Browse the evidence

Distributing snack kits containing in natura or minimally processed foods (rice, beans, milk, fruits, vegetables) during school suspension serves as an effective Food and Nutrition Education (FNE) strategy to maintain food security and promote healthy dietary habits.

If you are managing food distribution for children during a disruption, prioritize whole, minimally processed foods like rice, beans, milk, fruits, and vegetables. This approach not only provides essential nutrition but also reinforces healthy eating habits, serving as a passive educational tool for families. Ensure the kits reflect local dietary traditions to increase acceptance.

Modern agricultural systems and dietary shifts have led to widespread mineral malnutrition (specifically calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron), which impairs immune cell metabolic adaptation and contributes to chronic low-grade inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.

Your diet's energy content (calories/macros) does not guarantee metabolic health if it lacks essential minerals. Modern farming and processing have reduced mineral density in food. If you have obesity, diabetes, or gut issues, you are at higher risk for mineral deficiencies (Ca, Mg, K, Fe) that drive inflammation. Prioritize mineral-dense whole foods and consider testing levels if you have malabsorption risks.

Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and lifestyle modifications moderately prevent or improve diabetic peripheral neuropathy in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).

For Type 2 Diabetes, incorporating moderate aerobic exercise (like walking or cycling) for 20-45 minutes, three times a week, along with a healthy diet, is a moderately effective way to prevent or manage nerve damage.

Strength training is superior to aerobic training for reducing Body Mass Index (BMI) and body weight in overweight/obese young adults.

If you want to lower your BMI specifically, strength training might offer a slight edge over aerobic exercise, but the difference is negligible. Both are effective for weight loss.

Intermittent fasting (IF) promotes weight loss and metabolic health by inducing ketosis, improving insulin sensitivity, and regulating hunger hormones.

Try intermittent fasting, such as time-restricted eating (e.g., 16:8), to promote ketosis and regulate hunger hormones. It can be as effective as caloric restriction for weight loss.

Low carbohydrate, low fat, and moderate macronutrient diets all produce modest weight loss and blood pressure improvements compared to usual diet at six months, but these benefits largely disappear by 12 months.

If you are overweight, switching to almost any popular named diet (low carb, low fat, or moderate) will help you lose a modest amount of weight and lower your blood pressure for the first six months. However, do not expect these benefits to persist without further intervention, as weight loss diminishes and blood pressure improvements largely disappear by the 12-month mark. The specific type of diet matters less than the initial caloric deficit and adherence.

In non-diabetic patients, a ketogenic diet increases LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol compared to low-fat diets, whereas in diabetic patients, it improves lipid profiles by lowering triglycerides and raising HDL.

If you are non-diabetic and overweight, be aware that a ketogenic diet may raise your LDL and total cholesterol compared to a low-fat diet. If you have diabetes, a ketogenic diet tends to improve your triglycerides and HDL (good cholesterol). Monitor your lipids closely if you choose this diet.

Time-restricted feeding (16:8 protocol) for 3 months significantly reduces body weight, BMI, and waist circumference in obese women, but does not significantly alter blood biomarkers associated with metabolic syndrome (glucose, lipids, insulin).

If you are obese and sedentary, trying a 16:8 fasting window (e.g., 8 PM to 12 PM) for 3 months will likely help you lose about 4 kg and reduce your waist size. However, do not expect your blood sugar or cholesterol numbers to improve significantly just from the timing; the benefit comes from the resulting weight loss. This approach is easier to stick to than strict calorie counting because you can eat normal foods during your 8-hour window.

Reduction in 30-year cardiovascular disease risk (CVDRisk30y) is significantly correlated with changes in body fat percentage (%BF) and skeletal muscle percentage (%MM) following TRF, even without changes in traditional blood biomarkers.

Focus on losing body fat and maintaining muscle mass through your TRF protocol, as these changes are the primary drivers for lowering your long-term cardiovascular risk score. Traditional blood tests may not reflect these improvements, so tracking body composition is a more useful metric for this specific intervention.

A 45-day VLCKD significantly improves metabolic parameters (weight, BMI, blood pressure, lipids, insulin resistance) regardless of protein source, but animal protein may negatively impact renal markers.

A strict 780-calorie ketogenic diet for 45 days will significantly improve your weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar/insulin levels, regardless of whether you use whey, vegetable, or animal protein. However, if you have kidney concerns, be cautious with animal protein sources as they may slightly worsen renal markers in this context.

Males with severe obesity experience significantly greater excess body weight loss and greater reduction in gamma-glutamyl transferase (a marker for NAFLD) compared to females following a 25-day very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (VLCKD).

If you are female, you may lose less weight and see less improvement in liver health markers than a male following the exact same very low-carb ketogenic diet protocol. This is likely due to differences in body fat distribution and hormones. Do not assume your results will match male benchmarks; focus on consistency and consult a professional to adjust expectations.

The sex-based difference in VLCKD efficacy is attenuated in post-menopausal females, who experience benefits more similar to males than pre-menopausal females.

