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Welcome to Weekly.health’s 24th issue. Every week, we explore cutting-edge research, actionable advice, and science-backed nutrition insights to help you live longer and healthier.

Our aim is to help you live another 10 healthy years and cut your risk of age-related disease.

🗒️ In This Issue:

• 📚 Books We’re Reading Right Now

• 📈 Research Digest: What’s new in nutrition science

• 💊 Supplement Deep Dive: Creatine Monohydrate

• 🛍️ Recommendations

• ❤️ Support Weekly.health: Help us keep the research flowing

• 📘 Glossary of Terms: Definitions for technical terms in this issue

📚 Books We’re Reading Right Now

📈 Research Digest: What’s New in Nutrition Science

Here’s the best of recent nutrition research:

🧠 cMIND-style Chinese diet linked to less dementia
In an observational study of over 9,000 Chinese adults aged 65+, each 1-point higher score on the Chinese MIND diet (more whole grains, veg, fruit, soy, nuts, mushrooms/algae, garlic, tea; less sugar and salty cooking) was linked to 11% lower dementia prevalence. Medium and high adherence meant 18–24% lower odds. Try nudging one meal a day toward this pattern. (source)

🍱 Hidden obesity common among Chinese students
A survey of 993 Chinese university students found that 17% had hidden obesity - normal weight but high body fat - and 31% had low protein mass, both far more common in women. Fewer than half ate vegetables daily, and only 18% ate fruit daily. The study suggests boosting protein-rich foods and regular activity to improve body composition. A reminder: “normal BMI” doesn’t always mean healthy. (source)

Try our BMI calculator here. We calculate your BMI using your height and weight, but also use your waist circumference to determine if you have increased health risks that other BMI calculators might miss. Despite a mostly-Mediterranean diet, this writer’s BMI is elevated due to resistance exercise (higher weight due to more muscle, not fat). Our combined assessment shows that despite the strict ‘Overweight’ score, my waist-to-height is healthy, suggesting lower risk.

⏱️ Time restricted eating (TRE) + exercise works best for fat loss in midlife women
In a 12-week trial of 104 women aged 40–60 with overweight/obesity, combining an 8-hour flexible eating window with aerobic exercise (3×/week brisk walking/jogging/running) led to the greatest fat loss: −2.85 kg vs control and 10% average reduction. TRE or exercise alone helped, but far less. Waistlines also shrank most (−7.5 cm). If you’re perimenopausal, pairing meal-timing with regular cardio may be especially effective. (source)

😴 Mediterranean diet may help you sleep better
A review of 191 studies (2015–2025) finds that people who stick more closely to the Mediterranean diet tend to sleep longer, fall asleep faster, and have lower risks of insomnia and sleep apnoea - especially if they’re overweight. Its mix of polyphenols, omega-3s and fibre supports the serotonin–melatonin pathway, reduces inflammation, and improves gut and metabolic health. A simple win: add more plants, olive oil, and fish to boost both diet and sleep. (source)

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💊 Supplement Deep Dive: Creatine Monohydrate

Should you be taking taking creatine supplements?

1-minute verdict

Buy — If you lift, sprint, play stop–start sports, or you’re 40+ trying to keep muscle, creatine monohydrate is one of the most proven, safe, and cost-effective supplements. Expect small-to-moderate gains in strength and lean mass when paired with resistance training. There’s promising but still mixed research on cognition, but recent evidence supports small improvements in memory and function after sleep deprivation.

• Outcomes that matter;

  • ↑ Strength (bench +4.4 kg; leg press +11.3 kg pooled) in adults <50 with training.

  • ↑ Lean mass by ~1.3–1.4 kg in older adults with training.

  • ↑ High-intensity, repeated-sprint performance.

  • Small benefits in memory and processing-speed time; overall cognition mixed.

• Time to benefit: With loading, ~5–7 days; without loading, ~3–4 weeks of daily 3–5 g.

• Who should avoid / adjust: Known kidney disease; pregnancy/breastfeeding (limited data); anyone with raised serum creatinine on labs (ask for cystatin C-based eGFR).

