Browse the evidence

Chronic calcium deficiency resulting from inadequate intake or poor intestinal absorption causes reduced bone mass and osteoporosis by triggering parathyroid hormone (PTH)-mediated bone resorption.

Ensure you get enough calcium from your diet (dairy, fortified foods) to support bone health. If you are postmenopausal or elderly, calcium supplementation may help reduce bone loss, but it is not a cure-all and works best when combined with Vitamin D and adequate baseline intake.

Combined supplementation with calcium and vitamin D significantly reduces hip and non-vertebral fracture rates in elderly women and men, primarily by correcting Vitamin D status and reducing serum PTH levels.

If you are elderly, ensure you are getting both Calcium and Vitamin D. Studies show that taking them together significantly reduces the risk of hip fractures, likely by improving calcium absorption and regulating hormones that protect bone.

Aerobic exercise alone, without prescribed calorie restriction, produces modest but statistically significant weight loss (approx. 1.6-2.3 kg) in overweight/obese adults over 6-12 months.

If you cannot change your diet, start moderate aerobic exercise (150+ mins/week). You will likely lose 1.5-2 kg over 6-12 months. This modest loss still improves health markers like blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.

Coadministration of glucagon and GLP-1 increases resting energy expenditure by approximately 150 kcal/day and ameliorates hyperglycemia through a synergistic insulinotropic effect.

This research suggests that combining glucagon and GLP-1 hormones can boost your body's resting energy expenditure by about 150 calories per day without causing the high blood sugar spikes typically associated with glucagon. This happens because GLP-1 helps your body release more insulin, which balances out the glucose rise. While this was an acute study in healthy overweight individuals, it supports the development of dual-agonist drugs for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Higher body mass index (BMI) is significantly associated with a greater likelihood of underreporting energy intake in 24-hour dietary recalls, while older age is associated with a lower likelihood of underreporting.

When interpreting self-reported dietary data, especially from individuals with higher body weight, expect a systematic underestimation of calorie intake. Research models should adjust for BMI and age to correct for this bias, as it is not random error but a predictable pattern.

Myosteatosis is associated with insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia independent of total body adiposity (BMI or DXA whole body fat).

Metabolic health is not guaranteed by a normal BMI. Fat infiltration into muscles (myosteatosis) is a specific risk factor for diabetes and heart disease, independent of overall body fat. For those with normal weight but metabolic issues, assessing muscle quality (via imaging or functional proxies) may be necessary.

Both short (<6-7 hours) and long (>9 hours) sleep durations are associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with short sleepers having approximately 2 times higher odds of prediabetes/T2DM and long sleepers having 60% higher odds compared to normal sleepers (7-8 hours).

Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Both short sleep (<6-7 hours) and long sleep (>9 hours) are associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a consistent and adequate sleep duration is important for metabolic health and diabetes prevention.

Higher vitamin D status (serum 25(OH)D) is associated with improved insulin sensitivity and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, potentially mediated by increased muscle mass, reduced parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, and enhanced insulin receptor expression.

If you are at risk for diabetes or have been diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency, ensuring adequate vitamin D levels (via sun, diet, or supplementation) may help improve your body's sensitivity to insulin. This is particularly relevant if you have prediabetes. Consult a doctor to check your levels, as deficiency is common and linked to higher diabetes risk.

Vitamin D supplementation improves muscle function and reduces fall risk in elderly populations, which indirectly supports insulin sensitivity by preserving lean muscle mass.

For older adults, maintaining adequate vitamin D levels can help preserve muscle strength and reduce the risk of falls. This preservation of muscle mass is beneficial for overall metabolic health and insulin sensitivity.

High body mass index (BMI) combined with high total caloric intake significantly increases pancreatic cancer risk, with the highest risk observed in individuals in the top quartile for both factors.

To minimize pancreatic cancer risk, focus on maintaining a healthy energy balance. This means avoiding the combination of high body weight (obesity) and high caloric intake. Simply having a high BMI without high caloric intake did not show the same elevated risk in this study, highlighting that energy balance is the key factor.

Frequent consumption of cruciferous vegetables is associated with a significant reduction in pancreatic cancer risk.

Incorporate cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, kale, and collards) into your diet at least four times per week. This specific type of vegetable consumption is linked to a 50-60% lower risk of pancreatic cancer compared to low consumption.

High total caloric intake is associated with a significantly increased risk of pancreatic cancer, particularly in women.

Be mindful of your total caloric intake. Consuming high amounts of calories is associated with a 70% higher risk of pancreatic cancer compared to lower intake, with the risk being particularly pronounced in women.

Leaving formal education during early adulthood causes a significant increase in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and confectionery.

