Browse the evidence

Edible insects (specifically larvae of Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domesticus, and Gonimbrasia belina) provide a nutritional profile comparable to or superior to traditional meats, offering high-quality protein, essential amino acids, and favorable fatty acid ratios (PUFA/SFA) with lower environmental impact.

Incorporate commercially available edible insect species (like mealworms or crickets) into your diet as a protein source. They offer complete protein and often higher levels of minerals like zinc and iron compared to many meats. Start with processed forms (e.g., insect flour in baked goods) to ease into the taste and texture if you are new to entomophagy.

Favorable inflammatory status (lower C3, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, PAI-1, and WBC; higher adiponectin) is positively associated with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically healthy nonobese (MHNO) phenotypes, distinguishing them from metabolically unhealthy counterparts regardless of BMI.

If you are obese, your health risk is not automatically high. Your body's inflammatory markers (like CRP and IL-6) and hormones (like adiponectin) play a crucial role. Getting these tested can help distinguish between 'metabolically healthy obesity' and 'metabolically unhealthy obesity,' guiding whether you need aggressive intervention or just monitoring. Focus on reducing inflammation through lifestyle, as it may be a key lever for metabolic health independent of weight loss.

Increasing meal frequency (nibbling) does not enhance weight loss or total 24-hour energy expenditure compared to fewer, larger meals (gorging) during energy restriction.

You do not need to eat 6 small meals a day to lose weight. Whether you eat 3 large meals or 6 small ones, your body burns roughly the same amount of energy over 24 hours if the total calories are the same. Choose the meal frequency that helps you stick to your calorie goal and feel satisfied.

Dietary interventions can rapidly alter gut microbiota composition and function, but long-term changes require sustained dietary habits, and individual response varies significantly based on baseline microbial richness.

Changing your diet quickly changes your gut bacteria, but keeping those changes requires long-term habits. If you have a diverse microbiome already, drastic dietary changes might have less impact on your bacteria than if you have low diversity. Focus on consistent, healthy eating patterns.

Pharmacological activation of the AMPK pathway using agents such as metformin or AICAR improves glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes models.

If you are at high risk for type 2 diabetes, lifestyle changes are the most effective first step. However, if lifestyle changes alone are not enough, metformin is a proven medication that can significantly reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

Regular consumption of non-soya pulses significantly reduces fasting serum triacylglycerol levels.

Adding pulses to your diet not only helps cholesterol but can also significantly lower triglycerides, another key marker for heart health. Aim for daily inclusion of beans, lentils, or peas.

High levels of proinflammatory cytokines TWEAK and TNF-α are associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia, while metabolic hormones IGF1, insulin, and adiponectin are associated with a decreased risk.

If you are over 60, getting your blood checked for inflammatory markers like TWEAK and TNF-α, and metabolic hormones like IGF1 and insulin, might provide a clearer picture of your muscle health risk than just looking at weight. High levels of these markers are linked to a much higher risk of sarcopenia. However, the good news is that lifestyle changes, specifically resistance training and whey protein supplementation, can significantly lower these inflammatory markers and improve muscle mass.

Activation of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 (TLR2/4) by saturated fatty acids and endotoxins drives chronic low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Focus on reducing saturated fat intake and improving gut health to lower the triggers (endotoxins/FFAs) that activate inflammatory receptors (TLRs). This can help reduce the chronic inflammation that drives insulin resistance.

Exercise and caloric restriction can downregulate TLR2 and TLR4 expression and signaling, thereby reducing inflammation in obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Engage in regular, strenuous exercise and aim for weight loss through caloric restriction. These actions directly reduce the expression of inflammatory receptors (TLRs) on immune cells, helping to improve insulin sensitivity.

Consumption of prebiotic non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDOs) such as inulin, FOS, and GOS improves calcium absorption and bone mineral density, particularly in adolescents and postmenopausal women, through mechanisms involving gut microbiota fermentation, short-chain fatty acid production, and reduced intestinal pH.

To support bone health, incorporate prebiotic fibers like inulin, FOS, or GOS into your diet. These are found in foods like chicory root, garlic, onions, and bananas, or taken as supplements. Research suggests they help your body absorb more calcium, which is beneficial for bone density, especially if you are a teenager or postmenopausal. Start with small amounts to avoid digestive discomfort.

Regular consumption of tomato products, particularly those rich in lycopene and phenolic compounds, reduces systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, thereby lowering the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, obesity-related metabolic syndrome, and certain cancers.

Incorporate tomatoes regularly into your diet, preferably cooked or processed (like sauce or paste), to maximize the absorption of lycopene and other beneficial phytochemicals. This supports long-term health by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, which are linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer risk. Do not rely on isolated lycopene supplements, as whole tomato products appear to offer superior anti-inflammatory benefits.

Heat processing of tomatoes increases the bioavailability of lycopene, thereby enhancing its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects compared to raw tomatoes, despite some loss of heat-sensitive nutrients like Vitamin C.

