Browse the evidence

The 'Hypertriglyceridemic Waist' phenotype (elevated waist circumference combined with high fasting triglycerides) is a simple, effective clinical marker for identifying visceral obesity and insulin resistance, superior to BMI or waist circumference alone.

If you have a large waist, check your fasting triglycerides. If both are high, you likely have visceral fat and insulin resistance, even if your BMI is normal. This 'Hypertriglyceridemic Waist' is a strong signal to prioritize lifestyle changes to reduce visceral fat.

Dietary supplementation with arginine, glutamine, and cysteine precursors enhances immune function and reduces morbidity/mortality in subjects with malnutrition or infectious disease.

If you are recovering from surgery, dealing with a serious infection, or suffering from malnutrition, ensuring adequate intake of arginine, glutamine, and cysteine precursors may support your immune system and recovery. For generally healthy individuals, the evidence for extra supplementation is less clear, and balance is key to avoid negative interactions.

Sleep serves to enforce rest and fasting, thereby optimizing metabolic processes (anabolism vs catabolism) at the appropriate phase of the 24-hour cycle.

Align your eating schedule with your active hours. Avoid large meals during your habitual sleep window to allow your body to perform restorative catabolic processes (like gluconeogenesis) without interference from incoming nutrients.

Sleep deprivation has a rapid antidepressant effect, likely by normalizing a deficient Process S (homeostatic sleep pressure).

For individuals with depression, sleep deprivation can induce rapid mood improvement, though this effect is often temporary. This highlights the importance of sleep homeostasis in mood regulation.

Combined oral contraceptive pills (COCP) are the first-line pharmacological management for menstrual irregularity and hyperandrogenism in women with PCOS.

If you have irregular periods or signs of high androgens (like hirsutism), combined oral contraceptives are the recommended first medication. Low-dose versions are preferred.

Partial sleep deprivation (sleeping <5 hours in 24 hours) has a greater negative impact on cognitive performance and mood than short-term or long-term total sleep deprivation.

Consistently getting less than 5 hours of sleep is more damaging to your brain and mood than staying awake for a full day. Prioritize getting adequate sleep every night over occasional all-nighters.

Biofortifying staple crops (rice, wheat, maize, beans, cassava) with micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Vitamin A) via plant breeding or genetic engineering is a sustainable intervention to combat global micronutrient malnutrition.

Support agricultural research that breeds staple foods (like rice, wheat, and beans) to naturally contain higher levels of iron, zinc, and vitamins. This is a sustainable way to improve nutrition for communities relying on these staples, reducing the need for external supplements.

Short sleep duration is associated with hormonal changes that increase hunger, specifically suppressed leptin and elevated ghrelin levels.

If you are struggling with hunger, check your sleep. Short sleep changes your hormones (leptin and ghrelin) to make you feel hungrier. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep can help regulate these hormones and reduce cravings.

Population-level interventions, specifically lowering sodium in packaged foods and increasing fruit/vegetable availability, effectively reduce blood pressure across entire populations.

Advocate for or support policies that reduce sodium in processed foods and make fresh produce more affordable and accessible in your community. Individual effort is often insufficient without these environmental supports.

SGLT2 inhibitors (e.g., Canagliflozin, Dapagliflozin, Empagliflozin) lower blood glucose through an insulin-independent mechanism by blocking glucose reabsorption in the kidneys, providing modest weight loss and blood pressure reduction.

SGLT2 inhibitors are oral medications that help your kidneys remove sugar from your body through urine. This lowers blood sugar without relying on insulin, making them useful even in advanced diabetes. They also help with weight and blood pressure. Watch for signs of urinary or genital infections.

Preventing weight gain through physical activity is a key mechanism for reducing the risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes, although physical activity itself provides independent protective effects beyond weight control.

Use physical activity to prevent weight gain, especially if you are already overweight. Even if you don't lose weight, maintaining activity levels is associated with lower disease risk compared to inactivity.

A minimum energy expenditure of 1,000 to 2,000 kcal per week from physical activity is necessary to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Aim to burn an extra 1,000 to 2,000 calories per week through exercise to protect your heart. This can be achieved through moderate activities like brisk walking, gardening, or cycling distributed across the week.

General medical inpatients have a high prevalence (57%) of vitamin D deficiency, defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D ≤ 15 ng/mL, regardless of whether they meet standard risk factors or consume recommended daily amounts of vitamin D.

If you are hospitalized, ask your doctor to check your Vitamin D levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D). Even if you are young, healthy, and eat a good diet, you may be deficient. The standard recommended daily intake may not be enough for you, especially in winter or if you have limited sun exposure. Do not assume your multivitamin is sufficient.

