Browse the evidence

Lifestyle modification (LSM) interventions significantly reduce diabetes incidence in adults at risk, and unlike medications, these effects are sustained for several years after the active intervention ends, although the magnitude of benefit declines over time.

Adopting combined diet and physical activity changes is the most effective long-term strategy for preventing diabetes in at-risk adults. While the protective effect diminishes slightly over many years, it remains significant (28% risk reduction) long after active counseling ends. To maximize longevity, focus on sustainable habits rather than short-term intensity, as the physiological benefits of weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity persist.

Real-time remotely monitored exercise-based cardiac telerehabilitation (REMOTE-CR) is non-inferior to traditional centre-based cardiac rehabilitation in improving maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in adults with coronary heart disease.

If you have heart disease, you can get effective cardiac rehab at home using a remote monitoring system. It involves 3 sessions a week for 12 weeks, where you exercise while wearing a sensor that sends your heart data to a specialist who coaches you in real-time. This approach is just as good for improving your fitness (VO2max) as going to a clinic, and it saves money and travel time.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation significantly reduces the risk of fatal and/or non-fatal myocardial infarction in patients with coronary heart disease.

If you have coronary heart disease, engaging in supervised exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is a highly effective way to lower your risk of having another heart attack. It is safe and recommended by major health organizations.

Higher leisure time physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality, whereas higher occupational physical activity is associated with increased risks of both outcomes.

Prioritize physical activity in your leisure time for heart health and longevity. Do not rely on your job's physical demands to protect your cardiovascular system, as high occupational activity may actually increase your risk of heart events and death. Aim for dynamic, conditioning-level exercise during free time, ensuring you have adequate recovery.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) reduces the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases (CVD, metabolic syndrome, cancer, cognitive decline) and all-cause mortality.

Adopt a Mediterranean-style eating pattern as your default long-term lifestyle. Prioritize plant-based foods (vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains), use extra virgin olive oil as your primary fat, eat fish and poultry moderately, limit red meat and sweets, and enjoy moderate wine with meals if you drink. Combine this with regular physical activity and social meals. This pattern is associated with the strongest evidence for preventing chronic diseases and extending healthy lifespan.

When resistance training sets are performed to volitional failure, muscle hypertrophy gains are similar across low, moderate, and high loads in untrained and recreationally trained individuals.

If you are new to lifting or have moderate experience, you do not need to lift heavy weights to build muscle. As long as you push your sets close to failure (where you can't do another rep with good form), lighter weights (high reps) will build muscle just as effectively as heavy weights (low reps). Focus on reaching that point of fatigue rather than obsessing over the specific weight.

Muscle strength gains are superior with high-load resistance training compared to low-load training, regardless of whether sets are performed to failure.

If your goal is to increase your maximum strength (e.g., lift heavier weights), you must use heavier loads (typically 80% of your 1-rep max or higher). While lighter weights will build muscle size, they will not make you as strong as heavy weights. Prioritize heavy loads for strength goals.

App-based mobile interventions significantly improve nutrition behaviors and nutrition-related health outcomes, including obesity indices, blood pressure, and blood lipids, with small-to-medium effect sizes.

Use a mobile app that tracks your food and provides feedback. Look for apps that use behavior change techniques like setting goals and providing social support. This approach has been shown to improve your diet and health markers like blood pressure and weight, even if the changes are gradual.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for insomnia disorder, with hypnotics recommended only for short-term use when CBT-I is unavailable or ineffective.

If you have chronic insomnia, seek Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) as your primary treatment. It is the gold standard recommended by all major medical guidelines. Use sleep medications only as a short-term bridge if CBT-I is not accessible, not as a long-term solution.

Improving the availability of low-calorie beverages in the home environment decreases SSB intake and body weight in adolescents with overweight or obesity.

For families with overweight adolescents who drink a lot of soda, deliver or stock water and diet beverages at home. This simple environmental change has high-certainty evidence for reducing soda intake and body weight.

Obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²) is associated with a significantly higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) even in individuals who are metabolically healthy (no metabolic syndrome criteria), challenging the concept of 'metabolically healthy obesity' as a benign condition.

If you are obese, your heart disease risk is higher than if you were normal weight, even if your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar are normal. You should still pursue weight loss strategies (diet, exercise, or medical therapy) to reduce this risk, as metabolic health alone does not negate the dangers of excess adiposity.

Supervised exercise interventions significantly improve self-reported quality of life (QoL) and physical function (PF) in patients with cancer during and following treatment, whereas unsupervised exercise does not produce statistically significant benefits for these outcomes.

For cancer patients, supervised exercise programs provide a small but statistically significant boost to quality of life and physical function compared to usual care. If supervision is not possible, unsupervised exercise alone may not significantly improve these self-reported outcomes unless the weekly energy expenditure is kept high. Prioritize supervised programs when available.

Semaglutide 2.4 mg administered subcutaneously once weekly, used as an adjunct to lifestyle interventions, produces clinically significant weight loss in adults with obesity or overweight, with efficacy superior to the previously approved GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide.

