We’ve said, experts have said it, but we are not afraid to say it again and again: you cannot outrun a poor diet. A recent groundbreaking study lays out all the evidence, confirming what wellness experts already suspected. 

The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the summer of 2025. Researchers examined energy use across lifestyles, from hunter-gatherers to industrialized urbanites. It is not the lack of movement that is driving weight gain; rather, it is the food that people are putting on their plates. Let’s explore what science found out. 

Study: Diet vs. Exercise In Obesity

Is weight gain more about sedentary lifestyles, or eating too much? Most people are of the mind that if they exercise more, they can balance the effects of poor eating. This recent study is changing that narrative in a big way. The study looked at data from 4,213 adults across 34 global populations, including hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, farmers and modern city dwellers. Using the gold-standard doubly labeled water method, researchers measured energy expenditure to track real calorie burn (total, basal, and activity-related). Researchers then compared those results against body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI). 

This was the largest study of its kind, using the doubly labeled water method to track actual amount of calories burned per day. Basically, the method involves participants drinking water that contains stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. That allows scientists to accurately measure carbon dioxide production and total energy use over time. But researchers didn’t just look exercise; rather, they broke energy expenditure into three components:

• Basal energy expenditure (BEE): the calories burned at rest to maintain basic bodily functions
• Activity energy expenditure (AEE): the calories burned via movement and physical activity
• Total energy expenditure (TEE): overall amount of daily calories burned combining both BEE and AEE

What Did Researchers Find?

Researchers gathered numbers from BEE, AEE, and TEE and compared these measurements to participants’ BMI, body fat percentage, and dietary intake. The researchers noted the following:

• TEE generally increased with economic development, but that was because people were physically bigger (more lean mass and less fat). 
• After adjusting for body size, researchers found that BEE and TEE dropped roughly 6 to 11% in more developed populations. AEE did not vary that much in this group. 
• What was surprising was that energy expenditure only explained about 10% of the increase in body fat and BMI observed in wealthier populations. 
• As expected, bigger bodies burn more energy. Individuals in wealthier countries had higher TEE, but that was because they were bigger (more lean mass and body size), not because they were more active. 
• Activity levels were not super different, and AEE was pretty consistent across various populations. That means that hunter-gatherers did not burn a lot more calories than office workers. 
• The food people eat, especially ultra-processed foods, was linked to higher body fat percentages in populations in which dietary data was available. 
• Energy expenditure revealed very little about obesity. In fact, differences in energy expenditure only accounted for 10% of the increased BMI and body fat percentages in developed countries. 
• Diet quality, however, explained a lot more. Researchers noted that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was strongly linked to increased body fat. Populations relying on traditional diets (fresh produce, whole grains, and lean proteins) displayed lower obesity rates, despite varying activity levels. 

After researchers analyzed data across dozens of populations, they concluded that diet, especially the rise in ultra-processed foods, is the primary driver of obesity. Although exercise remains beneficial for overall health, it matters less than diet when it comes to preventing or reversing obesity.

How To Help Prevent Obesity

This study reframes the way we think about weight management. For years, public health messages have focused on exercise. While movement is essential for optimal cardiovascular health, mood, longevity, and muscle strength, this study confirms that exercise alone is not a reliable tool to prevent obesity. 

Researchers suggest people limit their consumption of ultra-processed foods, which are rich in refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and additives. What’s worse is that they are low in fiber. These foods are fueling obesity rates, even in populations that remain active. If you want to maintain a healthy weight, diet is the key to success.

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There is a common misconception about breast cancer, and it is thinking that you aren’t at risk if you don’t have a family history of it. The simple fact is that only 12% of people diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of the disease. There are other risk factors that you should be aware of, including a sedentary lifestyle and taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Health experts estimate that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Given that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s an important time for women to focus on prevention, education, and early detection. When you are knowledgeable about breast cancer, you can help reduce the risk of developing it and detect early issues. Continue reading to learn about five things every woman should know about breast cancer. 

Know Your Risk Factors

As is the case with many forms of cancer, risk factors vary from person to person. Family history, aging, and more are beyond your control, but understanding them can help you develop preventative measures. Statistically, women with close relatives (sister, mother, or daughter) who have had breast cancer have a higher risk. BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are genetic mutations, also significantly increase the chances of developing breast cancer. Early menstruation, late menopause, and not having children are other risk factors to consider. When you know your risk factors, you can work with your healthcare provider to create a personalized screening plan.

