What does the evidence actually say about your health?

Does allulose lower blood sugar after a meal?

Yes, but the effect is modest and works best when eaten alongside sugary food.

allulose decreases postprandial glucose

Do ketone drinks lower blood sugar after a meal?

Yes, modestly and short-term, but they don't improve long-term blood-sugar control.

exogenous ketones decreases postprandial glucose

Do ketone supplements actually raise blood ketones?

Yes — this is the one firmly proven effect, though the rise is only temporary.

exogenous ketones increases blood ketones

Does ground flaxseed lower bad cholesterol?

Yes, in people with high cholesterol, but it must be ground not whole, and may slightly raise it in healthy people.

ground flaxseed decreases LDL cholesterol

Does inulin fibre lower fasting blood sugar?

Yes, modestly, but only in people who already have type 2 diabetes, not in healthy people.

inulin-type fructans decreases fasting glucose

Do ketones switch off a key inflammation trigger?

Yes for the acid form, but only shown in cells and mice — and the salt sold in supplements appears inert.

exogenous ketones inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome

Does a probiotic raise an appetite-and-blood-sugar hormone?

Yes in one small human trial, but it rests on just 21 people and didn't improve insulin sensitivity or weight.

Lactobacillus reuteri increases GLP-1

Does mulberry leaf blunt the blood-sugar spike after a meal?

Yes, a compound in it slows starch digestion like a drug, but whether it survives baking into bread is untested.

mulberry leaf (1-deoxynojirimycin) decreases postprandial glucose

Do plant sterols lower "bad" cholesterol?

Yes — about 7-12% at the standard dose, but they need fat to absorb and some people don't respond.

phytosterols decreases LDL cholesterol

Does psyllium fibre lower the blood-sugar rise after meals?

Yes — strongly in people with diabetes, but barely at all in those with normal blood sugar.

psyllium attenuates postprandial glucose

Does psyllium fibre lower "bad" cholesterol?

Yes — well-established across many trials, and gentle on sensitive guts.

psyllium decreases LDL cholesterol

Do tree nuts lower bad cholesterol?

Yes, well-established across pooled human trials, though they don't change blood sugar.

tree nuts decreases LDL cholesterol

Can drinking ketones help the heart pump better?

Yes in heart-failure patients, but trials are short, from one group, and measure performance not survival.

exogenous ketones improves cardiac output

Does berberine lower bad cholesterol?

Yes, by about 20-25%, well-supported by pooled human trials, working through a different route than statins.

berberine decreases LDL cholesterol

Strong support Human trials 💰🔬

Does the rare sugar allulose boost an appetite hormone?

Yes, but mostly shown in mice; a clean human trial didn't see a reliable effect yet.

allulose increases GLP-1

Does fenugreek seed lower blood sugar after meals?

Yes, well-supported in people with diabetes or prediabetes, though it doesn't help cholesterol.

fenugreek decreases postprandial glucose

Does white kidney bean "starch blocker" help you lose weight?

Probably yes — a modest 1.6 kg, but it does nothing for blood sugar and is destroyed by baking.

white kidney bean alpha-amylase inhibitor decreases body weight

Leans support Human trials 💰

Does the rare sugar allulose help you lose body fat?

Probably modestly yes, but it rests on one short, industry-linked trial that was never repeated.

allulose decreases body weight

Does chicory-root fibre help you lose weight?

Probably modestly yes, but the effect is small and the main supporting study was industry-funded.

inulin-type fructans decreases body weight

Does cinnamon lower fasting blood sugar?

Probably modestly yes, but the evidence is shaky, results vary, and high doses risk toxicity.

cinnamon decreases fasting glucose

Does the sweetener sucralose harm insulin sensitivity?

Too early to say — human studies are mixed; harm shows mainly when paired with carbohydrate.

sucralose decreases insulin sensitivity

Insufficient Animal studies 🐭🔬

Does inulin fiber boost an appetite hormone?

