Body Mass Index News and Research

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From caffeine to trigonelline, coffee has surprising links to muscle biology

A scoping review of 54 studies found that coffee and several coffee-derived bioactive compounds influence pathways linked to skeletal muscle metabolism, including insulin signaling, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, inflammation, glucose uptake, and protein turnover. Human studies reported associations with greater muscle mass and lower frailty or functional impairment, but most evidence remains observational or preclinical and cannot establish causality.

25 Aug 2026

Researchers link GLP-1 drugs to lower tuberculosis risk in type 2 diabetes

A large retrospective cohort study found that GLP-1 receptor agonist use was associated with a lower risk of tuberculosis in people with type 2 diabetes compared with sulfonylureas, metformin, DPP-4 inhibitors, and SGLT2 inhibitors. The observational findings suggest a possible benefit beyond metabolic control, but the authors emphasize that prospective and mechanistic studies are needed to determine whether GLP-1 therapies themselves reduce TB risk.

24 Aug 2026

Could a daily vinegar drink help with constipation? A small trial offers a clue

A randomized, double-blind trial found that adults with mild constipation who drank a vinegar beverage daily for four weeks had more frequent bowel movements than those receiving placebo. Exploratory findings also suggested earlier improvements in bowel habits, although the small feasibility-based trial requires confirmation in larger and more diverse populations.

24 Aug 2026

Type 2 diabetes mechanisms differ significantly based on patient BMI

Research published today in Diabetologia by Amsterdam UMC and the University of Ghana reveals that type 2 diabetes manifests in two fundamentally different ways depending on a patient's body mass index (BMI).

24 Aug 2026

Semaglutide’s heart benefits may partly involve reduced inflammation

A prespecified analysis of 17,604 SELECT participants found that higher baseline hsCRP was associated with greater risks of major cardiovascular events and death in people with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease. Semaglutide produced rapid and sustained reductions in hsCRP, with changes emerging before substantial weight loss, although the study could not establish whether reduced inflammation directly mediated its cardiovascular benefits.

24 Aug 2026

A childhood shaped by sugar rationing was linked to mental health more than 50 years later

UK Biobank researchers examined whether sugar rationing during pregnancy and the first two years of life was associated with adult sweet-food preferences, sugar intake, brain structure, anxiety, and depression.

23 Aug 2026

Machine learning model can identify likely non-responders to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation

Exercise training is a cornerstone of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and current guidelines rate it as a top-tier recommendation for reducing the risk of future cardiovascular events.

21 Aug 2026

Study links past COVID infection to stronger breathing response after brief arousals from sleep

COVID-19 can leave behind fatigue, breathing difficulties and neurological symptoms that persist long after the initial infection.

21 Aug 2026

What happens to your diet when you get better at cooking?

Cooking-skills interventions were associated with healthier dietary behaviors in healthy adults, including greater fruit and vegetable intake, improved diet quality, and greater cooking confidence. However, the certainty of evidence was low to very low, and too little evidence was available to determine whether cooking skills affect nutritional status.

20 Aug 2026

This 29-year heart study tracked what happens after smokers quit

Long-term data from the Copenhagen City Heart Study linked both current and former smoking with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, with risk rising alongside cumulative smoking exposure. Among former smokers, risk generally declined with longer time since quitting and approached that of never smokers only after prolonged abstinence.

20 Aug 2026

More coffee, higher testosterone? This study found a more complicated picture

Higher habitual coffee intake was associated with a leaner body composition, lower circulating branched-chain amino acids, and distinct cardiometabolic patterns in 2,264 middle-aged Finnish adults. Hormonal associations differed by sex, with broader testosterone- and SHBG-related patterns in men and more limited SHBG-related changes in women.

20 Aug 2026

Global study reveals rising chronic kidney disease burden in women

Chronic kidney disease is now the seventh leading cause of death among noncommunicable diseases globally, affecting 11–13% of the adult population.

19 Aug 2026

Study analyzes how BMI and waist circumference affect mortality in older adults

In a Journal of the American Geriatrics Society analysis of nationally representative data from 6,905 US adults aged 65 or older followed between 2011–2024, higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with lower mortality risk, whereas higher waist circumference, a marker of abdominal obesity, was independently associated with higher mortality risk after accounting for BMI.

19 Aug 2026

New research uncovers unique genetic links to eating disorders

New research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, in collaboration with an international partnership of researchers, has, for the first time, compared the genetics of people with binge eating versus those without any eating disorder.

19 Aug 2026

What 3,600 adults with diabetes revealed about lifestyle and heart health

In 3,612 British adults with type 2 diabetes, greater adherence to the Mediterranean Lifestyle Index was associated with lower risks of major adverse cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death, and all-cause mortality over more than a decade of follow-up. Dietary patterns, physical activity, rest, and social habits all contributed to the observed associations, although the observational study cannot establish causality.

19 Aug 2026

Women with type 2 diabetes saw striking changes after 24 weeks of this eating pattern

A 24-week randomized trial found that a lacto-vegetarian diet combined with 14-hour time-restricted eating improved glycemic control, insulin resistance, body weight, and lipid measures in Indian women with type 2 diabetes. The combined, nutritionist-supported intervention was generally well tolerated, but its individual dietary and fasting effects cannot be separated and longer-term studies are needed.

18 Aug 2026

What a 38-year study suggests about red meat, white meat, and mortality

Lower intake of red and processed meat was associated with small reductions in all-cause, heart disease, cancer, and stroke mortality in a cohort of nearly one million US adults followed for decades. White-meat-only diets showed additional benefits in some subgroups, while vegetarian diets produced few consistent associations and were limited by small participant numbers and a single baseline dietary assessment.

18 Aug 2026

Whole grains, legumes and vegetables stand out in a major review of diabetes diets

Healthy plant-based diets rich in whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are associated with better glycemic control and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The review finds that food quality and processing matter more than simply avoiding animal foods, while unhealthy plant-based patterns and higher red and processed meat intake are associated with greater metabolic risk.

18 Aug 2026

A four-week spice experiment challenges expectations about post-meal benefits

Culinary doses of herbs and spices did not significantly alter postprandial endothelial function, glycemia, or lipemia after four weeks of corresponding spice-containing diets in adults at cardiometabolic risk. The findings suggest that acute spice-related effects may be less apparent with longer-term exposure, although the study may have been underpowered to detect modest benefits.

17 Aug 2026

Why keto appears to lower blood pressure for some people but not others

A narrative review finds that ketogenic diets may modestly lower blood pressure through weight loss, reduced visceral fat, improved insulin sensitivity, fluid and electrolyte shifts, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, effects vary across studies, long-term cardiovascular evidence remains limited, and diet quality, hydration, electrolyte balance, and medication monitoring are important.

17 Aug 2026