I work in healthcare and see this question frequently. The short answer is that individual results vary enormously. What works for one person might not work for another. The best approach is to work with your doctor to find what's right for your specific situation.

I'm not a doctor and you should definitely talk to your physician about this. That said, the general medical consensus seems to be that moderation is key. Most health concerns come from extremes in either direction.

Be careful trusting health advice you find on the internet, including mine. There's a LOT of junk out there — supplement companies and diet gurus trying to sell you something. WebMD is decent for general info but it can't replace an actual doctor.

If you don't have insurance, look into a community health clinic. A lot of them charge on a sliding scale based on income. Don't skip care because you're worried about the cost — small problems are cheaper to fix than big ones.

My advice: don't self-diagnose using the internet. You'll convince yourself you have some rare terrible disease when it's probably nothing. I did this once and worked myself into a panic over what turned out to be a pulled muscle.