Too early to say — the one careful human trial found no effect, even though inulin feeds gut bacteria.

inulin-type fructans increases GLP-1

Do artificial sweeteners harm your heart and metabolism?

Probably not — the scary signal is likely backwards, and swapping sugar for them looks neutral in trials.

non-nutritive sweeteners causes cardiometabolic harm

Leans against All trials, pooled 🔬

Do ketone sports supplements boost athletic performance?

No — pooled trials find no benefit, and the famous positive study didn't replicate.

exogenous ketones improves exercise performance

Does a sucralose byproduct damage your DNA?

No — the alarming lab studies are disputed, and a 2026 safety review found no concern.

sucralose-6-acetate causes genotoxicity

Diets

30 claims

Does intermittent fasting help you lose weight?

Yes, but the benefit comes mostly from eating fewer calories, not the timing itself.

intermittent fasting decreases body weight

Does a low-carb keto diet reduce hunger?

Yes — keto modestly curbs hunger, mainly by preventing the appetite spike that comes with cutting calories.

ketogenic diet decreases appetite

Does a keto diet improve blood-sugar control in diabetes?

Yes, in the short term, but the benefit fades over time as the diet gets harder to stick to.

ketogenic diet improves glycemic control

Does the keto diet raise bad cholesterol?

Yes, often dramatically in lean people, though whether that rise carries normal heart risk is unsettled.

ketogenic diet increases LDL cholesterol

Can keto plus a diabetes drug cause dangerous ketoacidosis?

Yes, combining a very low-carb diet with an SGLT2-inhibitor drug is a genuine, well-documented risk even when blood sugar looks normal.

ketogenic diet with SGLT2 inhibitor causes euglycemic ketoacidosis

Does low heart-rate variability signal a higher risk of dying?

Yes — a strong association, but it flags risk rather than being proven to cause it.

low heart rate variability correlates with all-cause mortality

Does a blood-fat insulin score predict early heart disease?

Yes — it beat bad cholesterol in one large study, but it shows association, not proven cause.

lipoprotein insulin resistance correlates with cardiovascular disease

Do combined cholesterol-lowering foods lower bad cholesterol?

Yes, stacking proven foods lowers it additively, approaching a low-dose statin's effect.

portfolio dietary pattern (combined cholesterol-lowering foods) decreases LDL cholesterol

Does a daily eating window improve diabetic blood sugar?

Yes, but the benefit is small and doesn't clearly beat simply matching calories.

time-restricted eating improves glycemic control

Does very high cholesterol on low-carb diets still clog arteries?

Yes — high "bad" cholesterol raises plaque risk however it got high; the popular claim that this pattern is uniquely safe isn't supported.

lean mass hyper-responder phenotype causes coronary atherosclerosis progression

Strong support Population patterns 🔬

Does low bad cholesterol prevent hidden artery plaque?

Yes, lower is causally tied to less plaque, but low cholesterol is no guarantee — plaque still appears in some people.

low LDL cholesterol decreases subclinical atherosclerosis

Do people eat less on a low-fat diet?

Yes, people on a plant-based low-fat diet spontaneously ate fewer calories than on a meat-based keto diet.

low-fat diet decreases ad libitum energy intake

Do blood-sugar-spiking carbs raise your diabetes risk?

Yes — strong evidence of a real causal link, though it comes from population studies, not trials.

dietary glycemic load increases type-2 diabetes risk

Insufficient Human trials 💰

Does regular cow's milk dull how fast you think?

Too early to say — the only trials that found an effect were funded by A2-milk companies.

A1 beta-casein worsens cognitive processing speed

Can cutting carbs cause a striking cholesterol pattern in lean people?

Yes — the pattern is real, but its proposed explanation rests mostly on one research group's work.

ketogenic diet causes lean mass hyper-responder phenotype

Strong support Population patterns 🔬

Does a very-low-carb diet lower blood-fat triglycerides?

Yes — well-supported, though the same diet often raises "bad" cholesterol.

ketogenic diet decreases triglycerides

Does saturated fat cause lean dieters' cholesterol surge?

