Body Mass Index (BMI) News and Research

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Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure that relates body weight to height. BMI is sometimes used to measure total body fat and whether a person is a healthy weight. Excess body fat is linked to an increased risk of some diseases including heart disease and some cancers.

How raspberry leaf tea reduces insulin surges from table sugar

Trial shows that raspberry leaf tea blunts sucrose-induced glucose and insulin surges, offering a natural strategy for moderating blood sugar without the side effects of pharmaceutical enzyme inhibitors.

2 Sep 2025

$Walking faster may protect your bones and prevent fractures$

Walking faster may protect your bones and prevent fractures

A UK Biobank study links walking pace to osteoporosis risk, revealing brisk walking may protect bones and reduce fracture likelihood, regardless of genetics.

2 Sep 2025

How a Mediterranean diet helps women manage menopausal symptoms

A cross-sectional study of 149 postmenopausal women found that greater adherence to a modified Mediterranean diet was linked to lower odds of moderate to severe hot flashes and sexual symptoms. While psychological and physical domains showed no significant association, the results support further evaluation of diet as a non-hormonal strategy for menopausal care.

1 Sep 2025

Extended apixaban therapy lowers recurrent VTE in patients with provoked events and enduring risk factors

Apixaban 2.5 mg twice daily significantly reduced symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence, with a low risk of major bleeding, in patients with provoked VTE and enduring risk factors, according to late-breaking research presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025 and simultaneously published in New England Journal of Medicine.

1 Sep 2025

New ESC guidelines prioritize women's autonomy in high-risk pregnancies

Updated ESC Guidelines, published today at ESC Congress 2025, put a focus on a woman's autonomy in making her own reproductive choices by promoting a transparent dialogue and shared decision-making for pregnancies that are high-risk for an adverse maternal and/or fetal event.

30 Aug 2025

PREVENT equations provide more accurate risk estimates and support personalized hypertension care

Using the Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs (PREVENT™) equations provides more accurate risk estimates and supports personalized treatment for adults with high blood pressure or hypertension, according to a new scientific statement published today in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed journals Circulation and Hypertension, and in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.

28 Aug 2025

New trial will test if a low-plastic lifestyle improves your health

A new protocol published in BMJ Open outlines the PERTH trial, a randomized controlled study testing whether a four-week low-plastic lifestyle can reduce exposure to plastic-derived endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

27 Aug 2025

Increasing numbers of bariatric surgery patients turn to GLP-1 drugs

Bariatric surgery is usually effective on its own for weight loss, but an increasing proportion of patients who undergo bariatric surgery start taking one of the new glucagon-like 1 peptide receptor agonist (GLP-1) weight-loss drugs in the years after their surgery, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

27 Aug 2025

Overweight status may offer survival benefits after major surgery in older adults

Older adults who are overweight may face a lower risk of death in the first 30 days following major elective surgery compared with those who have a normal body mass index (BMI), new research suggests.

26 Aug 2025

HIIT increases aerobic capacity even when BMI stays the same

HIIT effectively improves health outcomes in obese teens, enhancing fitness and metabolic health while reducing body fat and improving cholesterol profiles.

26 Aug 2025

Antibiotics in pregnancy and infancy do not raise autoimmune disease risk in children

A nationwide Korean cohort study found that antibiotic use during pregnancy or early infancy did not increase overall risk of childhood autoimmune diseases. Subgroup signals for Crohn’s disease and autoimmune thyroiditis warrant cautious follow-up.

25 Aug 2025

Fat location, not BMI, drives heart ageing risk in men and women

Researchers using UK Biobank imaging data found that where fat is stored in the body, not just how much, determines cardiovascular ageing. Visceral, liver, and muscle fat accelerate ageing, while gynoid fat protects women before menopause.

25 Aug 2025

Scientists rank the healthiest grains using new nutrition scores

Two new scoring systems reveal that Americans who eat more nutrient-dense grains, whether whole or fortified, have better diets, lower obesity rates, and improved metabolic health. The cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data shows that these “healthy grains” are also affordable and widely available.

20 Aug 2025

Fasting supports type 1 diabetes care by reshaping the microbiome

A week of fasting alters the gut microbiome in type 1 diabetes, aligning it with healthy profiles and enhancing cholesterol and weight management.

20 Aug 2025

Early puberty and childbirth tied to accelerated aging and higher disease risk

Reproductive timing matters when it comes to aging and age-related disease. In a study now online at eLife¸ Buck researchers determine that girls who go through puberty (the onset of menstruation) before the age of 11 or women who give birth before the age of 21 have double the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart failure and obesity and quadruple the risk of developing severe metabolic disorders.

18 Aug 2025

Mediterranean diet success looks different for women and men, study of 4,000 adults reveals

A Mediterranean lifestyle survey of over 4,000 adults across seven countries found that while men and women scored similarly on overall adherence, they achieved this through different patterns of diet, exercise, and well-being. Tailored strategies may be needed to support gender-specific improvements in health behaviors.

18 Aug 2025

Ultra-processed foods undermine diet quality in Mediterranean youth, study shows

A large study across five Mediterranean countries found that children and adolescents who consumed more unhealthy ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had significantly poorer diet quality. Daily UPF intake was especially linked to lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and reduced compliance with dietary guidelines.

18 Aug 2025

Detecting diabetes risk by analyzing household data

New research to be presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (September 15-19, 2025) shows that early detection of individuals at risk for diabetes is possible by analyzing the electronic records of people living within the same household for risk factors. The study is led by Dr Tainayah Thomas, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA, and colleagues.

18 Aug 2025

Community pop-up screenings uncover hidden cardiovascular risk factors

Pop-up screening for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk held at community pharmacies and large-scale sporting events can identify people with uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors, according to a study published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, and simultaneously presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand.

17 Aug 2025

How moving to a walkable city can add 1,100 steps to your day

Moving to a more walkable city boosts daily step counts by around 1,100, with gains lasting at least three months and consistent across most demographic groups. Large walkability improvements nearly double the share of people meeting U.S. aerobic activity guidelines.

14 Aug 2025