Browse the evidence

Thiamine (Vitamin B1) is an essential micronutrient required for energy metabolism, and its deficiency leads to severe clinical disorders like beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, particularly in populations relying on polished rice or facing food insecurity.

Ensure your diet includes thiamine-rich foods like whole grains, meats, legumes, and nuts. In regions where polished rice is a staple, look for fortified rice or consider supplementation, especially if pregnant, lactating, or critically ill, as deficiency can be fatal.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly butyrate, produced by gut microbiota fermentation of prebiotics/probiotics, improve insulin sensitivity by activating G-protein-coupled receptors on L-cells to stimulate GLP-1 and PYY release.

Eating prebiotic fibers (like those in chicory, onions, garlic) feeds gut bacteria that produce SCFAs like butyrate. These SCFAs signal your gut to release hormones (GLP-1, PYY) that help regulate blood sugar and appetite.

There is no dose-response relationship for liver enzyme improvement beyond 60 minutes/week of increased physical activity in NAFLD patients.

You don't need to exercise excessively to improve your liver enzymes. Increasing your activity by just 60 minutes per week (e.g., 10 minutes a day) is enough to see significant benefits. Going beyond this threshold does not provide additional liver enzyme improvements, though it may help with weight loss.

Peripheral administration of PYY3-36 reduces food intake and 24-hour caloric intake in both normal-weight and obese humans.

Your body naturally releases PYY after eating to signal fullness. In obesity, this signal is often weaker. Research shows that replacing or boosting this hormone can effectively reduce appetite and calorie intake, even in obese individuals, suggesting that targeting this pathway is a viable strategy for weight management.

Low circulating levels of PYY are associated with obesity and reduced satiety in humans.

If you struggle with satiety, your PYY levels might be lower than average. This isn't a character flaw; it's a hormonal signal. Strategies that stimulate PYY release, such as protein-rich meals or specific surgical interventions, may help restore this natural fullness signal.

Oral L-carnitine supplementation reverses diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and improves glucose tolerance in obese, insulin-resistant states by restoring carnitine homeostasis and promoting acylcarnitine efflux.

If you have insulin resistance or are aging, your body may naturally deplete carnitine, leading to mitochondrial inefficiency. Supplementing with L-carnitine (300 mg/kg/day in rats, roughly 2-3g/day for humans) for several months can restore this balance, improve how your muscles handle sugar, and help clear metabolic waste products. This is most effective when combined with addressing the underlying cause of the depletion, such as a high-fat diet.

In older men (aged 65+), total testosterone deficiency (<200 ng/dl) and total estradiol deficiency (<10 pg/ml) are significantly associated with a higher prevalence of hip osteoporosis and an increased risk of rapid hip bone loss.

For men over 65, having low testosterone or estradiol is a strong warning sign for weak bones. If you have these deficiencies, you should get a bone density scan (DEXA) even if you feel healthy, as you are at much higher risk for osteoporosis and rapid bone loss than men with normal levels.

Transdermal testosterone gel (50-100 mg/day) normalizes serum testosterone and free testosterone levels in hypogonadal men with significantly lower discontinuation rates due to skin irritation compared to transdermal patches.

For hypogonadal men, transdermal testosterone gel is an effective treatment that normalizes testosterone levels with a much lower risk of skin irritation and discontinuation compared to patches. Dosing can be adjusted (titrated) to ensure levels stay within the normal range, offering flexibility and better adherence.

A modified heart rate (HR) method using minute-by-minute monitoring and a subject-specific 'FLEX' threshold accurately estimates total energy expenditure (TEE) in healthy adults when validated against whole-body calorimetry.

To accurately estimate your daily calorie burn using a heart rate monitor, you cannot rely on an average heart rate. You must perform a personal calibration session involving rest and light exercise to establish your unique heart rate-to-energy-expenditure relationship. Use a monitor that records minute-by-minute data and apply a 'FLEX' threshold to distinguish between sedentary time (estimated via basal metabolic rate) and active time (calculated via your calibration curve).

Antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPX, HO-1) are essential for skeletal muscle regeneration, as they regulate the viability, proliferation, and differentiation of muscle satellite cells and myoblasts, while also modulating inflammation and angiogenesis.

Muscle regeneration relies on a balance of oxidative stress and antioxidant defense. While antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPX) are crucial for protecting and proliferating muscle stem cells, completely eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS) may hinder the inflammatory signaling needed for proper repair. Natural upregulation of these enzymes through exercise or healthy diet is preferred over high-dose supplementation which might blunt necessary repair signals.

Physical activity stimulates the production and release of adiponectin, which enhances glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation through AMPK activation.

Engage in regular physical activity to naturally boost your adiponectin levels. This hormone helps your muscles take up glucose and burn fat more efficiently. You do not need extreme workouts; consistent activity can reverse the low adiponectin levels associated with sedentary living.

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and consumption increase adiponectin levels, particularly in individuals with low basal levels, improving metabolic and oxidative profiles.

Consider increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids through fish oil supplements or omega-3 rich foods like fish. This can significantly raise your adiponectin levels, especially if your baseline levels are low, leading to better lipid and glucose metabolism.

Consistent sleep duration, higher sleep quality, and longer total sleep duration over the month leading up to an assessment are associated with better academic performance in college students.

To improve your grades, focus on getting enough sleep, sleeping well, and keeping a consistent schedule throughout the week leading up to your exams, rather than just trying to cram sleep the night before. Consistency matters more than a single good night's rest right before a test.

Substituting saturated fatty acids with monounsaturated fatty acids in the diet improves insulin sensitivity, whereas substituting saturated fats with polyunsaturated n-6 fatty acids does not.

To improve insulin sensitivity, focus on replacing saturated fats (like butter) with monounsaturated fats (like olive oil or rapeseed oil). Simply adding more polyunsaturated fats (like corn or sunflower oil) or omega-3 supplements does not appear to improve insulin sensitivity on its own, according to this research.

High activity of the delta-5 desaturase and high levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in skeletal muscle are strongly associated with good insulin sensitivity.

While you cannot directly 'dose' desaturase activity, maintaining a muscle fatty acid profile that supports delta-5 desaturase function (via adequate unsaturated fat intake and physical activity) is linked to better insulin sensitivity.

Physical activity improves insulin sensitivity by altering skeletal muscle fatty acid composition, specifically by reducing palmitic acid and improving delta-5 desaturase activity.

Regular physical activity changes the fat composition in your muscles, lowering palmitic acid and improving enzyme activity related to insulin sensitivity, even if your diet stays the same.

Muscle strength is a significant independent predictor of mortality in older adults, with stronger muscle strength associated with lower mortality risk.

Focus on building and maintaining muscle strength, especially as you age. This is one of the most powerful things you can do to extend your life and reduce the risk of disability. Start with simple resistance exercises and progress gradually.

Low socioeconomic status, blue-collar occupation, female gender, and poor perceived health are significant predictors of physical inactivity in adulthood.

Recognize that socioeconomic barriers (cost, time, transport) significantly impact activity levels. For those with lower income or blue-collar jobs, prioritize accessible, low-cost activities and address perceived health barriers early.

Earlier physical activity, particularly competitive or recreational sport participation, is a key determinant of maintaining physical activity and reducing healthcare needs in old age.

Maintain physical activity from youth into old age. Early sport participation predicts better health outcomes and reduced hospital care in late life. For older adults, leveraging past active identities can help maintain activity.

Untrained individuals experience greater muscle hypertrophy than those with prior training experience, regardless of the load used.

If you are new to lifting, you will see faster muscle growth than someone who has been training for years, no matter what weight you use. This is because your body is adapting to a new stimulus. As you gain experience, you will need to increase volume (more sessions) to continue seeing similar gains.

Industrial dry milling and nixtamalization processing of maize significantly alters its micronutrient profile, typically reducing vitamins and fiber while increasing calcium, thereby necessitating targeted fortification to prevent micronutrient malnutrition.

If you rely on maize as a staple, be aware that processing (milling, cooking) changes its nutritional value. Industrial processing often removes beneficial fibers and vitamins. To maintain health, ensure your maize products are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, or consume a diverse diet to compensate for processing losses.

Nixtamalization (alkali processing) of maize improves the bioavailability of niacin and protein quality while increasing calcium content, making it nutritionally superior to unprocessed maize.

If you eat tortillas or arepas made from nixtamalized maize, you are getting better niacin and protein absorption than from raw corn. This traditional processing method is nutritionally beneficial.

Iron fortification of maize flour is a cost-effective strategy to prevent micronutrient malnutrition, provided the fortification program is implemented at an industrial scale with appropriate quality control.

For communities relying on maize, iron-fortified flour is a key tool to prevent anemia. Ensure that the maize flour you buy is from a reputable industrial source that adheres to fortification standards.

Peripheral administration of Peptide YY (PYY) (3-36) reduces food intake and body weight gain in rodents and reduces appetite in humans, primarily by acting on Y2 receptors in the arcuate nucleus and via vagal afferent signaling.

Peripheral PYY administration reduces food intake in both lean and obese humans. This suggests that therapies mimicking PYY (like GLP-1 agonists which often co-secreted with PYY) can help manage appetite by leveraging the body's natural satiety hormones.