If you have obesity or overweight and have struggled to lose weight with diet and exercise alone, adding semaglutide 2.4 mg (a once-weekly injection) to your lifestyle changes can lead to significantly greater weight loss than lifestyle changes alone. This medication works by mimicking a hormone that reduces hunger and increases fullness. It is most effective when combined with a modest calorie deficit and regular physical activity. Previous medications may not be as effective, and this treatment offers a more durable solution for weight management, including maintenance over time.

A green-Mediterranean diet (enriched with Mankai, green tea, and walnuts, and restricted in red/processed meat) significantly reduces intrahepatic fat (IHF) and NAFLD prevalence more effectively than standard Mediterranean or healthy dietary guidelines, independent of weight loss.

To maximize liver fat loss, adopt a Mediterranean-style diet that specifically includes 28g of walnuts daily, 3-4 cups of green tea, and Wolffia globosa (Mankai) if available, while strictly limiting red and processed meats. This specific combination reduces liver fat twice as much as a standard Mediterranean diet, even when weight loss is similar. Ensure you engage in moderate aerobic exercise.

Testosterone treatment in older men with unequivocally low testosterone levels significantly improves sexual activity, libido, and erectile function.

If you are an older man with confirmed low testosterone and sexual concerns, testosterone therapy can significantly improve your sexual activity, desire, and erectile function. The treatment involves daily application of a gel, with dose adjustments to keep levels in the normal range for young men. While long-term safety requires more data, this study found no increase in prostate or heart issues over one year.

Testosterone treatment in older men with low testosterone improves hemoglobin levels and corrects anemia, regardless of the cause of anemia.

If you are an older man with confirmed low testosterone and anemia, testosterone therapy can significantly improve your hemoglobin levels and correct your anemia, regardless of the cause. The treatment involves daily application of a gel, with dose adjustments to keep levels in the normal range for young men. While long-term safety requires more data, this study found no increase in cardiovascular or prostate issues over one year.

Lorcaserin (10 mg twice daily) provides sustained weight loss without increasing the rate of major cardiovascular events compared to placebo in high-risk overweight or obese patients.

If you are overweight or obese and have heart disease or risk factors, taking lorcaserin (10mg twice daily) along with diet and exercise helps you lose more weight than diet and exercise alone, without increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke compared to just doing diet and exercise.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) provide high glycemic efficacy and facilitate weight loss in type 2 diabetes without conferring a risk of hypoglycemia.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are injectable medications that effectively lower blood sugar and help with weight loss in type 2 diabetes without causing low blood sugar. They come in daily or weekly formulations. Side effects like nausea are common initially but often improve over time. They are particularly useful for patients who need to avoid weight gain or hypoglycemia associated with other diabetes medications like insulin or sulfonylureas.

Tirzepatide (5, 10, and 15 mg once-weekly) provides superior glycemic control (HbA1c reduction) and greater body weight loss compared to placebo, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and basal insulin in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Tirzepatide is a once-weekly injection that lowers blood sugar and helps with weight loss more effectively than existing GLP-1 drugs (like semaglutide) and basal insulin. It works by mimicking two gut hormones (GIP and GLP-1). While it is very effective, it can cause stomach issues like nausea and diarrhea, which might lead some people to stop taking it, especially at higher doses. It does not increase the risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) on its own.

Strength training significantly reduces the risk of both acute and overuse sports injuries in athletes, with injury risk reduction being dose-dependent on volume and intensity.

Incorporate strength training into your routine to prevent injuries. It doesn't need to be extreme; focus on gradual increases in volume (repetitions) and intensity (weight). Start with a technique phase, then progress. It is safe for adolescents and adults, and studies show it reduces injury risk by more than half. Ensure you have qualified supervision and allow for adequate rest (approx. 72 hours for beginners).

Achieving 8.75 marginal MET-hours per week of non-occupational physical activity (equivalent to 150 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity) significantly reduces the risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and total cancer incidence compared to inactivity.

To significantly lower your risk of early death and heart disease, aim for 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous activity (like brisk walking) outside of work. This is the most impactful change you can make if you are currently inactive. Benefits are largest when moving from zero activity to this level.

The health benefits of non-occupational physical activity follow a non-linear dose-response curve, where the greatest risk reduction occurs between 0 and 8.75 mMET-hours/week, with diminishing returns above 17.5 mMET-hours/week.

You get the most 'bang for your buck' by moving from a sedentary lifestyle to a moderately active one (150 mins/week). Doing more than double that amount (300 mins/week) offers smaller additional health benefits, so prioritize consistency over intensity if you are busy.

Consuming 2 grams per day of phytosterols (PS) lowers LDL-C by 6-12% through the inhibition of intestinal cholesterol absorption.

To lower LDL cholesterol, consume 2 grams of phytosterols daily, split into two doses with meals. This can be achieved through fortified foods like margarine, yogurt drinks, or supplements. This intervention lowers LDL-C by 6-12% without affecting HDL-C.

An adjunctive dietary improvement program using the 'ModiMedDiet' significantly improves symptoms in patients with major depressive episodes compared to social support.

If you are struggling with depression, consider adding a dietary improvement program alongside your current treatment. The 'ModiMedDiet' focuses on whole foods, fish, and olive oil, and has shown large benefits in treating depression. It is feasible even when you feel fatigued.