Probably modestly yes it's energy-driven not fat-driven, but this rests on one small research network.

saturated fat intake causes lean mass hyper-responder phenotype

Insufficient Human trials

Do statins lower an appetite and blood-sugar hormone?

Too early to say — it rests on one small 40-person trial and is often exaggerated.

statin therapy decreases GLP-1

Does eating earlier in the day improve insulin response?

Probably modestly yes, but only from small short trials and the effect doesn't always hold.

time-restricted eating improves insulin sensitivity

Leans support All trials, pooled 💰🔬

Do coached low-carb programs help people lose weight?

Probably yes — but most data is uncontrolled, from one company, and likely flatters those who stuck with it.

therapeutic carbohydrate reduction program decreases body weight

Can food boost the effect of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs?

Possibly a little, but the drug already does most of the work, so any added benefit looks small and unproven.

dietary endogenous-GLP-1 stimulation increases exogenous GLP-1 RA drug effect

Does an all-meat diet ease inflammatory bowel disease?

Probably a modest hint, but the evidence is very thin — only a handful of self-selected people, no real trial.

carnivore-ketogenic diet improves inflammatory bowel disease

Leans support 🔬

Is keto better than low-fat for losing weight?

Probably yes for short-term loss, but it is not superior once calories and protein are matched.

ketogenic diet decreases body weight

Does fasting every other day raise bad cholesterol?

Unclear — evidence is mixed; one good year-long trial saw a rise, but pooled reviews found no consistent increase.

alternate-day fasting increases LDL cholesterol

Contested Human trials 🔬

Does fasting beat plain calorie-cutting for weight loss?

Too early to say — when calories match, fasting adds no extra benefit beyond simply eating less.

intermittent fasting decreases body weight

Contested All trials, pooled 💰🔬

Do low-carb diets shorten your life?

Unclear — evidence is mixed: animal-based versions look harmful, plant-based protective, from data that can't prove cause.

low-carbohydrate diet increases all-cause mortality

Does regular (A1) milk upset your stomach more than A2?

Probably not — clean independent trials pin the symptoms on lactose, not the protein type.

A1 beta-casein worsens gastrointestinal symptoms

Leans against Human trials 💰🔬

Does cutting saturated fat lower heart disease?

Probably not — the evidence is genuinely contested, with some trials showing no benefit or even harm.

saturated fat restriction decreases cardiovascular disease

Leans against All trials, pooled 🔬

Can a keto diet lastingly reverse type 2 diabetes?

Probably not — early gains mostly fade by a year as the diet gets hard to keep.

ketogenic diet induces T2D remission

Leans against All trials, pooled 🔬

Does lowering cholesterol more cut heart risk more?

No — across trials the link is weak, but this doesn't mean cholesterol is harmless.

magnitude of LDL reduction correlates with cardiovascular disease

Longevity & Aging

22 claims

Does eating fewer calories improve heart and blood-sugar health?

Yes, though it improves risk markers (not proven lifespan) and benefits fade if weight returns.

caloric restriction improves cardiometabolic risk factors

Does a Mediterranean diet lower heart attack and stroke risk?

Yes — among the strongest diet evidence, mostly from fewer strokes.

Mediterranean diet decreases cardiovascular disease

Does the Mediterranean diet help you live longer?

Yes, closer adherence tracks lower death rates, but it's observational so it shows a link, not proof of cause.

Mediterranean diet decreases all-cause mortality

Can gene "reprogramming" reverse age-related vision loss?

Yes, it restored sight after injury and ageing, but only shown in mice so far, with no human data.

partial reprogramming (OSK) mitigates age-related vision loss

Does metformin dampen the benefits of exercise?

Yes, blunting fitness and muscle gains in older adults — a real trade-off worth weighing.

metformin attenuates exercise adaptation

Strong support All trials, pooled 💰

Do NMN or NR supplements raise a key cell fuel molecule?

Yes — they reliably raise blood levels in trials, but that is not a proven health benefit.

