabetes, aggressive weight loss strategies may not be the primary goal for cardiovascular protection. Instead, focusing on stable weight or allowing for modest, non-adipose weight gain (potentially from muscle or metabolic reserve) may be associated with better heart outcomes than intentional weight loss, particularly if the patient is on sulfonylureas. Consult a doctor before changing weight management goals.

Culturally tailoring evidence-based diabetes prevention programs (DPP) for Latino populations by integrating family support, culturally specific nutrition, and technology-mediated self-monitoring increases intervention acceptability and cultural congruence compared to standard non-adapted interventions.

For Latino patients in primary care, standard diabetes prevention programs should be adapted to include family members at key sessions (start, middle, end), provide culturally specific healthy meals (e.g., sopes, ceviche) rather than generic options, and use Spanish-language smartphone apps (MyFitnessPal) and FitBits for self-monitoring. This approach respects 'familismo' and avoids the negative stigma of 'dieting', thereby improving engagement and cultural fit.

Master athletes (>35 years) do not exhibit the age-related anabolic resistance seen in sedentary older adults and therefore have protein requirements similar to young athletes.

If you are a Master athlete (over 35) training regularly, you likely do not need higher protein doses than when you were younger. Aim for ~0.3g/kg of high-quality protein per meal, spread across 4-5 meals daily, just as young athletes do. Your training history has likely preserved your muscle's ability to respond to protein efficiently.

Habitual physical activity prevents the development of anabolic resistance mechanisms (such as reduced capillarity and inflammation) in older adults.

Regular exercise preserves the muscle's sensitivity to protein. This means you don't need to eat more protein than a young person; you just need to eat it effectively (distributed across meals).

Newer diabetes medications, specifically GLP-1 receptor agonists (like tirzepatide) and SGLT2 inhibitors, facilitate diabetes remission through significant weight loss and glycemic control, though long-term remission data is still emerging.

Newer drugs like tirzepatide and GLP-1 agonists can achieve high remission rates (up to 81%) by combining weight loss with hormonal effects. However, they are expensive, require injections, and long-term remission data is still being gathered. They are a safer alternative to surgery for some, but not a guaranteed cure.

Technology-assisted health coaching delivered by student volunteers in primary care is feasible and acceptable, with the number of completed coaching calls significantly correlated with greater weight loss at 6 months.

If you are in primary care and struggling with weight, ask about health coaching programs. This study shows that consistent telephone coaching with a dedicated coach (rather than just seeing your doctor) can lead to greater weight loss, especially if you complete more sessions. Look for programs that use self-monitoring tools like pedometers and food diaries.

Supplements including MitoQ, urolithin A, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3-PUFAs), and GlyNAC improve physical function in older individuals through mechanisms involving mitochondrial biogenesis, bioenergetics, and quality control.

If you are older and find it difficult to maintain high levels of physical activity, consider discussing supplements like MitoQ, urolithin A, omega-3s, or GlyNAC with your healthcare provider. These may support muscle health and physical function by targeting mitochondrial efficiency, serving as a complement to whatever activity you can safely perform.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) precursors may improve physical function in older individuals, but this outcome appears independent of changes in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function.

Some NAD+ precursors might help older adults improve physical function, but they likely do not work by fixing mitochondria. If you are using them, understand that their benefit may come from a different biological pathway than mitochondrial-targeting supplements.

In young adult men, a longer daily eating window is associated with higher insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and a worse cardiometabolic risk score, while a shorter time from midsleep to first food intake (earlier eating) is associated with better cardiometabolic health.

For young men, how you time your food matters for metabolic health even if it doesn't change your weight. Try to keep your daily eating window shorter (avoid grazing all day) and eat your first meal closer to when you wake up. This pattern is linked to better insulin sensitivity and lower cardiometabolic risk.

Public perception of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) on social media is predominantly neutral-to-positive, driven by reported weight loss efficacy and positive psychological impacts, despite awareness of side effects.

Social media discussions about GLP-1 drugs are largely positive, focusing on weight loss and mental health benefits, though side effects and access issues are common concerns. Patients should be aware that while public sentiment is favorable, individual experiences with side effects and availability vary significantly.

