Diet

The Flexitarian Diet: A Flexible Path to Better Health

The flexitarian diet offers a flexible, plant-forward approach that reduces meat intake without full elimination, improving heart health, metabolic outcomes, and environmental sustainability. Evidence links it to lower cholesterol, better weight control, reduced cancer risk, and improved nutrient sufficiency compared to strict vegan diets.

Magnesium in the Diet and Body

Vegetarian Diets for Weight Loss

What is a DNA Diet?

Nutritional Needs of Young Children (Age 5-10)

Military Diet: Health Risks

What to Eat on the Military Diet

High Protein Diet

Calorie and Macro Counting

Does Red Meat Shorten Lifespan?

What are the Health Benefits of Fermented Foods?

What is the 5:2 Diet?

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The Effects of a Plant-Based Diet on Gut Health

FODMAP Research

What Happens to the Body When we Diet?

Is Butter Good for You?

What are the Effects of Artificial Sweeteners on Gut Health?

What is the Military Diet?

Is Cottage Cheese Good for Weight Loss? Evidence from Clinical Studies

Diabetic Diet

The Rise of Functional Beverages

Fad Diet Examples and Efficacy

The Health Effects of Severe Caloric Restriction

Can You Be Vegan and an Athlete

Benefits of Nut Consumption During Pregnancy

Mediterranean Diet

Diet for Obese Children and Teenagers

Are Low Carbohydrate Diets Good for Type 2 Diabetes?

Caveman or Palaeolithic Diet

What are the Health Benefits of Flaxseed?

Fast 5:2 Diet

The Importance of Dietary Fiber

Diet for Overweight and Obese Pregnant Women

The Detrimental Effects of Ultra-processed Foods

Low Calorie and Very Low Calorie Diets

The Health Benefits of Walnuts

Fast 5:2 Diet Evidence

The Healthy Fats: How Olive Oil Fits into a Nutrient-Rich Diet

The 5:2 Diet Health Benefits

DASH Diet for High Blood Pressure

How Fast Food Affects Children's Health

Latest Diet News and Research

Intuitive eating may be linked to more than a healthier relationship with food

A cross-sectional study of 1,057 U.S. adults examined how intuitive eating relates to stress, sleep, physical activity, substance use, diet, self-rated health, and self-reported cardiometabolic conditions. Higher intuitive eating scores were associated with several favorable health indicators, although the study cannot establish causality or determine the direction of these relationships.

25 Sep 2026

MIT biologists discover cellular pathway that triggers colon cancer spread

Most colon cancer deaths are caused by the spread of tumor cells beyond the colon, usually to the liver. In a new study, MIT biologists identified a cellular pathway necessary for colorectal cancer metastasis.

24 Sep 2026

Gut bacteria metabolites directly extend the lifespan of host flies

Gut microbiota influences multiple aspects of host physiology, including metabolic and immune functions.

24 Sep 2026

GLP-1 drugs may influence chronic pain through gut-brain and immune pathways

Researchers reviewed evidence linking GLP-1 and GLP-1 receptor agonists to chronic pain modulation through gut microbial, neuroimmune, vagal, and metabolic pathways, with the strongest clinical evidence currently involving knee osteoarthritis and idiopathic intracranial hypertension headache. Much of the proposed biology remains supported by preclinical research, and human studies have yet to establish that GLP-1RA-induced changes in the gut microbiome directly cause pain relief.

24 Sep 2026

Obesity disrupts ILC2 metabolism through increased fatty acid uptake

A group of innate immune cells, known as group 2 lymphoid cells (ILC2), are essential for maintaining a stable metabolism in adipose tissue. Obesity significantly impairs the number and function of ILC2 cells, leading to the progression of metabolism-related inflammation.

23 Sep 2026

A child's gut microbiome may offer early clues to type 1 diabetes risk

Researchers tracking 887 children at high genetic risk of type 1 diabetes identified three distinct patterns of gut microbiome maturation during early childhood. One pattern was associated with substantially higher risk of islet autoantibody seroconversion or type 1 diabetes, while host genetic background altered the risk associated with another pattern.