NAD+ precursors (NMN, NR) increases cellular NAD+

Is ageing a treatable disease?

A viewpoint some researchers argue, not a proven fact — and only tested in cells and animals so far.

aging is a treatable disease

Does a key cellular energy molecule fall with age?

Yes, agreed across many labs, though it's an observed link and the human drop varies by tissue.

aging decreases cellular NAD+

Strong support Animal studies 🐭🔬

Can resetting cells make tissues young again?

Yes, but only shown in animals so far, with zero human data and real tumor-risk concerns.

partial reprogramming (OSK) improves youthful cellular function

Do vegetarian, plant-forward diets help you live longer?

Probably yes — fairly consistent, but it's an association and depends on food quality.

vegetarian diet decreases all-cause mortality

Strong support Population patterns 🔬

Do beans and lentils lower heart disease?

Probably modestly yes, but it's only an association and there's no clear link to strokes or heart attacks.

legume intake decreases cardiovascular disease

Leans support Animal studies 🐭

Do cells age because they lose their instructions?

Probably yes, but only shown in animals so far — in people the drift looks correlational, not proven cause.

epigenetic information loss causes aging

Do "longevity" proteins explain why eating less extends life?

Unclear — evidence is mixed, only in yeast and worms, and a careful study saw it largely vanish.

sirtuins enables caloric-restriction lifespan extension

Leans support Population patterns 🔬

Can DNA "clocks" measure how fast you're really ageing?

Probably modestly yes for predicting age, but it's only a correlation, not proof they track true biological ageing.

epigenetic clocks correlates with biological age

Leans support Population patterns 🔬

Do NAD+ booster supplements improve fitness?

Unclear — evidence is mixed to negative; better studies find no real strength or endurance benefit.

NAD+ precursors (NMN, NR) improves physical capacity

Contested Human trials 💰🔬

Does lots of animal protein in midlife shorten your life?

Unclear — evidence is mixed; one striking study reversed after age 65 and others find it neutral.

midlife animal protein intake correlates with all-cause mortality

Contested Population patterns 🔬

Does the red-wine compound resveratrol extend lifespan?

No — it only helped mice on high-fat diets, failed rigorous tests, and has no human data.

resveratrol increases lifespan

Contested Human trials 🔬

Does the diabetes drug metformin extend lifespan in healthy people?

Unclear — evidence is mixed and leans against it, resting on a flawed observation with no human trial yet.

metformin increases lifespan

Contested All trials, pooled 🔬

Do "Blue Zones" diets explain why people there live so long?

Probably not — the support is weak and the extreme-age records are often unreliable.

Blue Zones dietary patterns causes exceptional longevity

Leans against Population patterns 🔬

Does resveratrol switch on a longevity gene?

Probably not — four independent labs showed the original finding was a lab-test quirk, only ever seen in the lab.

resveratrol activates SIRT1

Leans against Cells in a dish 🐭🔬

Does falling cell fuel scramble how cells power themselves with age?

No — it held in mice, but human trials that raised the molecule showed no benefit.

cellular NAD+ attenuates nuclear-mitochondrial communication

Refuted Population patterns 🔬

Can today's treatments let people live to 150?

No, population data and the best models put a hard ceiling near 120–150 as an outer limit.

longevity interventions enables 150-year human lifespan

Metabolic & Cardiometabolic

38 claims

Can a gut bacterium's protein trigger a blood-sugar hormone?

Yes, but only shown in animals and lab cells so far, never in people.

Akkermansia muciniphila P9 protein induces GLP-1

Strong support Animal studies 🐭💰

Does oat fibre lower bad cholesterol?

Yes — oat and barley beta-glucan modestly lowers bad cholesterol at about 3 grams a day.

beta-glucan decreases LDL cholesterol

Does oat fibre lower the blood-sugar spike after a meal?

Yes — well-established, but only if the fibre is intact and not over-processed.

beta-glucan decreases postprandial glucose

Does saving carbs for last lower your blood-sugar spike?