When you finish school or university, your diet is likely to get worse, specifically regarding sugary drinks and sweets. This is because you lose the structure of school. To prevent this, anticipate the change, limit your access to sugary drinks at home or work, and replace the 'snacking' habit with healthier alternatives during your new free time.

High dietary polyphenol intake, measured by urinary total polyphenol excretion (TPE), significantly decreases circulating inflammatory biomarkers (VCAM-1, ICAM-1, IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1) associated with atherosclerosis in high-risk elderly individuals.

To reduce inflammation linked to heart disease, incorporate extra-virgin olive oil (about 1 liter per week for the household) or a daily handful of mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts) into your diet. This specific increase in polyphenol intake, measured by how much your body excretes, is directly linked to lower levels of inflammatory markers like VCAM-1 and IL-6. This is most effective for older adults with existing cardiovascular risks.

Intentional weight loss reduces cancer incidence by lowering pro-inflammatory factors and estrogen levels, rather than by significantly altering IGF1 levels.

If you are overweight, losing weight is one of the most effective ways to lower your cancer risk. This benefit comes largely from reducing body-wide inflammation and estrogen levels, rather than just changing growth factors like IGF1. Focus on sustainable weight loss through diet or surgery, as these methods consistently show reduced cancer incidence.

Self-reported dietary assessment methods (FFQ, 24-hour recalls, food records) are inherently subjective and prone to significant error, including underreporting and portion size estimation difficulties, whereas dietary biomarkers provide an objective assessment of intake without these biases.

If you are tracking your diet for health or research purposes, rely on objective biomarkers (like blood or urine tests for specific nutrients) rather than just memory-based tools like food diaries or questionnaires, as these tools are prone to significant error and bias.

Plasma alkylresorcinol (AR) concentrations serve as a valid short-to-medium term biomarker for whole grain wheat and rye intake, with reproducibility demonstrated over multiple time points.

Plasma alkylresorcinol (AR) levels can objectively verify recent whole grain wheat and rye consumption. This biomarker is more reliable than self-report for tracking whole grain intake.

Urinary nitrogen is a valid short-term biomarker for total protein intake, though it requires multiple 24-hour urine samples to accurately establish protein status and may underestimate high intake while overestimating low intake.

To accurately assess protein intake using urinary nitrogen, collect multiple 24-hour urine samples rather than relying on a single sample, as this significantly improves accuracy.

Hair 15N levels provide an accurate medium-to-long term biomarker for dietary EPA and DHA intake, reflecting the previous two months of consumption, whereas blood 15N reflects a shorter period.

Hair 15N levels can accurately reflect your EPA and DHA intake over the previous two months, offering a more long-term view than blood tests.

Whole soy foods (e.g., soy nuts, tofu) significantly improve glycemic control and reduce blood pressure, whereas purified soy protein isolates or isolated isoflavone supplements often fail to produce these benefits.

To lower blood sugar and blood pressure using soy, prioritize whole soy foods like tofu, edamame, or soy nuts over protein powders or isolated isoflavone supplements. The fiber and other compounds in whole soy are necessary for the metabolic benefit; isolates often fail to deliver the same results.

The cardiovascular benefits of soy isoflavones, particularly regarding blood pressure and inflammation, are conditional on the individual's ability to metabolize daidzein into equol via gut microbiota.

If you eat soy and see no heart health benefits, you might be a 'non-producer' of equol. This is determined by your gut bacteria. While soy is still healthy, its specific blood-pressure-lowering power is mostly reserved for those who can convert it to equol.

High television viewing time is independently associated with elevated 2-hour postchallenge plasma glucose (2-h PG) and reduced insulin sensitivity in women, independent of physical activity levels and adiposity.

If you watch a lot of TV, your blood sugar response to food (specifically 2 hours after eating) may be worse, even if you exercise regularly. This effect is particularly strong in women. To protect your metabolic health, try to break up long periods of sitting with light movement, regardless of your workout routine.

Low Vitamin D status (serum <50 nmol/L) is consistently associated with frailty, muscle weakness, and increased mortality risk in elderly populations.

Check your Vitamin D levels if you are elderly or frail. Low levels are linked to muscle weakness and higher mortality. Supplementation is recommended for those at risk of falls or frailty, independent of bone health.

Interpretive front-of-package labels (Nutri-Score, Multiple Traffic Lights, Health Star Rating, Warning symbol) significantly improve consumers' objective ability to rank food products by nutritional quality compared to no label, with summary graded labels (Nutri-Score) outperforming nutrient-specific numeric labels (Reference Intakes).

Choose products with interpretive front-of-package labels (like Nutri-Score or Traffic Lights) over those with only numeric Reference Intakes. These labels make it significantly easier to correctly identify healthier options, especially for complex items like cakes and cereals. The summary graded design (e.g., A-E scale) is more effective than raw nutrient data.