Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
WWI is the best simple body measurement for spotting who’s at risk of heart disease among people with metabolic problems—even better than BMI or waist size alone.
Quantitative
A measure combining waist size and blood fats (CMI) predicts heart disease risk—but only up to a certain point; beyond that, higher values don’t mean higher risk.
Correlational
People with a large waist relative to their body weight are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke later on, even when you account for other health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Helping people change their habits works better when you meet them where they are—whether they’re just thinking about it or already trying—instead of giving them the same advice everyone gets.
Causal
People who are overweight but also have weak muscles and low strength are at much higher risk of falling, breaking bones, and dying early than people who are just overweight or just weak.
New weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro cause you to lose a lot of muscle and may weaken your bones, even though they help you lose weight fast.
Going on a very strict diet with very few calories can hurt your bones more than a moderate diet—even if you’re eating enough protein and calcium.
Eating more protein (about 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight) while dieting helps you keep your muscles and doesn’t hurt your bones.
Doing strength exercises like lifting weights while losing weight helps keep your muscles and bones strong, unlike just walking or cycling, which can make you lose more muscle and bone.
In obese animals, the fat tissue grows too fast for blood vessels to keep up, so parts of the fat don’t get enough blood and oxygen, which may trigger problems like inflammation and insulin resistance.
Mechanistic
In obese animals, fat cells with low oxygen may have fewer and less efficient power plants (mitochondria), making them worse at burning energy and possibly worsening insulin resistance.
When fat cells are starved of oxygen, they get stressed inside, which may interfere with how they respond to insulin and make metabolic problems worse.
In obese animals, fat cells that don’t get enough oxygen may die or stop storing fat properly, causing more fatty acids to leak into the blood, which can interfere with insulin function.
When fat cells don’t get enough oxygen, they make less of a helpful hormone called adiponectin that helps the body respond to insulin, which might make insulin resistance worse.
When fat tissue doesn't get enough oxygen in obese animals, it starts releasing inflammatory signals that may mess up the body's ability to use insulin properly.
When mice lack BAP31 and drink alcohol, their liver cells leak more enzymes into the blood, showing they’re more damaged.
When mice don’t have BAP31 and drink alcohol, their liver cells get overwhelmed with misfolded proteins, triggering a stress response that damages the cells.
When mice lack BAP31 and drink alcohol, their livers can’t store sugar properly, leading to low blood sugar and less energy for the body.
When mice don’t have the BAP31 protein and drink alcohol, their livers can’t fight off damaging free radicals as well, leading to more cell damage and signs of injury.
When mice lack a specific liver protein called BAP31 and drink alcohol, their livers store way more fat because they can't burn it off properly, making fatty liver disease worse.
Doing 8 weeks of strength training with your muscle either stretched or bunched up doesn’t make you much better at resisting fatigue — the improvement is very small and not clearly real.
Descriptive
When people train with their muscles stretched out, the longer their muscle fibers get, the more quickly they tire out during repeated efforts.
When people train with their muscles bunched up, the more their muscle fibers angle upward, the longer they can keep pushing hard before getting tired.
Doing strength exercises with your muscle bunched up for 8 weeks can make the muscle fibers angle more sharply, which might help them generate more force.