Yes, eating veg, protein and fat first blunts the spike, though fibre and fat drive part of it.

carbohydrate-last meal order decreases postprandial glucose

Do different carb foods spike blood sugar differently?

Yes — equal-carb foods raise blood sugar very differently, beans gently and refined starches sharply.

carbohydrate foods differs in postprandial glucose

Does coarse chickpea flour lower blood sugar after a meal?

Yes, when coarsely milled so starch stays locked in cells; grinding it fine erases the benefit.

cellular chickpea flour decreases postprandial glucose

Strong support Human trials 💰

Does ezetimibe treat the rare disease sitosterolemia?

Yes, it blocks the plant-cholesterol over-absorption that defines the disease and is the treatment of choice.

ezetimibe treats sitosterolemia

Does a fat-and-vinegar starter flatten the blood-sugar spike?

Yes, by slowing the stomach, though the fat triggers a separate fat-storage hormone.

fat + acid preload before a carbohydrate meal decreases postprandial glucose

Does fiber ease constipation from Ozempic-style drugs?

Yes — but add it slowly, since too much too fast can worsen bloating.

dietary fiber mitigates GLP-1 RA GI side effects (constipation)

Can food proteins block a blood-sugar-breakdown enzyme?

Yes, but only shown in the lab and animals so far, and not yet proven in bread or people.

food-derived peptides inhibits DPP-4

Does freezing then toasting bread lower its blood-sugar spike?

Yes, this kitchen trick measurably blunts the spike, supported by human trials.

freezing then toasting bread decreases postprandial glucose

Does a gut hormone keep blood sugar down after a meal?

Yes — this is well-established core physiology, the same biology behind GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

GLP-1 limits postprandial glucose

Does a gut bile-acid sensor turn down the appetite hormone?

Yes — but only shown in animals and the lab so far.

intestinal FXR activation suppresses GLP-1

Can gut bacteria break down your appetite hormone?

Yes — the mechanism is consistent, but shown mostly in mice; the human contribution is unmeasured.

microbiota-derived DPP-4-like activity degrades active GLP-1

Does tailoring your diet with a glucose monitor improve blood sugar?

Yes — personalizing diet by your own glucose responses improves control, confirmed in independent trials.

personalized CGM-guided diet improves glycemic control

Does protein plus strength training protect muscle while dieting?

Yes, well-established, but only when paired with actual strength training, not protein alone.

high-protein intake + resistance training preserves lean mass during energy deficit

Does resistant starch lower blood sugar after a meal?

Yes for the post-meal spike, but its longer-term fasting effect is small and needs fairly large daily doses.

resistant starch decreases postprandial glucose

Do gut-bacteria bile acids boost your appetite hormone?

Yes as a mechanism, but only shown in animals so far — human evidence is correlational.

secondary bile acids stimulates GLP-1

Do plant compounds slow how fast starch digests?

Yes, but only shown in the lab and rodents so far, with hurdles like bitterness and baking breakdown.

starch-polyphenol complex decreases starch digestibility

Does vinegar with a meal blunt the blood-sugar spike?

Yes — one of the most reliable simple tricks short-term, though the long-term effect is weaker.

acetic acid decreases postprandial glucose

Do whole grains lower blood sugar after eating?

Yes, versus refined grains, and trendy "ancient" grains don't clearly beat ordinary whole wheat.

whole-grain intake decreases postprandial glucose

Can a gut-bacteria compound boost a blood-sugar hormone?

Yes, but shown mainly in animals and lab models, not yet proven in people.

microbial indole increases GLP-1

Can gut-bacteria compounds grow more blood-sugar-hormone cells?

Yes, shown in human gut mini-organs and rodents, but more cells isn't a proven real-world effect.

microbial tryptophan metabolites increases enteroendocrine L-cell differentiation

Does wholemeal rye bread lower insulin after eating?

Yes, by slowing sugar's entry to the blood, though over-fermenting the rye can blunt it.

wholemeal rye bread decreases postprandial insulin

Can a fibre-rich breakfast blunt your next meal's sugar spike?

