Browse the evidence

Yoga intervention may delay or prevent the progression of type 2 diabetes in prediabetic or high-risk populations by improving glycemic control and reducing cardiovascular risk factors.

If you are at risk for Type 2 Diabetes, consider adding yoga to your routine. While this paper is a protocol for a future review, it highlights that yoga may help manage blood sugar and stress. It is presented as a less rigorous alternative to intense exercise, which might be easier to stick with if you find traditional workouts too demanding.

Tirzepatide (5, 10, or 15 mg weekly) produces superior, dose-dependent weight loss and glycemic improvements compared to insulin and GLP-1 receptor agonists in adults with type 2 diabetes and/or obesity.

Tirzepatide is currently the most potent pharmacological therapy for weight loss and blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes and obesity, outperforming both insulin and other GLP-1 drugs. It works by mimicking two gut hormones (GIP and GLP-1) to reduce appetite and improve insulin sensitivity. While effective, it carries a higher risk of gastrointestinal side effects like nausea compared to other treatments.

Once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg significantly improves cardiometabolic risk factors (waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, and lipids) in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes compared to placebo.

If you have overweight or obesity without diabetes, once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg, combined with lifestyle changes, significantly improves key health markers like blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol compared to placebo. These benefits require continued use, as stopping the medication leads to a reversal of these improvements.

Combining full and partial ROMs in a single training program may promote synergistic effects on muscle growth by targeting different muscle activation patterns.

Consider incorporating both full and partial ROM exercises in your training program to potentially target different muscle activation patterns, though this is a hypothesis rather than a proven fact.

Plyometric training may induce hypertrophy in Type II muscle fibers, but evidence is limited and conflicting regarding fiber-type specificity compared to resistance training.

There is not enough evidence to recommend plyometric training specifically for targeting fast-twitch muscle fibers over slow-twitch ones. Focus on whole-muscle hypertrophy strategies instead.

Combining structured exercise with wearable technology interventions to reduce sedentary behavior and increase non-exercise physical activity (NEPA) is hypothesized to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in older adults more effectively than exercise alone.

If you are an older adult at risk for heart disease, structured exercise is important but may not be enough on its own. Try to use a wearable activity monitor to track your daily movement and consciously break up long periods of sitting. Increasing your 'non-exercise' movement (like standing, walking around the house) can help lower your cardiovascular risk.

Implementing a ketogenic diet (KD) with very-low carbohydrate intake (<50 g/day) significantly reduces fasting insulin levels and promotes substantial weight loss in patients with obesity and insulin resistance who have experienced weight regain after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

If you have had weight loss surgery and are regaining weight, or if you are obese with high insulin but normal blood sugar, standard 'calorie counting' may not be enough. Consider a ketogenic diet (very low carb, high healthy fat) under medical supervision to lower insulin levels, which may help shift your body from storing fat to burning it, potentially leading to significant weight loss and reduced inflammation.

Tirzepatide, a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, produces dose-dependent weight loss (up to 20.9% with 15 mg weekly dose) and is recommended for patients targeting 15-20% weight loss.

If you need to lose a significant amount of weight (15-20%), ask your doctor about tirzepatide. It is a once-weekly injection that works by mimicking two gut hormones (GIP and GLP-1). Start at a low dose to minimize side effects, and gradually increase it over several months to find the right dose for you. It is more potent than older GLP-1 drugs.

CagriSema (semaglutide + cagrilintide) produces superior weight loss (22.7% at 68 weeks) compared to semaglutide 2.4 mg alone (16.1%) or cagrilintide alone (11.8%).

If you have obesity and need maximum weight loss, ask your doctor about CagriSema. It combines two hormones (GLP-1 and amylin) into one weekly injection. Clinical trials show it can help you lose nearly 23% of your body weight, which is more than semaglutide or tirzepatide alone. It is currently in Phase 3 trials.

A 1-year person-centered and culturally sensitive intervention, including continuous glucose monitoring and extended healthcare professional consultations, improves glycemic control (HbA1c) and diabetes management in non-Western, Arabic-, Turkish-, or Urdu-speaking individuals with Type 2 Diabetes compared to usual care.

For individuals with Type 2 Diabetes from Arabic, Turkish, or Urdu-speaking backgrounds, standard care may not be enough. This protocol suggests seeking a specialized, culturally sensitive program that includes continuous glucose monitoring, extended consultations with the same healthcare team, and education in your native language. This approach aims to improve blood sugar control and overall well-being by addressing language barriers and cultural needs.

Nutritional interventions (dietary patterns, education, or supplementation) improve blood pressure and glycaemic control in adults with hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes in low- and middle-income countries.

This paper is a protocol outlining how researchers will analyze existing studies. It does not provide a specific diet plan for individuals. However, it highlights that dietary changes are a key management tool for hypertension and diabetes, and that these changes should be adapted to local food contexts in low-resource settings.

Cohabiting with a partner receiving tirzepatide pharmacotherapy can induce significant weight loss and metabolic improvement in an untreated spouse through vicarious efficacy driven by shared environmental and behavioral changes.

