Browse the evidence

Creatine supplementation combined with resistance training does NOT significantly increase fat mass in older adults.

You do not need to worry about gaining fat when taking creatine; it adds muscle, not fat.

Adherence to a Western dietary pattern, characterized by high intake of red/processed meats, refined grains, and sweets, significantly increases the risk of total and ischemic stroke in women.

To lower stroke risk, prioritize a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish, while minimizing red and processed meats, refined grains, and sweets. This 'Prudent' pattern is associated with lower risk, whereas the 'Western' pattern increases it. You don't need to track every nutrient; focus on building meals around whole plant foods and limiting processed items.

Adherence to a Prudent dietary pattern, characterized by high intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, and whole grains, is associated with a reduced risk of total and ischemic stroke in women.

Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, and whole grains. This 'Prudent' pattern is linked to a lower risk of stroke. While the statistical significance for total stroke weakened after adjusting for all lifestyle factors, the trend for ischemic stroke remained significant. Prioritize whole plant foods and fish.

High consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in adulthood and adolescence is associated with a significantly increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) in women.

For women, reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intake, especially during adolescence and adulthood, may help lower the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. Substituting SSBs with coffee, milk, or artificially sweetened beverages is associated with a lower risk. While this study focuses on women, the metabolic mechanisms (insulin resistance, inflammation) suggest broader applicability, but more research is needed for men.

When comparing high-monounsaturated fat diets directly to high-polyunsaturated fat diets, triglyceride levels are modestly but consistently lower on the polyunsaturated fat diet.

If your primary concern is lowering triglycerides (rather than LDL), choosing polyunsaturated oils (like corn, sunflower, or safflower oil) over monounsaturated oils (like olive oil) may provide a small additional benefit. However, for LDL cholesterol, both types of oils are equally effective when replacing saturated fat.

Adherence to a high-quality diet, specifically the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010), is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

To lower your risk of COPD, adopt a diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats (like omega-3s), while minimizing processed meats, sugary drinks, and trans fats. This dietary pattern is associated with a 33% lower risk of developing COPD, even among smokers and ex-smokers. You don't need to track every nutrient; simply prioritize whole, plant-based foods and limit processed items.

Higher levels of habitual leisure-time physical activity and faster walking pace are prospectively associated with more favorable heart rate variability (HRV) indices, including higher SDNN and ultralow-frequency power, in older adults.

For older adults, maintaining or increasing leisure-time physical activity and walking pace is linked to better heart health markers. Focus on walking at a brisker pace and engaging in regular leisure activities, as these habits are associated with improved autonomic function.

Faster walking pace is associated with less erratic sinus patterns, as indicated by a higher short-term fractal scaling exponent (DFA1) and lower Poincaré ratio, in older adults.

Walking at a faster pace is associated with more organized heart rhythm patterns in older adults. Try to walk briskly as part of your daily routine.

Deliberately training in conditions of reduced carbohydrate availability (e.g., low muscle glycogen or fasted state) augments molecular markers of mitochondrial biogenesis and lipid oxidation compared to training with high carbohydrate availability.

To boost your body's ability to burn fat and build mitochondria, try performing some of your easier or moderate-intensity endurance sessions with low carbohydrate availability (e.g., fasted or after a previous session). Do not do this for every workout, especially high-intensity or race-pace sessions, as it may reduce your ability to train hard. Use strategies like caffeine or mouth-rinsing to maintain intensity if needed, and ensure you have high-carb sessions to maintain performance capacity.

Intensive lifestyle interventions that reduce nutrient load (weight loss) improve cardiovascular outcomes in obese type 2 diabetes patients, whereas intensive insulin therapy in similar patients increases mortality.

For obese diabetics, losing weight through diet and exercise is a powerful way to protect your heart. Unlike high-dose insulin, which can increase mortality in this group, weight loss reduces the burden on your body without causing metabolic stress.

Behavioral programs for type 2 diabetes mellitus provide clinically important glycemic control improvements (≥0.4% reduction in HbA1c) only when they offer 11 or more contact hours and include an added support component (clinical, behavioral, or psychosocial).

To effectively manage type 2 diabetes through behavioral programs, you need more than just information. Look for programs that offer at least 11 hours of contact time and include a dedicated support phase (clinical, behavioral, or psychosocial). Programs delivered in person with group interaction tend to be more effective than those relying solely on technology or brief educational sessions.

A decrease in diet quality scores (specifically DASH) over a 20-year period is associated with an 8% higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Maintaining a high-quality diet is crucial for long-term heart health. If your diet quality declines over time, your risk of cardiovascular disease increases. To mitigate this, regularly reassess your dietary habits and make adjustments to ensure you are consuming enough vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats, and limiting processed foods and sugars.

GLP-1 receptor agonists exhibit significant inter-individual variability in weight loss, with early responders (>=4% loss at week 16) predicting superior long-term outcomes.

If you start a GLP-1 agonist (like Ozempic or Wegovy) and don't lose at least 4% of your body weight by week 16, you are statistically likely to be a 'non-responder' with only ~3% total loss. However, early weight loss is a strong predictor of success. If you are not losing weight early, discuss with your doctor whether to continue for metabolic benefits or switch therapies, as stopping rules are often built into prescriptions.

Obesity, particularly severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2), is an independent risk factor for severe complications and mortality from COVID-19, driven by increased prevalence of comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension, as well as physiological factors such as visceral fat storage.

If you have obesity, you are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 complications due to associated health conditions and physiological factors. Prioritize vaccination, follow public health guidelines strictly, and seek medical attention early if symptoms arise. Healthcare providers should treat you with respect and without bias.

Reversible intermittent intra-abdominal vagal nerve blockade produces statistically greater weight loss than a sham device in patients with morbid obesity, though it failed to meet pre-specified superiority margins for excess weight loss.

This therapy involves implanting a device that blocks stomach signals to reduce hunger. In this study, patients using the device lost significantly more weight than those with a sham device, though not enough to meet the study's strict success criteria. The device requires daily recharging and periodic programming adjustments. It is an option for those with severe obesity who want a less invasive alternative to surgery but are willing to manage a medical device.

Metformin increases circulating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), specifically acetate, butyrate, and valerate, at 6 months, which correlates with decreased fasting insulin, although these SCFA increases do not persist at 12 months.

Metformin boosts beneficial gut byproducts called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like acetate and butyrate within the first 6 months, which is linked to better insulin control. However, this boost in SCFAs tends to fade after a year, even though the gut bacteria themselves remain changed. This suggests the body adapts to the higher SCFA levels, but the underlying microbial environment remains altered. This adaptation doesn't necessarily mean the drug stops working, but it highlights that the initial metabolic boost might be transient.

Long-term weight loss triggers a proportional increase in appetite (energy intake) of approximately 100 kcal/day per kilogram of lost weight, which is the primary driver of weight regain and exceeds metabolic adaptation effects.

When you lose weight, your body biologically fights back by increasing your appetite by roughly 100 calories per day for every kilogram lost. This is a stronger force than your metabolism slowing down. If you stop actively managing your food intake, your appetite will naturally drive you back to your pre-weight-loss eating habits, causing regain. Successful long-term maintenance requires recognizing this biological pressure and maintaining vigilant behavioral strategies to resist the increased hunger, as self-reported 'diet adherence' often masks the fact that actual intake has returned to baseline.

Greater leisure-time physical activity and higher exercise intensity are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease in older adults, although walking score remains the most robust independent predictor when all types are analyzed simultaneously.

While high-intensity exercise and general leisure activities help, brisk walking is the most reliable and independent protector against heart disease and stroke for older adults. Focus on consistent, brisk walking rather than just intensity.

Moderate sodium intake (3–5 g/d) is associated with the lowest risk of cardiovascular events and mortality, whereas both lower (<3 g/d) and higher (>5 g/d) intakes are associated with increased risk, forming a J-shaped curve.

Aim for a moderate sodium intake of 3–5 grams per day (approx. 0.75–1.25 teaspoons of salt). Avoid both excessive salt (>5 g/d) and very low salt diets (<3 g/d), as both are associated with higher cardiovascular risk in large population studies. This is particularly important if you have hypertension, where high sodium poses a greater risk.

Moderate coffee consumption (1-5 cups/day) is associated with a lower risk of total mortality, whereas heavy consumption (>5 cups/day) shows no significant association with mortality risk compared to non-drinkers.

Drinking 1 to 5 cups of coffee daily is associated with a modestly lower risk of death compared to not drinking coffee. This benefit appears for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. Drinking more than 5 cups does not offer additional mortality benefits and may negate them in the general population, largely due to confounding factors like smoking. If you drink coffee, moderate consumption (1-5 cups) is likely safe and potentially beneficial for longevity.

Training with low muscle glycogen or low exogenous glucose availability (train-low) augments specific metabolic adaptations, such as mitochondrial enzyme activity and fat oxidation, compared to training with normal/high glycogen (train-high).

To boost metabolic adaptations like mitochondrial density and fat oxidation, intentionally start some training sessions with low glycogen. This can be done by training fasted, training after a previous session, or withholding carbs during/after exercise. Expect lower power output during these specific sessions, but recognize that this 'train-low' state triggers stronger metabolic signals than training with full glycogen stores.

Consuming a high-fat diet during endurance training is detrimental to endurance performance and leads to suboptimal adaptations compared to a high-carbohydrate diet.

Do not rely on a high-fat diet to improve your endurance performance. While it may increase your ability to burn fat, it significantly impairs your ability to perform at high intensities and overall endurance capacity compared to a high-carbohydrate diet. Prioritize carbohydrates for training fuel.

The weight loss plateau observed after approximately 6 months of lifestyle intervention is primarily driven by a gradual return of free-living energy intake to baseline levels (loss of diet adherence), rather than by metabolic adaptation or adaptive thermogenesis.

If you hit a weight loss plateau after 6 months, don't assume your metabolism is broken. The model suggests your energy intake has likely crept back up to your maintenance level. Focus on re-establishing a caloric deficit through diet adherence rather than expecting your body to burn significantly more calories than your weight loss predicts.

Higher circulating levels of linoleic acid (LA), the primary omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, are associated with significantly lower total mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality in older adults, with no evidence of increased risk.

For older adults, maintaining higher levels of linoleic acid (found in vegetable oils like soybean, corn, and sunflower oil) is associated with a lower risk of dying from heart disease or other causes. This benefit appears independent of omega-3 intake, suggesting that consuming recommended amounts of LA-rich oils is safe and potentially beneficial for longevity.