Myostatin-activin pathway inhibitors (MAPi), specifically bimagrumab, can reduce fat mass while preserving or increasing lean mass, offering a potential solution to the lean mass loss associated with GLP-1 agonists.

If you are concerned about losing muscle on weight loss drugs, ask your doctor about Myostatin-Activin Pathway Inhibitors (MAPi) like bimagrumab. In studies, this drug helped patients lose fat while actually gaining muscle. It is currently being studied in combination with GLP-1 drugs.

Combining GLP-1 receptor agonists with other Nutrient Stimulated Hormones (NuSH) like glucagon or amylin, or using dual/triple agonists like tirzepatide, may result in less lean mass loss compared to single-agonist GLP-1 treatments.

If you are on semaglutide and worried about muscle loss, ask your doctor if tirzepatide (a dual GLP-1/GIP drug) might be a better option for you, as it appears to spare more muscle. Newer triple-agonist drugs are also in development.

Medical doctors' self-reported comfort levels and positive attitudes toward nutrition care are significantly correlated with their actual provision of nutrition counseling and referral rates.

For healthcare providers: Your confidence in discussing nutrition directly impacts whether you actually provide it. If you feel uncomfortable or unsure, you are less likely to counsel patients or refer them to specialists, even if you believe it is important. Building self-efficacy through training or simple referral protocols can bridge the gap between knowing nutrition is important and actually doing it.

Higher total dietary protein intake is positively associated with greater grip strength in adults aged 19+ years, with animal protein showing a stronger association than plant protein.

To support muscle strength, aim for higher total protein intake, prioritizing animal sources like dairy, meat, and eggs, especially if you are over 50. Plant proteins help, but animal proteins seem to offer a stronger boost to grip strength.

Consuming more than 20g of dietary protein at two or more meals per day is associated with higher grip strength compared to consuming less than 20g at zero meals.

Try to include at least 20g of protein in two or more of your daily meals. This pattern is linked to stronger grip strength, suggesting better muscle maintenance.

Higher leucine intake is positively associated with grip strength in adults aged 19+ years.

Ensure your protein sources are rich in leucine (e.g., dairy, meat, eggs) as higher leucine intake is associated with stronger grip.

COVID-19 lockdowns and associated lifestyle changes (reduced physical activity, increased screen time, comfort eating) led to significant weight gain and increased obesity prevalence in Saudi Arabia.

Be aware that external factors like lockdowns can significantly impact your weight by reducing activity and increasing stress-eating. Proactively manage your environment and stress levels to prevent weight gain.

Psychological traits, specifically emotional stability, influence the reliability and magnitude of work completed at velocity loss thresholds, with higher emotional stability associated with performing more repetitions across thresholds.

Your mental toughness and emotional stability affect how many reps you can grind out at slow speeds. If you are less emotionally stable, you might hit velocity thresholds with fewer reps than a more stable peer. Consider this when interpreting velocity data.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) are associated with significant weight regain after discontinuation, whereas non-GLP-1 related treatments did not show statistically significant regain in this meta-analysis.

If you are on a GLP-1 medication (like semaglutide or liraglutide), stopping it is likely to cause significant weight regain due to the loss of appetite suppression. Other drugs may not show this same statistical pattern of regain in this analysis, but individual responses vary.

Patients with poorer baseline dietary quality (low HEI-C scores) are more likely to make substantive dietary improvements through counseling than those with already good baseline diets.

If you already eat a healthy diet, don't assume counseling is useless. The study shows that people with poorer diets improve the most, but those with good diets can still refine specific areas like sodium or saturated fat. The goal is continuous improvement, not just fixing 'bad' habits.

Low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and calorie restriction can improve cognitive function and combat age-related cognitive decline through mechanisms involving reduced oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory responses, and enhanced neurogenesis.

Limit carbohydrates to less than 20% of your calories, focusing on fats and proteins from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, and seeds. This approach may help combat age-related cognitive decline, especially if you have obesity or type 2 diabetes. Monitor your lipid profile as high fat intake can raise LDL.