If you are starting tirzepatide and live with a partner who has metabolic issues, your changes to food shopping and cooking habits may significantly benefit them too. Encourage your partner to monitor their health metrics, as they may see improvements in weight and blood sugar without needing medication themselves. Discuss these changes openly to ensure both partners are comfortable with the household shifts.

Obese adults with obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) should undergo weight-loss interventions targeting a sustained loss of 25-30% of body weight to achieve resolution of the syndrome, with bariatric surgery being the most effective method for achieving this threshold.

If you have Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome, standard weight loss may not be enough. You need to aim for losing 25-30% of your body weight to potentially cure the condition. Because this is a large amount, you should discuss bariatric surgery with your doctor if you are a candidate, as it is the most likely way to achieve this specific threshold and resolve the breathing failure.

Incorporating almonds as 15% of energy intake within an energy-restricted diet promotes greater weight loss and limits weight regain compared to carbohydrate-rich snacks.

To potentially aid weight loss, replace 15% of your daily calories with almonds (about 30g minimum) six days a week while maintaining a calorie deficit. This strategy aims to improve satiety and limit weight regain compared to eating carbohydrate-rich snacks.

Providing individualized Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) and Respiratory Quotient (RQ) data from indirect calorimetry during a weight management program is hypothesized to improve weight loss outcomes compared to standard care using predictive equations.

This paper describes a trial, not a finished result. However, the proposed method suggests that using a metabolic test (indirect calorimetry) to determine your exact resting energy needs, rather than using a standard formula, might help tailor your diet more effectively. The goal is to create a personalized energy deficit (up to 30% below your total burn) to improve weight loss success.

Higher BMI (overweight, obesity, and morbid obesity) is associated with a significantly increased lifetime risk of incident cardiovascular disease and a greater proportion of life lived with cardiovascular morbidity compared to normal BMI, despite similar or slightly higher all-cause longevity in the overweight group.

Maintaining a normal BMI (18.5-24.9) is associated with the lowest lifetime risk of developing cardiovascular disease and the most years lived free of heart conditions. While being overweight might not shorten your total lifespan as much as obesity, it significantly increases the number of years you will spend living with cardiovascular disease, reducing your quality of life and increasing healthcare burdens.

Blood pressure targets for most nonpregnant adults with T2DM should be <130/80 mmHg, with stricter targets (<1.8 mmol/L LDL-C) for those with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Manage your blood pressure to below 130/80 mmHg. If you have heart disease, aim for even lower LDL cholesterol (<1.8 mmol/L). This integrated control is crucial for preventing heart and stroke complications.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults, regardless of comorbidities, and can be delivered face-to-face or digitally.

If you have chronic insomnia, seek Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) as your primary treatment. It can be done in person with a therapist or via a guided digital app. This is the most effective first-line treatment for adults, even if you have other health conditions.

Benzodiazepines, benzodiazepine receptor agonists, and daridorexant are recommended for short-term treatment of insomnia (≤ 4 weeks), while orexin receptor antagonists may be used for up to 3 months or longer in some cases.

If CBT-I doesn't work well enough, your doctor may prescribe short-term sleep medication (like benzodiazepines or daridorexant) for up to 4 weeks. Do not exceed this duration without medical advice due to tolerance and dependence risks. Orexin antagonists may be used for up to 3 months in some cases.

Adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern significantly reduces the prevalence and incidence of metabolic syndrome and its components compared to nonadherence or Western diets.

Adopt a Mediterranean-style diet focusing on olive oil, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. This approach is proven to cut your risk of metabolic syndrome by half compared to standard diets, regardless of whether you restrict calories.

Sarcopenia is significantly associated with a higher risk of mortality in adults, independent of population type, sarcopenia definition, or follow-up period.

If you are an adult, especially over 50, muscle loss is a serious health risk that doubles your chance of dying, regardless of whether you live at home or in a facility. You should not accept muscle loss as 'just aging.' Get screened for sarcopenia (muscle mass and strength tests) and engage in resistance training and adequate protein intake to mitigate this risk.

Lifestyle modification, specifically weight loss, dietary changes, and physical exercise, is the foundational treatment for adults with MASLD, alongside optimal management of comorbidities.

Focus on sustainable lifestyle changes: lose weight through a balanced diet and regular physical activity. Avoid alcohol. Manage other health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure with your doctor.

Incretin-based therapies (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide) are advised for the optimal management of comorbidities like type 2 diabetes or obesity in adults with MASLD.

If you have type 2 diabetes or obesity, talk to your doctor about incretin-based therapies like semaglutide or tirzepatide, which can help manage these conditions and may benefit your liver.

Exercise interventions significantly reduce depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder or clinically elevated depressive symptoms compared to non-active controls.

If you are struggling with depression, engaging in supervised, moderate-intensity aerobic or resistance exercise is a clinically effective treatment. You do not need to commit to long-term programs to see benefits; shorter interventions (under 16 weeks) may actually yield larger symptom reductions. Aim for group settings if possible, as these showed large effects.