Cook your tomatoes (e.g., in sauces or pastes) to maximize the absorption of lycopene. This makes the key antioxidant more available to your body than eating them raw, although you may lose some Vitamin C. A mix of raw and cooked tomatoes is likely optimal.

Betaine supplementation significantly lowers post-methionine load total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations, with a stronger effect observed in individuals not receiving folic acid supplementation.

If you are not taking folic acid supplements, betaine supplementation (550mg) can help lower homocysteine levels, especially after a protein load. If you already take folic acid, betaine adds little extra benefit for homocysteine reduction.

Choline and betaine deficiencies cause fatty liver and muscle disturbances by disrupting lipid metabolism and energy partitioning, independent of their methylation roles.

Ensure adequate intake of choline (eggs, meat) and betaine (beets, wheat bran) to support liver health and fat metabolism, especially if you have a high-fat diet or consume alcohol.

A diabetes risk score based on non-laboratory variables (age, sex, BMI, waist circumference, hypertension, family history) effectively identifies high-risk individuals for early intervention, performing nearly as well as models including laboratory tests.

You can estimate your risk of developing type 2 diabetes using simple, non-invasive measurements: your age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, whether you have high blood pressure, and if your parents or siblings have diabetes. If your calculated risk score is high (e.g., 6 or higher on this specific scale), it is a strong indicator to consult a healthcare provider for further testing and to adopt healthier lifestyle habits, such as improved diet and exercise, to potentially delay or prevent the onset of diabetes.

In patients with chronic low back pain, stabilisation training combined with dynamic-static resistance training (incorporating a 5-second static hold between concentric and eccentric phases) significantly increases the cross-sectional area of the lumbar multifidus muscle, whereas stabilisation training alone or stabilisation combined with pure dynamic resistance does not.

If you have chronic back pain and multifidus atrophy, gentle stabilisation exercises or standard dynamic lifting alone will not rebuild the muscle. You need a specific protocol: combine stabilisation with resistance training at 70% of your one-rep max, performing 15-18 reps, but crucially, insert a 5-second static hold between the lifting and lowering phases. This 'dynamic-static' approach is required to trigger hypertrophy in the deep back muscles.

Selenium supplementation (200 µg/day) reduces the risk of prostate cancer, particularly in individuals with low baseline selenium status.

If you are selenium deficient, supplementation with 200 µg/day of selenium (e.g., from yeast) may help reduce your risk of prostate cancer. However, if you already have high selenium levels, you should avoid high-dose supplementation due to potential risks like increased diabetes risk. Get your levels checked first.

Selenium supplementation increases CD4-positive cell counts and decreases viral RNA titres in AIDS patients, suggesting it as a promising adjuvant therapy.

For AIDS patients who are selenium deficient, supplementation may help increase CD4 counts and reduce viral load. It should be considered as an adjuvant therapy, not a replacement for standard antiviral treatment.

Higher cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak) significantly reduces the risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events in men, independent of conventional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and lipid profiles.

Get your cardiorespiratory fitness measured via a maximal exercise test (VO2peak). This single metric is one of the strongest predictors of your heart disease risk, potentially more important than your cholesterol or blood pressure numbers. If your fitness is low, especially if you have other risk factors, prioritize increasing your aerobic capacity through training to significantly lower your risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiac events.

In older women, objectively measured poor sleep (short/long duration, high fragmentation, or excessive napping) is associated with significantly worse neuromuscular performance and higher odds of functional limitations.

For older women, maintaining sleep between 6 and 7.5 hours and minimizing nighttime awakenings is crucial for preserving walking speed and the ability to perform daily tasks like standing from a chair. Excessive daytime napping (over 1 hour) is also linked to functional limitations. Prioritizing consolidated nighttime sleep over long naps may help preserve physical independence.

High wake after sleep onset (WASO ≥1.6 hours) is associated with significantly higher odds (1.8x) of functional limitations in older women, independent of sleep duration.

Frequent nighttime awakenings (over 1.6 hours of being awake after initially falling asleep) are strongly linked to difficulty with daily activities like shopping or climbing stairs. Improving sleep continuity, even if total sleep time is adequate, may help maintain physical independence.

Excessive daytime napping (≥1.0 hours) is associated with higher odds of functional limitations in older women, independent of nighttime sleep duration.

For older women, napping for more than 1 hour during the day is linked to a higher risk of having difficulty with daily tasks. While short naps may be harmless, excessive daytime sleep might be a sign of underlying sleep issues or contribute to functional decline.

Frequent loud snoring significantly predicts the development of metabolic syndrome in community-dwelling adults, independent of the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI).

If you frequently snore loudly, it is not just a sleep issue; it is a specific risk factor for developing metabolic syndrome. You should discuss this symptom with your healthcare provider, as it may indicate a need for metabolic screening even if you do not have other diagnosed sleep disorders.

Difficulty falling asleep (DFA) and unrefreshing sleep are significant predictors of metabolic syndrome development, independent of loud snoring and AHI.

Pay attention to how long it takes you to fall asleep and whether you feel rested. These specific sleep quality issues are linked to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome. Addressing these symptoms with a healthcare provider may help mitigate this risk.