When To Start Screening

Ideally, you should have annual breast exams at the doctor’s office starting at the age of 18. Annual mammograms should begin between the ages of 35 and 40. Health experts also encourage women to examine their own breasts monthly at the end of their period when breasts are the most tender. You should know your breasts better than anyone, so you should alert your doctor if you notice any lumps, swelling, nipple discharge or inversion, or any other changes. 

Pay Attention To Breast Rashes

Inflammatory breast cancer is a very aggressive form of cancer that presents itself as a rash. Some of the symptoms include:

• Swelling
• Redness
• Pain and/or itchiness
• Severely enlarged pores on the breast(s)

Doctors tend to misdiagnose inflammatory breast cancer as dermatitis (a common skin infection) or mastitis (breast tissue inflammation) because it looks like a regular rash. If your rash does not respond to antibiotics within five days, your doctor may need to take a skin sample to test for cancer. 

Lifestyle Choices Make A Difference

Although not all cases of breast cancer are preventable, certain lifestyle changes can help reduce the risk. Statistically, people who consume a balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds have a lower risk of cancer than those who consume a lot of processed foods, saturated fat, and refined carbs. Additionally, regular physical activity, such as 30 minutes of moderately-intense exercise per day, can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. Finally, health experts urge women to maintain a healthy weight, especially after menopause, because excess body fat can increase estrogen levels and contribute to cancer risk. 

Symptoms To Watch Out For

Most women know to look for lumps, as that is the most common indicator of breast cancer. Changes in breast size, shape, or skin texture (dimpling) can be red flags. It’s also possible for some women to experience redness or swelling of the breast, which could indicate inflammatory breast cancer (as we mentioned earlier). Early detection of these symptoms can lead to quicker diagnosis and treatment. If you notice something, don’t hesitate to consult your doctor about it. 

At Dherbs, we believe that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity to value the importance of early detection. That said, we don’t think that women should just focus on their health during October. Maintaining overall health and wellness is a year-round endeavor. Should you want to help cleanse the female reproductive system and optimize female health, consider our Female Cleanse.

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It’s not uncommon to eat late at night. Perhaps you leave a concert or comedy show and have a hankering for some tacos, or you settle for whatever is open. Typically, the food you eat late at night, or even as a midnight snack, is not the healthiest. With new research stating that eating late at night may yield unwanted side effects, you may rethink your late night eating habits. 

Studying The Impact Of Late-Night Eating

Study authors stated that they looked at three key factors associated with obesity risk and weight regulation during the study. These three factors included: 

• Energy expenditure (calories burned)
• Appetite
• Molecular changes in fat tissue

In order to do this, they had 16 overweight or obese participants follow two meal schedules. The first schedule was an “early meal schedule.” The second one was the exact same schedule, only everything was four hours late. People ate at 5 p.m. for the first schedule and 9 p.m. for the second schedule. 

During both sets of meal schedules, participants noted their hunger levels, gave blood samples and had their temperature and energy expenditure measured. Study authors also collected data from some participants’ adipose tissue (body fat). They were also very careful to eliminate any compounding variables with protocol, including what the participants ate and sleep schedules. 

What Did The Research Find?

After reviewing the study findings, the study authors concluded that eating late is linked to obesity risk, especially in people who are already overweight or obese. When participants followed the later meal schedule, they woke up feeling hungrier, were less effective at burning calories, and had adipose tissue that displayed an increase in fat growth. Eating four hours later makes a big difference for hunger levels, the way a person burns calories after eating, and the way a person stores fat. 

Because the research only included overweight or obese participants, the study authors state that further research is necessary. Other studies are required to see if the results would translate to a larger population. Given that eating late at night can disrupt sleep and cause blood sugar spikes, though, it’s worth avoiding if you can help it. 

The Takeaway

If you eat late at night, or find that you frequently eat a snack before bed, you may want to ditch that habit. Ideally, you should have your largest meal during the middle of the day for lunch and eat a lighter dinner. That way, the body has more time to digest the food you eat. Nevertheless, more research is needed to determine exactly what eating late does to the body. This study simply encored the fact that you should avoid large meals and unhealthy options late at night. 

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The body stores blood fats, triglycerides, in order to give you energy throughout the day. The extra calories, sugars, and alcohol that you consume convert into triglycerides. And if you need a little extra energy between meals, hormones release triglycerides. That sounds wonderful, and it is necessary for the body to function, but too many triglycerides in the bloodstream can be dangerous to your overall health. 

The liver can convert triglycerides into glucose, but excess triglycerides end up in fat cells, or adipose tissue. Fatty buildup in the arteries can stem from excess triglycerides in the bloodstream. Higher triglyceride levels can also cause pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas. 

Are There Symptoms Of High Triglycerides?

There are many lifestyle habits that can cause high triglyceride levels, also known as dyslipidemia. You typically won’t develop symptoms if you have high triglyceride levels, though. That said, there are several complications that can result from high levels, some of which include:

• Pancreatitis
• Stroke
• Coronary heart disease
• Multifactorial chylomicronemia syndrome 
• Lipemia retinalis, a condition that changes how the blood vessels in the eyes look

Risk Factors For High Triglycerides

You may have a higher risk of high triglyceride levels because of the following: 

• Menopause
• Lipid metabolism disorder
• A family history of high triglyceride or cholesterol levels
• Pregnancy
• Being of Mexican or South Asian ancestry

What Causes High Triglycerides But Normal Cholesterol?

This is a bit of conundrum because the two usually go hand in hand, or so you’ve been told. Despite what some people say, cholesterol and triglycerides are two different substances in the bloodstream. Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body, storing extra calories and converting them into energy. Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver that produces hormones and builds cells, among other functions. If you have normal cholesterol levels but high triglyceride levels, consider the following:

• Obesity
• Insufficient exercise
• A diet high in carbohydrates, saturated fats, and calories
• Heavy alcohol use
• Smoking cigarettes
• Liver or autoimmune diseases

Knowing all of this information can help you make better lifestyle choices to avoid high triglyceride levels. You may be unaware of certain lifestyle habits that are raising triglycerides. Learn more about these habits below. 

Lack Of Exercise

You burn off excess calories when you exercise, which means those calories don’t convert into triglycerides. Exercise boosts the production of lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that aids with the removal of triglycerides from your bloodstream. According to a small study of 38 people with coronary heart disease, participants who performed moderately intense aerobic exercise for eight weeks significantly reduced triglyceride levels compared to the group that didn’t exercise. 

What And How Much You Eat And Drink

A diet high in sugar and simple carbohydrates can raise triglyceride levels. These foods contain hydrogenated oils, trans fats, or white flour. Oils, butters, and fats that you eat also create triglycerides, and the extra calories from those foods produce more triglycerides. Drinking a lot of alcohol can also raise triglyceride levels. In fact, one study monitored people who had eight or more alcoholic drinks per week. Their odds of developing high triglyceride levels increased two- to eightfold. 

Certain Health Conditions

There are several health conditions that can cause high triglyceride levels, some of which include:

• Liver disease: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis, and cirrhosis can cause metabolic issues that affect the liver’s ability to secrete triglycerides and increase their production.
• Thyroid disease: An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), can slow hormone production and the rate at which you burn calories. Together, those two things can raise triglyceride levels. 
• Chronic kidney disease: If your kidneys are damaged, they may produce more triglycerides and decrease the body’s ability to clear them from your bloodstream.
• Obesity: If you are obese, the excess body fat, especially the body fat around your stomach, can release free fatty acids that convert into triglycerides when they enter the bloodstream.
• Type 2 diabetes: Diabetes is a metabolic condition that can raise triglyceride levels because of insulin resistance, which can potentially cause buildup in the bloodstream. 

Certain Medications

Sometimes, you have to consult your doctor about the different side effects of medications, especially if you have elevated triglyceride levels. Common medications that increase triglycerides include:

• Retinoids for acne
• Diuretics and older beta blockers that treat high blood pressure
• Corticosteroids that reduce inflammation
• Estrogen in birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy
• Antiretroviral drugs that treat HIV

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These foods have shown that they can help in your weight loss journey by burning helping burn abdominal fat. Watch and learn which foods can help!

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Swimming is a popular summer activity, whether you’re at the community pool, the lake, or the beach. It’s also a common sport that many people participate in when they’re young. Somewhere along the line, kids start to slack off and start swimming less and less. Statistically, children swim more than adults now, but people swam more overall in previous decades. 

Swimming is one of the best full-body, cardiovascular workouts you can do. You want to know the best part? It isn’t a high-impact activity that can take a toll on your knees, ankles, hips, back, or other joints. The constant worry of whether or not you will injure yourself is a common reason to avoid a certain exercise. Fortunately, swimming is excellent for people who deal with joint issues, as the body is near weightless in the water. 

Water has some pretty unique properties and immediate physical benefits, pain modulation being one of them. According to research, people tend to have long-term benefits to mental and physical health in people who swim on a regular basis. Since this is the case and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week, why not make swimming your primary form of activity? To begin, try working in 30 minutes of lap swimming three times a week. Use the other days to complete other forms of exercise, including resistance training and walking. Don’t believe that swimming is the real deal? Continue reading to learn about swimming’s amazing health benefits. 

Gives You A Mood Boost

Let go of the idea that swimming can only take place during the summer months. Break out the swimsuit during any season because you can always swim at indoor pools throughout the year. One study found that people who swam between October and January reported less fatigue, improved memory, and better well being. Swimming is thought to lower levels of anxiety, stress, and depression, which helps to put you in a clearer, more optimal state of mind. 

Improves Lung Strength

The more laps you swim, the stronger your lungs get. Swimming works to train the muscles that the body uses for respiration. That means that swimming on a regular basis can help improve breathing technique and lung volume. Improving the strength and function of the lungs is especially beneficial for those with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The pool is a great setting for asthmatics, as it is humid, warm, and a low-pollen environment. If your lung condition interferes with your ability to exercise, consider talking to your doctor before you pick up swimming. 

Boosts Your Brain

There are several studies that link regular exercise with improved cognitive function. When researchers studied the relationship between swimming and cognition, they discovered a unique benefit. This study monitored participants who completed a 20-minute moderate-intensity swim. Researchers noted that they were able to process visual information and respond quicker on cognitive tests both before and after their swim. The fact that swimming made a small but measurable difference in cognition excites researchers on how else swimming can benefit the body and brain. 

Helps To Keep You Lean

Swimming is a full-body workout and it can be quite intense if you increase your speed and intervals. After a swim, you should feel like you worked your arms, shoulders, legs, back, glutes, and core. By engaging all of the major muscle groups, you get more cardio bang for your buck. Researchers estimate that a 155-pound person can burn about 432 calories by swimming for an hour. Compare that to the 266 calories you burn while walking for an hour and you can see the difference. One study even found that swimming helped to decrease body fat and body mass index.

Helps You Live Longer

Add swimming to your list if you want to extend your life. In addition to eating healthier, swimming may help decrease your risk of early death. One study monitored over 40,000 men between the ages of 20 and 90. The participants who swam or engaged in pool exercises (water jogging or aqua aerobics) reduced their risk of death from any cause by 50% compared to sedentary men. 

Boosts Heart Health

One study of patients with osteoarthritis found that swimming was just as effective as cycling for improving cardiovascular function. Additionally, researchers suggest that swimming helps to reduce inflammation just as much as other forms of exercise. However, a 2018 meta-analysis revealed that swimming offered beneficial effects on cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition. The review noted that swimmers experienced improvements in exercise performance, ventilation, body mass, and lean mass.

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What’s the number one tool that people use to measure weight loss? The scale, primarily because it doesn’t lie, or does it? Although the scale can be helpful in tracking weight loss, it may not always indicate where you are in your transformation. In fact, there are many other ways to notice if you are losing weight, and they aren’t as intimidating as stepping on the scale daily.

The number on the scale doesn’t always reveal progress or fitness success. This is the case whether you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle. For example, engaging in physical activity every day may cause you to burn fat while simultaneously gaining muscle. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which is a great thing because it can help you burn fat more efficiently. Muscle is also denser than fat, meaning that you can gain weight even if your fat percentage reduces. In that sense, the scale doesn’t give you an accurate picture of what’s happening with your body. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to step on the scale every day to determine if your body is changing. Some people may not lose weight; rather, they may lose inches and old clothes may start to feel loose. Continue reading to get a more accurate picture of your gains without the aid of a scale. 

Go Shopping In Your Closet

Go ahead and step into your closet to pick out clothes that you wear regularly. You know how a certain dress or pair of jeans fits, so you’ll be able to easily notice if it fits differently. Alternatively, you can try on something you know is smaller than your other clothes to see if you fit in it. The greatest part about this technique is that you’ll be able to notice if clothes fit differently within the first five to 15 pounds of weight loss. Some items may start falling off your body or you may fit into clothes that you couldn’t before starting your weight loss journey.

Snap Some Selfies

This isn’t a very difficult thing to do, especially since every phone is equipped with a camera. It’s always beneficial to take a before and after picture so that you can see a visual representation of your transformation. Not only do before and after pictures hold you accountable, but they also let you see your progress. When you can see the difference in your body, you don’t need to step on the scale to understand if you lost weight or not. A weekly selfie may be the best way to track your progress. 