Subcutaneous recombinant leptin administration induces a dose-dependent reduction in body weight and fat mass in both lean and obese adults, with the majority of weight loss attributable to fat loss.

Daily subcutaneous injections of recombinant leptin can lead to significant fat loss in both lean and obese adults, with higher doses producing greater weight reduction. While the treatment is effective, it requires daily injections and may cause local skin reactions, though these are typically manageable.

Chronic sleep restriction (3-7 hours/night) causes performance degradation that stabilizes at a reduced level, and this adaptive state persists for several days after recovery sleep, preventing full restoration of baseline performance.

If you are chronically sleeping less than 7-8 hours, your performance will drop and then stabilize at a lower level. Getting back to 8 hours of sleep will not immediately fix your performance; it takes several days, and even then, you may not return to your original baseline. Prioritize consistent, adequate sleep to avoid this 'adaptive cap' on your cognitive capacity.

Prolonged sleep deficiency (short duration or disturbance) causes chronic, systemic low-grade inflammation, which is associated with increased risk of inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, and neurodegeneration.

Prioritize consistent, sufficient sleep duration and quality. Chronic sleep loss is not just about feeling tired; it actively drives systemic inflammation, increasing your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and neurodegeneration. Treat sleep as a non-negotiable pillar of immune health, equal in importance to nutrition and exercise.

Adequate sleep enhances host defense by improving infection outcomes and vaccination responses, mediated by the induction of a hormonal constellation that supports immune functions.

Ensure you get adequate sleep, especially around the time of vaccination or when you suspect an infection. Sleep actively boosts your immune response, improving vaccine efficacy and helping your body fight off pathogens more effectively. Prioritizing sleep is a proactive strategy for immune resilience.

Reduced muscle mass is a critical phenotypic criterion for malnutrition, measurable via body composition techniques (DXA, BIA, CT) or anthropometrics (calf/arm circumference) when advanced tools are unavailable.

Check muscle mass, not just weight. Use simple measurements like calf or arm circumference if you don't have advanced body composition tools. Low muscle mass is a key sign of malnutrition.

Prolonged sedentary time is detrimentally associated with adverse cardio-metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers (waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein, triglycerides, insulin, HOMA-%B, and HOMA-%S) independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels.

If you sit for long periods, your metabolic health markers (like waist size, blood fats, and inflammation) tend to worsen, even if you exercise regularly. To mitigate this, try to interrupt long periods of sitting with brief breaks (standing or moving) throughout the day, as this is associated with better waist circumference and lower inflammation.

Breaking up sedentary time with interruptions (breaks) is beneficially associated with lower waist circumference and lower C-reactive protein, independent of total sedentary time.

Don't just count total sitting hours; focus on breaking them up. Stand up or move for a minute every 30-60 minutes. This 'breaking up' of sitting time is linked to a smaller waist circumference and lower inflammation, regardless of how many total hours you sit.

The association between sedentary time and waist circumference varies by race/ethnicity, being detrimental in Non-Hispanic Whites, null in Mexican Americans, and beneficial in Non-Hispanic Blacks.

While reducing sitting time is generally recommended, the specific impact on waist size may vary by race/ethnicity. For Non-Hispanic Whites, the link is clear. For others, the data is mixed or even shows a beneficial association in Blacks, suggesting biological or environmental differences. General advice to move more remains safe, but individual responses may vary.

Consumption of wheat-derived dietary fiber is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.

Include wholegrain wheat products like bread in your daily diet to meet fiber needs. In the UK, bread alone provides 20% of daily fiber intake. This intake is linked to lower risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer. If you have IBS, look for low-FODMAP wheat options to manage symptoms while still getting fiber.

Wheat grain contains significant amounts of essential nutrients, including protein, B vitamins, and minerals like iron and zinc, contributing substantially to daily nutritional requirements.

Eat wheat products to get essential protein, B vitamins, and iron. Wholegrain wheat is superior to white flour because it retains more protein, fiber, and nutrients. In the UK, cereals provide 31% of adult energy and a fifth of daily fiber from bread alone. For those in developing regions, wheat is a critical source of energy and nutrients, though it may need supplementation with other food groups for a balanced diet.

Targeted colonic delivery of propionate via an inulin-propionate ester reduces acute energy intake and prevents long-term weight gain and intra-abdominal fat accumulation in overweight adults.

For overweight adults struggling with gradual weight gain, a specific supplement delivering propionate directly to the colon (10g/day) can help reduce hunger and prevent weight gain over 6 months. It works by triggering satiety hormones (PYY and GLP-1) in the gut. This is distinct from simply eating more fiber, which can cause digestive issues. Consult a doctor before starting, especially if you have liver conditions like NAFLD, as it may also reduce liver fat.