Save time with our Study Summaries. Whether you’re a health professional (physician, dietitian, trainer …) or an inquisitive layperson, our clear writing in plain language will make it easy for you to keep up with a high volume of new research.
In each summary, we situate the study and its findings within the broader literature and provide you with all the key details, such as dosage and duration. We also mention practical implications and major caveats, such as design limitations, flawed conclusions, or conflicts of interest.
Editor’s Picks (longer, more in-depth summaries) are tagged with .
Rewinds (older, still relevant, very interesting summaries) are tagged with ⏪.
March 2024
- The best diet is the healthiest one you can stick to
- Is there a limit to how much protein the body can use?
- HIIT vs. continuous aerobic training: Is there a clear winner?
- The vegan vs. omnivore twin study: can controlling for gene-nutrient interactions uncover the best diet for heart health?
- Curcumin may reduce body weight and improve cardiometabolic outcomes
February 2024
- Is morning or afternoon exercise better for metabolic syndrome?
- A prebiotic fiber alters the gut microbiome and improves mental health
- Alpha-lipoic acid may meaningfully reduce blood pressure
- Does eating carbohydrates last during a meal improve blood glucose levels?
- Raise fiber intake to lower blood pressure
January 2024
- Personalized nutrition for weight loss: should you diet according to your genes?
- Are omega-3s associated with fewer post-COVID-19 mental health conditions?
- Vitamin A levels and stroke risk
- The effect of switching from an unhealthy diet to a healthy diet on life expectancy
- Does supplementing with lemon balm improve mental health and sleep quality?
December 2023
- Caffeine improves exercise performance … if you have the right genes
- Ashwagandha for stress and anxiety
- How different amounts of walking influence fat burning and metabolic responses
- Eat more plants, reduce your risk of death and disease?
- How much protein is needed to maximize muscle protein synthesis in trained women?
November 2023
- The role of dose and frequency in vitamin D supplementation
- Time-restricted eating versus calorie counting
- Food intake and appetite during sleep restriction
- Can napping boost physical and cognitive performance following partial sleep restriction?
- Do omega-3 fatty acids increase BDNF levels?
October 2023
- The best types of exercise for reducing blood pressure
- The leucine trigger hypothesis: Debunked?
- Artificially sweetened beverages vs. water for weight loss and cardiometabolic health
- The battle of the plant proteins: pea vs. mycoprotein vs. a blend
- Cocoa flavanols improve cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults
September 2023
- Running on empty: The physiological consequences of underfueling
- "Beeting" personal bests in the gym with betaine
- Can a multi-ingredient nootropic supplement improve memory?
- Tea drinking and dementia risk
- Olive oil vs. butter: How does the type of fat consumed affect cardiovascular risk factors?
August 2023
- Could supplementing with glycine and NAC improve “hallmarks of aging”?
- The association between ultraprocessed food intake and cancer risk
- Does salt restriction increase blood sugar?
- Take a deep breath to reduce your (oxidative) stress
- Beverage consumption and mortality among adults with type 2 diabetes
July 2023
- Can uneven protein distribution negatively affect muscle gain?
- Which antioxidant works best for prostate cancer prevention?
- Can eating walnuts improve children’s cognitive development?
- Does mental fatigue impair exercise performance?
- Can N-acetylcysteine help with endometriosis?
June 2023
- Is magnesium intake linked to brain health?
- Good for what ails you? An umbrella review of physical activity for mental health
- Muscular failure and muscle hypertrophy: Taking the hard road to Gainzville
- Daily step patterns and mortality
- How much muscle glycogen is needed for high-intensity exercise performance?
May 2023
- Reducing a marker of biological age with high-intensity exercise
- Garlic extract for cardiovascular disease markers in people with heart disease
- Omega-3 fatty acids for improving cognition
- Does caffeine increase fat metabolism?
- Comparing slow and fast fat loss
April 2023
- The effects of partial repetitions in the initial range of motion on muscle hypertrophy
- Comparing higher-protein intermittent fasting to a heart-healthy diet for weight loss
- Chrononutrition practices and weight loss
- Does krill oil improve exercise recovery?
- Does the sweetener erythritol increase the risk of cardiovascular disease?
March 2023
- Calorie restriction improves biological aging markers
- Can cold exposure improve recovery after exercise?
- Exercise vs. caloric restriction for reducing visceral fat
- Exploring low-carb diets for high-intensity exercise performance
- Chili pepper consumption and the risk of gastrointestinal cancers
February 2023
- Does time-restricted eating impair muscle protein synthesis?
- Intermittent calorie restriction for diabetes remission
- Childhood fatty acid intake and the risk of islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes
- Does a higher exercise volume and intensity worsen the progression of atherosclerosis?
- Which “flavor” of intermittent fasting is the most effective for weight loss?
January 2023
- Arginine plus vitamin C supplementation for long COVID
- What type of exercise is beta-alanine best for?
- Complementary and alternative medicine for insomnia
- Plant-based meat and animal meat have similar effects on inflammation
- Green tea and coffee polyphenols may improve insulin sensitivity
December 2022
- Combining caffeine and taurine for improved physical and cognitive performance
- Nature nurtures the mind, but how?
- “Exercise snacks” amplify protein synthesis during long bouts of sitting
- Eat your greens: Mediterranean diet variation may enhance visceral fat reduction
- Can beetroot juice boost recovery from exercise?