Yes — a slow, fermentable first meal lowers the blood-sugar rise hours later at the following meal.

low-GI fermentable first meal improves second-meal glucose tolerance

Does intact-cell chickpea flour boost an appetite hormone?

Yes — human trials agree, though shown by only a couple of research groups so far.

cellular chickpea flour increases GLP-1

Does a gut bacterium improve how the body handles insulin?

Yes in one small human trial, but it's early and the authors have a commercial stake.

pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila improves insulin sensitivity

Does resistant starch help your body handle blood sugar?

Probably yes — a modest benefit, mainly in people who already have insulin resistance.

resistant starch improves insulin resistance

Does fibre raise the appetite hormone GLP-1 soon after eating?

Modestly and inconsistently — fibre's gut by-products can nudge it up, but short-term human results often don't show it.

fiber-derived SCFA increases GLP-1

Does a bile acid taken by mouth boost an appetite hormone in people?

Probably yes for the bile acid itself, but whether ordinary diet can do the same is unproven.

oral bile acid (CDCA) increases GLP-1

Does whole-kernel rye bread improve blood sugar at the next meal?

Probably yes, but it's mixed — the effect needs the grain coarse and intact, and one trial found nothing.

intact-kernel rye improves second-meal glucose tolerance

Leans support Human trials

Does eating many small snacks lower cholesterol and insulin?

Probably a modest effect, but one tiny seven-person study drove it and later trials are mixed-to-null.

increased meal frequency (lente carbohydrate) decreases LDL cholesterol

Does sourdough bread lower the blood-sugar rise?

Probably modestly yes, but it's not automatic — it depends on the culture, fermentation and flour, and one trial found no benefit.

sourdough fermentation decreases glycemic response

Does the prebiotic fiber GOS help control blood sugar?

Too early to say — it feeds good gut bacteria but the best trial showed no benefit.

galacto-oligosaccharides improves insulin sensitivity

Leans support Cells in a dish 🐭

Does fibre help your body respond to its own appetite hormone?

Probably yes as a mechanism, but only shown in the lab and cells so far, not in people.

dietary fiber decreases GLP-1 resistance

Does gut inflammation blunt the appetite hormone GLP-1?

Unclear — evidence is mixed, and almost all of it is in animals or the lab so far.

metabolic endotoxemia (LPS) causes GLP-1 resistance

Contested Animal studies 🐭🔬

Does this probiotic strain boost an appetite hormone?

Too early to say — a 64-person trial found no effect on the hormone, blood sugar or appetite.

Lactobacillus paracasei W8 increases GLP-1

Does tea block starch and lower blood sugar at meals?

Too early to say, but the cleanest human test found no effect; lab results don't translate at normal food doses.

tea polyphenols in a starch meal decreases postprandial glucose

Gut & Microbiome

8 claims

Can a modified starch carry a healthy fat to the gut?

Yes, it reliably delivers butyrate to the colon, but baking weakens this and no health benefit is proven yet.

butyrylated high-amylose starch (HAMSB) delivers butyrate

Does a gut fibre by-product make you burn more fat?

Yes in human trials, but the cleanest studies used a delivered form, so fibre-derived amounts are less certain.

colonic propionate increases fat oxidation

Does blood sugar after a meal differ person to person?

Yes, predicted by gut bacteria more than genes — which is why it's best measured individually.

postprandial glucose varies with individual and microbiome

Does the type of resistant starch change which gut benefits you get?

Yes — different starch types reliably feed different bacteria and compounds.

resistant starch structural type determines SCFA profile and enriched taxa

Strong support Cells in a dish 🐭

Is one gut microbe key to digesting resistant starch?

Yes, it's the essential first responder, though shown mainly in lab work rather than whole-person trials.

Ruminococcus bromii enables resistant starch fermentation

Can a gut-fibre fat make your body burn more calories?

Yes, but only shown in mice so far, not yet proven in people.

butyrate induces white-adipose browning and energy expenditure