Browse the evidence

Calcium, iron, vitamin A, and zinc are the micronutrients with the lowest levels of adequate estimated intake globally, with strong regional variations in which specific nutrients are most deficient.

Focus on ensuring adequate intake of calcium, iron, vitamin A, and zinc, as these are the most commonly deficient nutrients globally. Tailor your diet to address specific regional deficiencies (e.g., iron and vitamin A in South Asia, calcium and folate in Southeast Asia).

Seven-day diet diaries demonstrate higher repeatability and stronger correlation with biological biomarkers (urine nitrogen/potassium, plasma vitamin C) than food-frequency questionnaires or 24-hour recalls.

For accurate health tracking, use a 7-day food diary where you record everything you eat, including cooking fats and brand names. This method is significantly more accurate than trying to guess your average habits (FFQ) or recalling just one day. The extra effort yields data that better reflects your true biological nutrient intake.

Myosteatosis (intramuscular adipose tissue accumulation) is a consistent marker of aging that negatively correlates with muscle strength, mobility, and insulin sensitivity, independent of total muscle mass.

For older adults, maintaining muscle strength and mobility requires attention to muscle quality, not just size. Regular physical activity can prevent the age-associated increase in intramuscular fat (myosteatosis), which is a key driver of mobility disability and insulin resistance, even if muscle mass remains stable.

High levels of myosteatosis are associated with increased mortality and poor survival outcomes in cancer survivors, particularly those with low muscle mass.

For cancer survivors, assessing muscle quality (via imaging like CT scans) is important for predicting survival. High levels of fat infiltration in muscles (myosteatosis) are linked to higher mortality, especially when combined with low muscle mass.

Elevated plasma concentrations of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), specifically leucine and valine, are strongly correlated with worsening glucose homeostasis (HbA1c) and insulin resistance in obese individuals, reflecting impaired amino acid catabolism and TCA cycle inefficiency.

If you are obese and have insulin resistance, high blood levels of BCAAs (leucine, valine) are a marker of metabolic stress, not just dietary intake. Focus on improving insulin sensitivity through lifestyle changes rather than simply restricting protein, as your body may be struggling to metabolize these amino acids efficiently.

In healthy young adults, higher carbohydrate intake is associated with increased soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R) concentrations, while higher dietary fat intake is associated with decreased sOB-R, independent of total energy intake and body fat mass.

If you are healthy and maintaining your weight, the type of carbohydrates and fats you eat may influence your soluble leptin receptor levels. Specifically, higher carbohydrate intake is linked to higher sOB-R, while higher fat intake is linked to lower sOB-R. This suggests that macronutrient balance matters for hormonal regulation beyond just total calories.

Higher carbohydrate intake is associated with a decreased Free Leptin Index (FLI), while higher dietary fat intake is associated with an increased FLI, independent of total energy and body fat.

The ratio of free leptin to its binding receptor (FLI) shifts based on what you eat. Eating more carbohydrates tends to lower this ratio, while eating more fat tends to raise it, even if your total calories and body fat stay the same.

Berberine improves endothelial function and reduces oxidative stress in human subjects.

In healthy humans, berberine supplementation (1.2 g/day) has been shown to improve blood vessel function and reduce oxidative stress. This suggests potential benefits for long-term cardiovascular health, even in the absence of diagnosed disease.

Cessation of creatine supplementation leads to a regression of muscle phosphocreatine stores to baseline levels within 4 weeks, although some gains in fat-free mass may persist longer.

If you stop taking creatine, your muscles' ability to perform high-intensity work (via phosphocreatine) will drop back to normal within about a month. However, the actual muscle tissue you built may remain for a while. You don't need to take it forever to keep your muscles, but you will lose some performance edge.

Greater day-to-day intraindividual variability (IIV) in sleep/wake patterns (timing, duration, quality) is consistently associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes, including higher BMI, obesity, chronic disease, depression, and stress, independent of mean sleep values.

Stop focusing solely on hitting a specific number of hours. Track your sleep consistency. High day-to-day variability in when you sleep and wake is a strong predictor of health issues like obesity, depression, and chronic disease. Aim for regularity in bedtime and wake time, not just total hours.

Sleep interventions, particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), reduce sleep/wake intraindividual variability (IIV), suggesting that stabilizing sleep patterns is a key mechanism of these treatments.

If you are treating insomnia, expect that your sleep will become more consistent, not just longer. Treatments like CBT-I work by stabilizing your sleep schedule, reducing the day-to-day chaos of your sleep patterns.

Younger age is consistently associated with greater variability in sleep timing (bedtime and wake time), while older age is associated with less variable sleep patterns.

Young adults naturally have more erratic sleep schedules. This is normal but carries health risks. As you age, your sleep tends to stabilize. If you are young, be aware that your erratic sleep may be harming your health more than you think.

A higher sodium-potassium ratio is significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and ischemic heart disease mortality in US adults.