Invest In A Measuring Tape

When you measure different parts of the body, you can get a general estimate of where you lose weight and how many inches you lose. The measuring tape may not indicate if you lose fat or muscle, but it is a starting point. Everyone loses weight at a different pace, some faster than others. Measuring the waist, arms, thighs, buttocks, and chest are the essential measurements you want. Taking those measurements every couple weeks can help you track your progress and weight loss. 

Measure Body Fat

Body fat percentage is one of the best ways to measure fat tissue versus lean mass. A person with a higher body fat percentage, even if they are not obese, means that they are vulnerable to myriad health complications, especially heart disease and diabetes. A body fat percentage that exceeds 23.1% for men and 33.3% for women is very dangerous to overall health. Use a body fat caliper to measure body fat every month or two. If the number goes down then you know you are losing weight from the previous measurement. Be sure to research how to correctly use the caliper, though, so that you can get accurate measurements. 

Get A Check Up

A yearly physical can help you stay on top of your health and overall goals. Knowing what a healthy weight is and if you are overweight can help you make changes to correct your course. Cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and inflammatory levels are also indicators of health, not simply weight. Reducing your weight by 10% may not seem like a lot in regards to weight, but it can do wonders for your overall health. 

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Are you an ectomorph, endomorph, or a mesomorph? AD Dolphin helps you identify your body type and the type of workouts you should be doing to slim down. Keep watching to find out what cleansing and raw foods can do for you.

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Whether you have a muffin top, extra love around the mid-section, unwanted rolls, or whatever you want to call it, nobody likes having belly fat. While fat plays a role in the body, having an excess amount of fat is not beneficial to your health. Too much fat can inhibit proper organ function and can hinder one’s overall health.

How Yoga Can Help

Yoga is a natural stress-relieving exercise that works to promote healthy circulation in the body. Breathing is one of the most important aspects of yoga, but so is engaging your core. A lot of people try to use other muscle groups for poses that require core muscles, and they end up doing the poses incorrectly. Follow the short yoga video below once a day to help get rid of belly fat in one week.

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We always stress the importance of staying sufficiently hydrated. Not only can being hydrated help you flush toxins from you body, but it can also help you lose weight. If you decide to infuse fresh ingredients like pineapples, lemons, or cucumbers in your water, it will only help you on your quest to detoxifying the body.

When you add fresh ingredients to your water, you have to choose ingredients that help you achieve what your goals are. If you are looking to improve the health of your skin or fight free radicals, fresh lemons are the way to go. If you are looking to improve digestion, it is beneficial to add fresh pineapples to your water. Now, boosting your metabolism and burning belly fat can be achieved if you add two special ingredients to your water.

Apples

Apples are available in grocery stores all year. They are rich in dietary fiber, which helps to eliminate waste from the colon, and they contain pectin, a compound that helps to naturally lower cholesterol and aid digestion. Apples also help slow the way the body metabolizes carbohydrates, which can help regulate blood sugar levels.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is one of the best spices to have in your diet if you are trying to lose weight. Cinnamon helps to increase your metabolism and moderate blood sugar. Additionally, cinnamon helps to lower bad cholesterol, while promoting mental acuity and reducing fatigue.

It seems as though apples and cinnamon were made for each other. The two ingredients work together to dramatically improve your digestive system and help to detox your system. Make one or both of the two detox water recipes below to say goodbye to your belly fat.

Recipe #1: Iced Apple Cinnamon Drink

Ingredients:

• 1 organic apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick (non-irradiated)
• 1 pitcher of water
• Ice

Instructions:

• Add the apple slices and cinnamon stick to an empty pitcher. Fill the picture half way with ice and then fill it up with filtered water.
• Store in the fridge for an hour or more before you drink it.

Recipe #2: Apple Water

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon of filtered water
• 4-6 organic apples, cored and sliced
• 6 cinnamon sticks (non-irradiated)

Instructions:

• In a large pot over medium heat, bring 1 gallon of water to a simmer. Add the apples and cinnamon sticks and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature before drinking. You can store it in a pitcher in the fridge or separate it into various glass jars to drink throughout the week.

It is beneficial, for both recipes, to drink 8 ounces of the detox water roughly 30 minutes before a meal. You can continue to use the apples and cinnamon sticks for three days before swapping them out for new ones.

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