• Upper limit: No official upper limit. Long-term intakes of ~3–5 g/day are well-tolerated in healthy adults.

Does it actually do anything?

Across many RCTs, creatine monohydrate plus resistance training improves upper- and lower-body strength (pooled differences ≈ +4.4 kg bench, +11.3 kg leg press) and adds ~1–1.5 kg lean mass in older adults—meaningful, low-effort gains when training is consistent.

Regulators also allow the claim that 3 g/day increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise (think sprints, sets of lifts). For adults 55+, creatine with resistance training is authorised to improve muscle strength.

For cognition, a 2024 meta-analysis shows significant improvements in memory and processing-speed time, but no clear effect on global cognition; evidence quality ranges from low to moderate, so this is promising rather than proven. (source)

A small study showed that typically 25g creatine supplementation improved cognition in sleep deprived adults. (source)

Dose & form

• Effective dose range:

  • Loading (optional): 20 g/day (4×5 g) for 5–7 days, then 3–5 g/day.

  • No-load approach: 3–5 g/day; muscle stores saturate in ~3–4 weeks.

• Form: Creatine monohydrate is gold-standard. Buffered, ethyl-ester, and other “designer” forms are not superior, only more expensive; ethyl-ester can be worse. “Micronised” just mixes better.

• Absorption / timing: Take daily at any time; consistency beats timing. Taking with carbs + protein can slightly increase retention; many people take the daily dose with a meal or post-workout shake.

• Testing: Creatine can raise serum creatinine (confounds eGFR). If you need a kidney check while supplementing, ask for cystatin C-based eGFR or direct measures.

Our pick - what to buy

Stack sensibly (optional)

• Creatine + protein (20–40 g) + carbs (30–50 g) post-training - supports muscle protein synthesis and can enhance creatine retention.

• Creatine + consistent resistance training (2–4×/week) - all meaningful gains occur when you actually train. (Regulatory claim in 55+ is explicitly tied to resistance training.)

Mechanism minute (for the curious)

Creatine increases intramuscular phosphocreatine, buffering ATP during intense efforts so you can squeeze out extra reps and higher training volume. Over weeks, that extra work drives strength and hypertrophy

Insulin-linked transport helps creatine enter muscle; co-ingesting with carbs/protein can raise retention a bit, but not essential.

Safety & cautions

• Creatine has a strong safety record in healthy adults at 3–5 g/day long-term. It does not increase cramps, dehydration, or heat illness; several reviews suggest neutral to protective effects. Common transient effects: mild GI upset (especially during loading) and 0.5–1.5 kg early weight gain from water. Stay hydrated.

• Kidneys: No evidence of harm in healthy people at recommended doses, but avoid if you have known kidney disease unless advised by your clinician. Creatine can raise serum creatinine without reflecting true kidney damage - use cystatin C-based eGFR if checking renal function while supplementing.

• Caffeine: Evidence on interaction is mixed. High caffeine doses may blunt some neuromuscular effects in older studies; newer work suggests no clear impairment. If you use lots of caffeine (>3 mg/kg), consider separating doses.

• Hair loss? A small 2009 study showed increased DHT (not hair loss); a 2025 RCT found no changes in DHT or hair measures. Current evidence does not support creatine causing hair loss.

🛍️ Recommendations

Discover the products, services, and retailers we’ve mentioned in past Weekly Health issues, all in one place so you can explore at your own pace.

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🙏 Thanks for Reading!

That’s the end of this issue of Weekly.health.

This newsletter is written by a small, independent team, led by James — who’s been following nutrition science for nearly 20 years and is now working towards a formal, industry-recognised qualification.

We’re based in England, so if you’re over the pond, you might notice a few strange spellings.

Our goal is to make cutting-edge, evidence-based nutrition advice simple, useful, and genuinely applicable to everyday life.

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We’ll keep improving with every issue. If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, we’d love to hear them (just reply to this email).

See you next week!

📖 Glossary of Terms in This Issue (Alphabetical Order)

A–Z Glossary of Technical Terms

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