To lower your risk of death from heart disease, focus on your sodium-to-potassium ratio, not just sodium. Reduce processed foods (high sodium) and increase fruits, vegetables, and dairy (high potassium). This balance is more critical than sodium reduction alone.

Saturated fatty acids (e.g., palmitate) activate inflammatory pathways via Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and Protein Kinase C (PKC) isoforms, leading to insulin resistance, whereas unsaturated fatty acids generally do not trigger this response.

The type of fat you eat matters for inflammation. Diets high in saturated fats (like those found in some animal products) can trigger inflammatory pathways that block insulin action. In contrast, unsaturated fats (like those in plants and fish) generally do not trigger this inflammatory response. Prioritizing unsaturated fats may help reduce metabolic inflammation.

Plant-based meat substitutes generally offer lower energy, total fat, and saturated fat compared to equivalent animal meats, but often lack nutritional equivalence regarding key micronutrients (iron, zinc, vitamin B12) and frequently contain high sodium levels.

When choosing plant-based meat substitutes, prioritize products that are fortified with Vitamin B12, Iron, and Zinc, as only a minority of products on the market include these. Be mindful of sodium content, as many products (especially mince) can have significantly higher sodium levels than their animal meat counterparts. Use the Health Star Rating as a rough guide, but always check the Nutrition Information Panel for sodium and micronutrients.

Reallocating 30 minutes per day of sedentary time to sleep duration yields beneficial associations with insulin, HOMA-S, and HOMA-β, suggesting that extending sleep can improve metabolic health markers similarly to physical activity, though with a smaller magnitude of effect on some lipids.

If you spend a lot of time sitting, try shifting 30 minutes of that sitting time into extra sleep. This can help lower insulin and improve how your body handles glucose, offering a metabolic benefit similar to, though smaller than, exercise.

Reallocating 30 minutes per day of sedentary time to light-intensity physical activity (LIPA) yields beneficial but smaller improvements in triglycerides, insulin, and insulin sensitivity compared to MVPA.

If you cannot do vigorous exercise, replacing 30 minutes of sitting with light activity (like slow walking or household chores) still improves your insulin and triglyceride levels, though not as much as brisk exercise would.

Chronic supplementation with the mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant MitoQ (20 mg/day for 6 weeks) improves vascular endothelial function, measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, in healthy older adults (60-79 years) with baseline impairment.

If you are over 60 and have signs of stiffening arteries or poor blood vessel flexibility, taking 20mg of MitoQ daily for at least 6 weeks may significantly improve your blood vessel function. This is a specific antioxidant designed to work inside your cells' energy producers, potentially countering age-related vascular decline.

In older adults with elevated baseline aortic stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity >7.60 m/s), chronic MitoQ supplementation (20 mg/day for 6 weeks) reduces aortic stiffness.

If you are over 60 and have been told your arteries are stiff (high pulse wave velocity), taking 20mg of MitoQ daily for 6 weeks may help reduce that stiffness. This benefit appears specifically for those who already have elevated stiffness levels.

Chronic MitoQ supplementation (20 mg/day for 6 weeks) reduces plasma oxidized LDL levels, a marker of oxidative stress, in healthy older adults.

Taking 20mg of MitoQ daily for 6 weeks can help reduce oxidized LDL, a marker of oxidative stress, in older adults. This suggests the supplement is effectively reducing oxidative damage in the body.

The decrease in insulin resistance is independently associated with the decrease in IL-6 concentrations, while the decrease in BMI is independently associated with the decrease in CRP concentrations.

While weight loss reduces overall inflammation, the specific inflammatory marker that improves most closely tracks with insulin sensitivity (IL-6) versus body mass index (CRP). This suggests that managing insulin resistance may require specific attention to IL-6 pathways, while general weight reduction impacts CRP levels.

Caffeine and methylxanthines stimulate adipocyte lipolysis by antagonizing A1-adenosine receptors and inhibiting phosphodiesterase, thereby increasing intracellular cAMP levels.

Consuming caffeine or methylxanthines can boost fat breakdown by blocking adenosine signals and preventing cAMP breakdown. This increases free fatty acids in the blood. While it contributes to fat oxidation, it is not a magic bullet and works best alongside energy deficits.

Inulin-propionate ester (IPE) supplementation reduces systemic proinflammatory interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels in adults with overweight and obesity, an effect not observed with inulin alone.

For those managing obesity, IPE supplementation may offer an anti-inflammatory benefit by lowering IL-8, a marker linked to insulin resistance. This effect was specific to IPE and not seen with standard inulin, suggesting the targeted delivery of propionate plays a unique role in reducing systemic inflammation.

Inulin supplementation promotes a bifidogenic effect (increased Bifidobacterium) and alters gut bacterial composition at the class and order levels, whereas IPE primarily affects bacterial populations at the species level.

If you take inulin, expect it to boost Bifidobacteria and change the broad structure of your gut bacteria. If you take IPE, expect it to shift specific species of Bacteroides without boosting Bifidobacteria as much, likely due to the high propionate levels inhibiting that specific growth. Both interventions alter the microbiome, but in distinct ways.