North Star Theory

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Showing 13 to 24 of 36 articles · Most recently verified first

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Do you need electrolytes, or is water fine?

Last verified

Electrolyte drinks are not automatically necessary for every workout. Needs depend on the person, exercise and conditions. Both inadequate fluid replacement and excessive drinking can cause harm; this article does not prescribe a personal fluid or sodium target.

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Do you need more protein as you get older?

Last verified

Yes, most older adults do. Expert groups recommend about 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day for healthy older people, above the 0.8 g/kg adult reference, because ageing muscle responds less to protein. Resistance training is what makes the extra count. Protein type matters little.

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Do you need to eat breakfast?

Last verified

For adults, no, and it is not 'the most important meal' for weight. Trials show adding breakfast doesn't aid weight loss (slightly the opposite), skipping it doesn't slow your metabolism, and the observational skipping obesity link is weak and confounded. Eat it or skip it by hunger.

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Do you need to eat every 3 hours? (Does meal frequency matter?)

Last verified

No. At matched calories, meal frequency does not change body composition (a pooled analysis's apparent benefit rested on one study) or metabolic rate, and one missed meal is not 'starvation mode'. Total daily calories and protein are what matter; protein over 3 to 4 feedings is a minor tweak.

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Does alcohol kill your gains?

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Heavy drinking right after training is the clear negative: a large dose cut muscle protein synthesis about 24 to 37%. Over a training block, strength looks mostly unchanged but hormone and synthesis markers drop. An occasional modest drink away from training matters far less. Not drinking advice.

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Does caffeine dehydrate you?

Last verified

Not meaningfully. Caffeine is a mild diuretic only at large doses and mainly in people not used to it, and the roughly 100 mL of extra urine is far less than the fluid in the drink. Regular drinkers are tolerant, exercise cancels the effect, and caffeinated drinks count towards your daily fluid.

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Does caffeine actually help your training?

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Caffeine can affect training performance, but it is optional and responses vary. Research doses are not instructions to copy. This article explains the evidence, sleep trade-offs and safety considerations.

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Does creatine cause hair loss?

Last verified

Probably not. The worry comes from one 2009 study that measured a DHT rise after creatine loading and never looked at hair. The only trial to directly measure hair follicle health, a 12 week RCT in 2025, found no effect on hormones or hair. Limits remain: one short study in young men.

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Does creatine make you bloated?

Last verified

Creatine adds a little water, often about 1 to 2 kg early, less without a loading phase, but it goes inside the muscle cells, not the layer under the skin. A controlled trial found extracellular water rose no more than with placebo. It is water in muscle, not fat, and it reverses if you stop.

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Does eating fat make you fat?

Last verified

Not directly. You gain body fat from a sustained calorie surplus, whatever the source. Low fat and higher fat diets lose similar weight head to head. Fat is calorie dense, so fatty foods are easy to overeat, a portion issue, not conversion.

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Does eating late at night make you gain fat?

Last verified

Not by the clock. A controlled crossover found meal timing does not change 24 hour energy expenditure; late food is not 'stored as fat' by a switch. The link to weight gain is mostly behavioural: extra unplanned snacking on top of the day, and worse sleep from heavy late meals.

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Does menopause change how you should train?

Last verified

Resistance and aerobic exercise remain relevant after menopause, but bone-loading advice needs context. Supervised trials are not home exercise prescriptions, and bone-density findings are not guarantees about fractures.

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