If you are post-menopausal, your body's response to a very low-carb ketogenic diet may be more similar to a man's than to a pre-menopausal woman's. This is likely due to hormonal shifts. You may see better results than expected if you adjust your strategy to account for these changes rather than assuming you can't lose weight.

Short-term weekly intermittent energy restriction (IER) produces weight loss equivalent to continuous energy restriction (CER) in adults with overweight or obesity, making it a viable alternative treatment option.

If you struggle with daily calorie counting, try a weekly intermittent energy restriction plan where you restrict calories (420-1500 kcal) for 2-3 days a week (or in 7-day cycles) and eat normally otherwise. This approach yields the same weight loss as daily restriction over 3-6 months. However, be aware that long-term maintenance is not guaranteed by the diet alone; you likely need active weight maintenance strategies after the intervention ends.

While IER+MED reduces visceral adipose tissue (VAT) more than DASH, this advantage disappears when adjusting for total fat mass loss, suggesting the VAT reduction is proportional to overall weight loss rather than specific to visceral fat mobilization.

Don't expect intermittent fasting to melt belly fat faster than other diets if you lose the same amount of total weight. The VAT reduction you see is largely due to overall fat loss. Focus on the total fat loss and the sustainability of the diet pattern.

IER+MED improves liver function (measured by Alanine Transaminase/ALT) more effectively than a DASH diet, independent of total fat mass loss.

If you have elevated liver enzymes, switching to an IER+MED pattern may offer specific liver health benefits beyond what you get from just eating a healthy diet (DASH).

Intermittent energy restriction (IER) improves insulin sensitivity (reduces fasting insulin and HOMA-IR) in non-diabetic populations compared to continuous energy restriction (CER).

For non-diabetic individuals, IER may offer metabolic benefits beyond weight loss, specifically improving insulin sensitivity. This is achieved by lowering fasting insulin levels. If you have diabetes, consult a doctor to adjust medications before starting IER to prevent hypoglycemia.

Resistance training alone significantly increases lean mass in overweight/obese premenopausal women, even without a prescribed caloric deficit.

If your goal is to build muscle or improve your shape without losing weight, resistance training is effective even if you don't change your diet. Focus on progressive overload with compound exercises. However, be aware that without a caloric deficit, you will not lose fat, so your weight might stay the same or increase slightly due to muscle gain.

Intermittent energy restriction (IER) reduces body weight and fat mass compared to a usual diet, with effects on weight loss being similar to continuous energy restriction (CER).

If you struggle with daily calorie counting, try Intermittent Energy Restriction (IER). This involves restricting calories to 20-25% of your normal intake (or fasting completely) on 1-2 days per week (like the 5:2 diet) or every other day (ADF), while eating normally on other days. This approach reduces body weight and fat mass just as effectively as continuous daily restriction, offering more flexibility.

Intermittent energy restriction (IER) improves intermediate disease markers, specifically triacylglycerols and systolic blood pressure, compared to a usual diet, but has no effect on LDL-cholesterol, fasting glucose, or HbA1c.

Beyond weight loss, IER can improve blood pressure and triglyceride levels. However, it does not significantly affect LDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, or HbA1c compared to a usual diet. If you have diabetes, consult a doctor as some studies reported hypoglycemia.

Alternate day fasting with a low-carbohydrate diet significantly reduces LDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and fasting insulin in adults with obesity.

If you have high LDL, high blood pressure, or high fasting insulin, this specific combination of fasting and low-carb eating may help improve these markers. Monitor your levels with your doctor, as individual responses to low-carb diets on cholesterol can vary.

Interventions lasting less than 13 weeks may be at least as effective for weight loss as those lasting 13-26 weeks, potentially due to higher retention rates.

For busy individuals, a very short program (under 3 months) might be just as effective for weight loss as a 3-6 month program, possibly because it's easier to stick with. Consider shorter, intensive options if long-term commitment is a barrier.

Early Time-Restricted Eating (eTRE) combined with calorie restriction is more effective for weight loss and fat mass reduction than delayed TRE (dTRE) or broader TRE windows.

If you can manage it, shifting your eating window to earlier in the day (eTRE) combined with a calorie deficit yields better weight and fat loss results than shifting it to later in the day (dTRE). However, if early eating is socially unsustainable, any consistent TRE window with a calorie deficit is still superior to no TRE.

Waist circumference is a valid, pragmatic anthropometric marker for estimating changes in visceral adipose tissue (VAT), though it explains only modest variance (25-75%) due to subcutaneous fat variability.

Use waist circumference as a practical, accessible way to track your visceral fat loss progress. It is the best non-invasive marker available. While it is not as precise as an MRI scan, a reduction in waist circumference (especially >2 cm) is a strong indicator of reduced visceral fat. Measure it consistently to monitor your lifestyle interventions.

Adherence to Time-Restricted Feeding (TRF) is generally high and well-tolerated, with compliance rates of 65-75% in short-term studies, and greater fasting duration is associated with higher adherence.

If you are worried about sticking to a diet, TRF is a good option. Most people find it easy to follow, with about 7 out of 10 people sticking to it for several months. Interestingly, people who fast for longer periods (e.g., 12 hours) often stick with it better than those who fast for shorter periods.