Intermittent fasting has been a popular diet plan since the 5:2 diet, where you eat normally for 5 days and fast for 2, hit the headlines.
But intermittent fasting is not safe or suitable for all people, such as those with long-term health conditions or a history of eating disorders.
And the researchers involved in this study made the point of warning that alternate day fasting should not be tried without medical advice. Speak to a GP for advice before starting.
Due to the nature of the study the researchers were unable to prove that soft drinks are directly to blame for the small increased risk of death. However, the researchers say their findings add support to public health campaigns urging people to drink water instead of soft drinks. After all, tap water in the UK is safe to drink and free of calories.
Overall, the study does not provide any evidence that people should switch to or from a vegetarian diet. It's possible to have a balanced, healthy diet whether you eat meat or not. And of course, many people chose to eat a vegetarian diet for primarily ethical rather than health reasons.
Regardless of the diet you eat, the study also emphasises the importance of identifying and managing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
It's difficult to know how much confidence the conclusions of this review warrants. All of the evidence was assessed to be "low" or "very low certainty" by the researchers themselves, meaning the results could be unreliable.
Also, even a small reduction in risk of common health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and cancer could make a big difference at a population level.
Arguably it would be prudent to stick to World Cancer Research Fund recommendations, at least until higher-quality evidence becomes available.
Most healthy diets include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and less sugar, salt and saturated fats.
We know that much processed food, such as sweets, crisps and many ready meals or desserts, are high in sugar, salt and fat.
But we need to remember that cohort studies like these cannot prove that ultra-processed foods directly caused the slightly higher rates of cardiovascular disease and death seen in the studies.
Tomato juice may have health benefits, but we cannot tell that from this study. Meanwhile, if you enjoy tomatoes and tomato juice as part of a balanced, healthy diet, there's no reason not to continue to do so.
The researchers found the association only for those women who had very disrupted sleep patterns, having an actual light or TV left on in the room for most of the night. It is probably more likely to be the multitude of other health and lifestyle factors associated with this that are behind the weight gain – most likely poor diet and physical activity patterns.
Then if there is a direct link it may be more likely that it's disturbed sleep that could affect metabolic processes and so predispose to weight gain, rather than the light itself.
The results are broadly in line with what we already know about eating well. Current advice is to limit consumption of red meat and processed meat, and to eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, pulses, beans and wholegrains.
If you eat more than 90g of meat a day, you are advised to cut down. This study suggests that replacing one portion of meat with other, healthier food might help you live a little longer.
While metformin may have potential as an aid for people needing to maintain weight loss in future, the study reminds us that in the original 1-year trial, the most successful weight-loss treatment was the diet and exercise plan.
it's not possible to prove not eating breakfast directly increased risk of cardiovascular death. Other lifestyle habits, like unhealthy diet and being inactive, which are also associated with not eating breakfast, could be clouding the link.
Overall the study supports general understanding that it's good to eat a breakfast as part of a healthy lifestyle, but the quality of what you're eating for breakfast is important too.
Overall, this study does not provide enough evidence to recommend that people eat strong dark chocolate to improve the health of their arteries.
Stopping smoking remains the most important thing you can do, along with eating a balanced diet and keeping physically active.
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Limitations aside, there is a robust body of existing evidence that shows that regular consumption of sugary drinks can increase the risk of a range of health conditions, from tooth decay, to diabetes, to heart attacks and stroke.
While fish and chips can be a delicious treat, big portions of deep-fried food can mean it delivers far more calories in one meal than most of us need – or even want. This study suggests that it is possible to offer a smaller portion, using standardised boxes to control portion size, without causing problems for shops or upsetting customers. This may also have the benefit on cutting down on excess packaging and reducing food waste.
However, this was a small study, carried out in a real-world setting to find out whether the intervention was possible.