November 2022
- Evaluating the combination of a low carb diet and time-restricted eating
- Nonnutritive sweeteners and the gut microbiome
- What’s the best form of creatine?
- The effects of diet on sleep quality in trained athletes
- What type of exercise is best to improve sleep quality?
October 2022
- Can carbohydrates exert ergogenic effects during resistance training?
- The effect of kiwifruit on gastrointestinal discomfort
- Inaccurate labels and claims on most “immune boosters”
- The effect of eating cooked and cooled potato on gut microbiota
- Adaptive thermogenesis — does it go away after weight maintenance?
September 2022
- Examining the potential health benefits of pistachios
- Steps per day and all-cause mortality: How much is enough?
- Hormonal changes from intermittent fasting
- Food processing: Pros, cons, and the future
- Curcumin for exercise-induced muscle damage
July 2022
- Could betaine help you set a new personal gym record?
- More alcohol, smaller brains
- More fruit and veggies, less stress
- Be mindful of your sleep
- Alleviating mental fatigue: What works?
June 2022
- Replenishing muscle glycogen after endurance exercise?
- Intermittent fasting promotes weight loss , at least in the short term
- Daily blueberries can improve cognition and fasting insulin
- A Mediterranean diet may alleviate depression outcomes
- A high dietary acid load is associated with cancer risk
May 2022
- More sets, more gains?
- Taking protein or amino acids postexercise might reduce inflammation and oxidative stress
- Sweet news about low- and zero-calorie beverages
- Omega−3s improved maternal health and birth outcomes
- Supplementing antidiabetic drugs with micronutrients for glycemic control
April 2022
- Cardiometabolic benefits of fasting
- Addictive attributes of food ⏪
- Better sleep with the MIND diet
- Taking zinc can alleviate PMS
- Taking 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily seems safe
March 2022
- Oats reduce some risk factors for heart disease
- Can sleeping more help you eat less?
- Oral hyaluronic acid alleviates skin aging
- Step it up: Can you walk your way to a longer life?
- Plants that (may) enhance cognition?
February 2022
- Psychological and biological resilience modulates stress and its influence on epigenetic aging
- Can antioxidants improve the sperm quality of men with subfertility?
- Late-night bright-light exposure shifts metabolism away from fat burning
- Nutritional strategies for psoriasis
- Can glutamine enhance the effects of a low-FODMAP diet?
January 2022
- Pesticide exposure can increase with a Mediterranean diet but decrease with organic food
- Does exercise adaptation vary with genetics?
- Chicken meat and a plant-based meat substitute had the same effect on muscle protein synthesis
- Coffee or tea? Why not both?
- Does concurrent training attenuate gains in maximal strength, explosive strength, or muscle size?
December 2021
- Low-FODMAP diets can reduce IBS symptoms
- Which probiotic strains can treat IBS?
- Nitrate supplementation boosts muscle power
- Familiar music might improve memory during cognitive decline
- A high-sugar diet may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
November 2021
- Caffeine, genetics, and obesity risk?
- Can resistance training reduce appetite?
- Keto diets and resistance training
- Vitamin K for cancer?
- Can arginine alleviate COVID-19?
October 2021
- Do you compensate for the calories burned through exercise?
- What causes PCOS, and how can you best manage it?
- Can a week of unrestricted sleep make up for long-term sleep loss?
- Does dark chocolate impact mood and emotions via the microbiome?
- Is caffeine less ergogenic if you consume it regularly?
September 2021
- Can lycopene or tomato products reduce blood pressure?
- Prunes may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
- Dark chocolate increases energy expenditure in women
- Does your metabolism slow down as you age?
- Excessive screen time is associated with developmental delay in young children
August 2021
- Can anthocyanins benefit cognition?
- For cognition, EPA is better than DHA
- Mindfulness interventions for ADHD
- Do artificial sweeteners affect the gut microbiota?
- Can time-restricted eating improve body composition?
July 2021
- Does coffee make you live longer?
- Dark chocolate will win your heart
- Do citrus fruits increase the risk of skin cancer
- What is the optimal amount of fruit and vegetables for long-term health?
- Is it true that weight loss can result in a “slow metabolism”?
June 2021
- Topical nutrients may provide benefits for male pattern baldness
- Examining the effects of melatonin on cognition
- Yoga may be better than a sleep-hygiene routine for insomnia relief
- Certain biophenols alleviate irritable bowel syndrome andinflammatory bowel disease
- Dietary creatine is linked to higher cognitive function in older adults
May 2021
- Can vitamin B2 prevent or treat migraines?
- Can vitamin C mitigate type 2 diabetes?
- Are phytonutrients cardioprotective?
- Which nutrition education strategy is best for type 1 diabetes?
- Is weight loss contagious?
April 2021
- Eggs or cereal — which breakfast makes you eat less for lunch?
- Based on the evolutionary biology of human inactivity, should you ditch your desk chair?
- Which interventions can improve your skin barrier?
- Can you take taurine to burn more fat during aerobic exercise?
- Does the menstrual cycle affect exercise performance?
March 2021
- What factors determine weight-loss maintenance?
- Sleep deprivation decreases testosterone levels and muscle protein synthesis
- Effects of various supplements on sleep quality ?
- Examining the relationship between physical activity levels and CVD risk
- Is calcium supplementation increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease?