Browse the evidence

During COVID-19 peak-lockdown periods, US adults experienced significant longitudinal weight gain (mean +0.62 kg) driven by increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, frequent snacking, higher takeout frequency, and reduced physical activity, with these behavioral disruptions persisting for many individuals even after lockdown restrictions eased.

If you gained weight during lockdown, don't assume it will disappear once restrictions end. The study shows that risky habits like eating more ultra-processed foods, snacking frequently, and ordering takeout often persist. To reverse this, you must actively address the root causes: manage stress, improve craving control, and consciously reduce intake of processed foods and screen time, as these behaviors are linked to continued weight gain even after the pandemic context changes.

Poor sleep quality is significantly associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in medical students.

If you are a medical student, recognize that poor sleep is linked to higher anxiety and depression. While some high achievers sleep poorly, this comes with a mental health cost. Prioritizing sleep quality may help manage stress levels.

Anthocyanin consumption reduces oxidative stress and inflammatory markers (e.g., IL-6) and improves cardiometabolic biomarkers (lipid profiles, blood pressure) in populations with metabolic disorders or cardiovascular risk.

Incorporate anthocyanin-rich foods like berries, cherries, and pomegranate into your daily diet to help manage inflammation and support heart health. Focus on whole food sources or standardized extracts if advised by a healthcare provider, especially if you have metabolic risk factors.

Meat is a high-quality source of essential amino acids, minerals (iron, zinc, selenium), and B-complex vitamins, making it a significant contributor to human nutritional requirements when consumed in balanced proportions.

Include meat in your diet to ensure adequate intake of high-quality protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Focus on moderate consumption rather than elimination, as excessive intake is linked to health risks, but balanced intake supports overall health.

The fatty acid profile of meat, particularly omega-3 content, is significantly influenced by animal diet, with pasture-fed animals having higher polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations than grain-fed animals.

If you prioritize omega-3 intake from meat, consider choosing products from pasture-fed animals, as they tend to have a healthier fatty acid profile compared to grain-fed counterparts.

Dietary interventions including capsaicin, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and intermittent fasting promote white adipose tissue browning and metabolic efficiency, whereas a Western diet inhibits this process.

To support metabolic health and fat burning, prioritize a diet rich in specific functional foods like capsaicin (found in chili peppers) and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (found in fish oil). Additionally, consider incorporating dietary patterns like intermittent fasting or calorie restriction, which are shown to favor the browning of white fat. Avoid Western-style diets high in processed foods, which disrupt this process.

Physical exercise induces white adipose tissue browning through the secretion of myokines such as Irisin, FGF21, and Beta-Aminoisobutyric acid, which upregulate UCP1 and thermogenic genes.

Engage in regular physical exercise to trigger the release of myokines like Irisin and FGF21. These molecules signal your white fat to turn into metabolically active beige fat, increasing your energy expenditure and metabolic efficiency. The specific type of exercise is less important than consistency in triggering these hormonal responses.

The negative health effects of shift work are mediated by a complex interaction of circadian misalignment, sleep restriction, and social misalignment, which leads to maladaptive lifestyle behaviors such as poor diet, reduced physical activity, and increased smoking/alcohol consumption.

Acknowledge that your schedule makes healthy choices harder. Focus on small, sustainable changes: prepare meals during your day off, choose nutrient-dense snacks for night shifts, and try to get some movement even if it's short. Prioritize sleep quality as much as possible, as it impacts your ability to make healthy choices.

Adherence to a 'health-conscious' dietary pattern, characterized by high intake of fatty fish, nuts, fresh fruit, and vegetables, is associated with the most favorable micronutrient profile (including selenium, vitamin D, B12, and biotin) among university students.

To maximize nutrient intake as a student, prioritize a 'health-conscious' pattern: eat fatty fish, nuts, fresh fruit, vegetables, and low-fat yogurt. Note that this pattern was associated with higher food spending, so budgeting for these specific items is necessary to achieve the nutrient benefits.

Adherence to a 'convenience, red meat & alcohol' dietary pattern is associated with higher weekly food spending, regular/social smoking, low physical activity, and frequent consumption of take-aways.

If you rely on take-aways and ready meals, you are likely spending more money weekly than students who cook. This pattern is also linked to lower physical activity and smoking. Improving cooking skills and preparing meals from raw ingredients is associated with better dietary patterns and potentially lower costs.

Higher self-reported cooking ability is independently associated with adherence to 'vegetarian' and 'health-conscious' dietary patterns, which have more favorable nutrient profiles than the 'snacking' or 'convenience' patterns.

Developing cooking skills is linked to eating healthier. If you can cook a wide range of meals from raw ingredients, you are more likely to follow a vegetarian or health-conscious diet. Universities should promote cooking engagement to help students improve their diets.

Increasing the dose of plant-based protein (e.g., 60g wheat) or blending complementary plant proteins (e.g., maize/soy) can overcome the inferior anabolic response of single plant sources in older adults, matching the efficacy of animal proteins.

If you eat plants, don't just eat a small scoop of protein powder. You need to eat more of it to get the same muscle-building signal as meat. Try mixing different plant proteins (like rice and pea) to get a better balance of amino acids, or ensure you are getting enough total protein at each meal to hit the leucine threshold.

Prior resistance exercise and n-3 fatty acid (EPA/DHA) supplementation can sensitize skeletal muscle to plant-based proteins, enhancing the muscle protein synthesis response in older adults.

If you are older and eat plant proteins, make sure you exercise regularly and consider taking a fish oil supplement. This combination helps your muscles 'listen' to the protein you eat, making up for the fact that plant proteins are less efficient than meat.

Sarcopenia is associated with significantly reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to non-sarcopenic individuals, with a large effect size observed when using disease-specific assessment tools.

If you are an older adult experiencing muscle loss, do not dismiss it as inevitable aging. This condition, known as sarcopenia, is linked to a significant drop in your quality of life and independence. Seek a diagnosis using standard criteria (like EWGSOP2) to ensure you receive appropriate interventions, as generic assessments might miss the severity of your condition.

Edible crickets provide a high-protein, nutrient-dense food source with superior feed conversion efficiency compared to traditional livestock, making them a viable alternative for addressing global food security and malnutrition.

Consider incorporating cricket flour or whole crickets into your diet as a high-protein alternative to beef or chicken. They offer comparable or superior nutritional profiles with a significantly lower environmental footprint. Start with processed forms like flour in baked goods to ease into the taste and texture.

Crickets possess a favorable fatty acid profile with high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), which may help mitigate risks associated with high-saturated fat diets.

If you are watching your saturated fat intake, cricket-based foods can be a heart-healthy alternative to red meat due to their high PUFA and MUFA content. Look for products that highlight their fatty acid profile.

Crickets are a rich source of essential minerals (iron, zinc, calcium) and vitamins (B-group, A, C, D, E, K), offering a potential solution for micronutrient deficiencies in developing regions.

For those struggling with iron or zinc deficiency, cricket-based foods can be a potent supplement. They contain higher levels of these minerals than beef or pork. Ensure the crickets are processed to maximize nutrient absorption.

Beetroot juice supplementation significantly lowers systolic blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive individuals, primarily through the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway, though effects may be attenuated in diabetic patients or by factors that disrupt oral bacterial conversion.

For blood pressure management, beetroot juice (typically 250-500ml) may offer a modest reduction in systolic pressure, especially if you are hypertensive. However, do not rely on it if you have diabetes, as studies show inconsistent results in this group. Crucially, avoid using antibacterial mouthwash around the time of consumption, as the oral bacteria required to activate the nitrate are essential for the effect.

Persistent consumption of beetroot juice can delay postprandial glycemic response and reduce blood glucose peaks, primarily through the action of bioactive compounds like polyphenols and betalains, rather than just nitrate.

If you are concerned about blood sugar spikes after meals, beetroot juice may help delay and reduce these peaks, likely due to its polyphenol content. This effect is seen in healthy individuals and may benefit those with insulin resistance, but results are less clear in established diabetic patients. It is not a substitute for medical management of diabetes.

Dietary components such as proteins, medium-chain triglycerides, and indigestible carbohydrates (prebiotics) enhance magnesium absorption, while phytates, oxalates, and high fiber impair it.

To maximize magnesium absorption from your diet, include sources of protein, prebiotics (like inulin or resistant starch), and medium-chain fats. Conversely, be aware that high-fiber foods, phytates (in grains/nuts), and oxalates (in spinach) can bind magnesium and reduce its absorption.

Quercetin supplementation (100-150 mg/day) significantly reduces body fat percentage and BMI in overweight or obese adults, likely by modulating adipokine expression and oxidative stress.

If you are overweight, taking 100-150 mg of quercetin daily for 12 weeks may help reduce body fat and BMI. While results vary by individual genetics (APOE), it is a low-risk intervention worth trying alongside standard diet and exercise.

Curcumin supplementation (1g/day with piperine) improves metabolic markers like triglycerides and inflammatory cytokines in obese individuals, though it does not significantly change body weight or BMI.

Take 1g of curcumin with 5mg of piperine daily for 30 days to improve triglyceride levels and reduce inflammation. Do not expect weight loss, as studies show no change in BMI or body fat.

Resveratrol (150 mg/day) increases energy expenditure and reduces inflammatory markers in obese men, but higher doses (1500 mg/day) may be ineffective for these outcomes.

If using resveratrol for metabolic health, stick to 150 mg/day. Higher doses (1500 mg) have shown no benefit for energy expenditure in obese men. It may help reduce inflammation and increase energy expenditure, but does not directly cause weight loss.

Seaweeds are a nutrient-dense, sustainable food source that provides essential macronutrients (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) without competing for arable land or freshwater.

Incorporate edible seaweeds (like nori, wakame, or kelp) into your diet to boost nutrient intake sustainably. They are rich in protein, fiber, and essential minerals. Start with small amounts to assess tolerance and ensure products are sourced from regulated suppliers to manage contaminant risks.