23 Sep 2026

A chemical used in BPA-free products may have a connection to diabetes control

In adults with type 2 diabetes receiving oral glucose-lowering therapy, higher plasma BPS concentrations were associated with higher HbA1c after accounting for demographic factors, medication adherence, and diet, whereas BPA was not associated with HbA1c. The BPS association was modest and no longer statistically significant after further adjustment for BPA, BMI, and physical fitness, supporting the need for larger studies to determine whether reducing exposure could improve glycemic control.

23 Sep 2026

Cutting ultra-processed foods may improve symptoms of depression

A preliminary study led by UC San Francisco adds to growing evidence that reducing ultra-processed food may improve symptoms of depression.

23 Sep 2026

Dietary changes can prevent Hirschsprung disease symptoms

A multi-institutional study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) discovered for the first time that dietary interventions might prevent inflammatory symptoms associated with Hirschsprung disease, a bowel motility disorder.

23 Sep 2026

What links smoking, body fat, mental health, genes, and heart risk? Inflammation may be part of the answer

In a large UK Biobank study, higher levels of the chronic inflammation marker GlycA were associated with smaller heart chambers, thicker heart walls, impaired diastolic function, reduced stroke volume, and a 43% higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in the highest versus lowest GlycA group. Genetic susceptibility also modified the associations between environmental exposures, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk, while inflammatory proteins in the IL-1, TNF, and IL-6 pathways statistically mediated several of these associations.

23 Sep 2026

Loneliness and social isolation cost people years of healthy life

The numbers paint a grim picture. Roughly half of all U.S. adults are lonely, according to a 2023 report, and nearly as many feel socially isolated.

22 Sep 2026

Aging population drives rise in smoking-related mortality risks

Smoking kills. But why does smoking seem more likely to kill now than a few decades ago? In 1987, a smoker had a 3.4% chance of dying within five years. By 2013, a smoker had a 4.9% chance of drying within five years.

22 Sep 2026

Children who ate healthier plant foods had slightly lower blood pressure later

Researchers followed 3,990 Dutch children for an average of 1.6 years and found that higher healthful plant-based diet scores were associated with modestly lower blood pressure and total cholesterol. Children with higher unhealthful plant-based diet scores had lower estimated food costs and distinct metabolite profiles, while healthful scores showed no clear cost association.

22 Sep 2026

New roadmap integrates arts into global health and wellbeing

Researchers have developed a roadmap for integrating the arts across health and wellbeing systems globally, from population health and prevention to community pathways and clinical care.

21 Sep 2026

Experimental RNA therapy enhances weight loss while preserving lean muscle

GLP-1 drugs have revolutionized obesity treatment, but they can lead people to lose muscle mass along with fat. And when patients stop treatment, they often regain their weight - primarily as fat.

21 Sep 2026

Maldives meets UN target for reducing premature chronic disease deaths

The Maldives has become the only country in the World Health Organization's South East Asia region to meet the UN target for reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancers and diabetes.

21 Sep 2026

Early life sugar exposure linked to higher adult anxiety risk

Exposure to sugar in the first 1,000 days of a child's life increases the risk of developing anxiety in adulthood, a new study from the University of Surrey reports.

21 Sep 2026

Stalled gut microbiome development triples risk for type 1 diabetes in children

Type 1 diabetes affects more than 9 million people worldwide, including 1.8 million children and adolescents.

21 Sep 2026

Sugary drinks stood out in this stomach cancer study, but diet drinks did not

In two large US prospective cohorts, consuming more than one sugar-sweetened beverage a day was associated with higher gastric cancer incidence compared with consuming less than one serving a month. Artificially sweetened beverages were not associated with gastric cancer incidence, and the authors called for further studies to confirm the findings and clarify possible biological mechanisms.

21 Sep 2026

Older adults with higher polyphenol intake were less likely to have mild cognitive impairment

In a cross-sectional study of 92 older Italian memory-clinic patients, higher habitual intake of total dietary (poly)phenols and several specific subclasses was associated with a lower likelihood of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Total (poly)phenol intake was not associated with cognitive test performance or circulating inflammatory biomarkers, and the authors cautioned that the small observational study cannot establish causality.

20 Sep 2026