Diet News and Research

Latest Diet News and Research

Study links ultra-processed foods to poorer dietary quality

A higher proportion of ultra-processed food in the diet is generally associated with poorer dietary quality and, among adults, a somewhat higher prevalence of overweight and obesity.

2 Nov 2026

Does choosing organic baby food change its mineral content?

The study of baby foods in France identifies key elements and packaging influences, emphasizing the need for ongoing monitoring of chemical contaminants.

2 Nov 2026

Why you still want dessert even when you're completely full

A 2026 narrative review examines how food liking (pleasure) and wanting (motivation) interact with hunger and satiety to influence food choices, explaining why certain foods may remain appealing even after a satisfying meal. The authors report that food reward can change independently of hunger under specific conditions, but evidence remains limited that these changes reliably predict subsequent eating or improve weight-management outcomes.

1 Nov 2026

Eating walnuts was linked to higher IgG levels, but what does that mean for health?

A two-year randomized trial involving 474 older adults found that daily consumption of 30–60 grams of walnuts was associated with 6% higher total serum IgG concentrations compared with a control diet, with an 11% difference observed among US participants. Walnut consumption did not significantly affect IgM, MDA-LDL or MDA-LDL-specific antibodies, and whether the modest IgG difference has meaningful cardiovascular benefits remains unknown.

1 Nov 2026

Cold showers improve personal health while reducing carbon emissions

How can we encourage people to adopt more environmentally friendly habits? To explore this question, a psychologist at the University of Basel asked participants in a study to take cold showers. Those who stuck with the routine experienced several benefits.

30 Oct 2026

Study finds unexpected lower gut bacterial diversity in vegans

The gut is home to billions of microorganisms. It is a complex ecosystem that regulates many of the body's functions and helps keep us healthy – when it is in balance.

30 Oct 2026

Mayo Clinic enters new medical era with precure research

Mayo Clinic researchers are uncovering the earliest shifts in disease biology - long before symptoms appear - revealing how disease takes root and opening new possibilities to identify, predict and potentially prevent disease before symptoms develop.

30 Oct 2026

Why do we turn to comfort food? A survey of 1,203 adults offers clues

A cross-sectional study of 1,203 UK adults found that stronger expectations of positive emotions from high-fat, salt and/or sugar foods were weakly associated with poorer diet quality and more frequent comfort eating. Negative emotional expectations about many foods also tracked with comfort eating, but the study did not establish whether eating these foods actually changed mood.

29 Oct 2026

Discarded fruit and vegetable parts offer overlooked fiber benefits

Most of us routinely discard the peels, skins, stalks, and seeds of fruits and vegetables at mealtime. But new research from King's College London suggests these scraps could be a valuable – and overlooked – source of dietary fiber, offering potential benefits for both public health and the environment.

29 Oct 2026

Brief dietary changes may prime the immune system for inflammation

Scientists have long known that diet shapes the immune system. Now, a UC San Francisco team has found that even a brief dietary change can substantially change how the body responds to skin irritation, at least in mice.

29 Oct 2026

Worried nuts will cause weight gain? A large review puts that concern in perspective

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials found that eating nuts modestly reduced body fat and improved cholesterol levels without significantly changing body weight. The review did not establish that nuts rich in monounsaturated fats offered greater body-composition benefits than those rich in polyunsaturated fats.

29 Oct 2026

Can broccoli sprouts help with insulin resistance? New review offers clues

A review published in the British Journal of Nutrition examines how carotenoids and bioactive compounds in Brassicaceae microgreens may influence obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes through metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Small human trials involving broccoli sprouts have reported improvements in selected metabolic markers, but larger, longer-term studies are needed to establish their clinical benefits.

29 Oct 2026

Fish, shellfish or seaweed? A Korean study found striking differences in chemical exposure

A national study of 4,279 Korean adults found that higher finfish consumption was associated with increased blood concentrations of PFAS, PCBs, and mercury, while shellfish showed narrower associations with three PFAS. Persistent chemical mixtures were also associated with modest increases in liver health biomarkers, and mediation analysis identified a positive PFAS-related pathway, although finfish intake was not significantly associated with GGT overall.

29 Oct 2026

New study reveals why colorectal cancer is more aggressive in youth

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers, along with Mass General Brigham researchers from the Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, and the Broad Institute, have uncovered biological clues to why colorectal cancer can behave more aggressively in younger people.

29 Oct 2026

Limited app use adds a twist to a nurse-led dementia risk trial

A cluster-randomized trial involving 403 Australian adults aged 45–65 found that a 12-month nurse-led behavioral intervention supported by a mobile app modestly improved estimated dementia risk scores compared with brief counseling and usual care. The study found no significant improvements in cognitive performance or other secondary outcomes, leaving its long-term effects on dementia prevention uncertain.

28 Oct 2026

High-fat diets in mouse parents alter offspring brain development

Researchers fed breeding pairs of mice five diets with different fat and sugar contents to examine how parental nutrition affects offspring brain development. High-fat diets, alone or combined with high sugar, delayed early motor development and altered brain structure in young adult offspring, while the high-sugar-only diet produced no significant changes in individual brain regions after correction for multiple comparisons.

28 Oct 2026

Ketones may change sleep patterns, but not always for the better

Researchers reviewed animal and human studies and found that ketone bodies may affect sleep stages through energy metabolism and cellular signaling, with the clearest direct evidence involving acetoacetate in mice. They reported mixed human findings and called for controlled studies to separate ketone-specific effects from changes linked to diet, disease, circadian timing, and physiological stress.

28 Oct 2026

Plant and animal proteins show opposite effects on testosterone levels

Higher animal protein intake was associated with lower blood testosterone levels, while higher plant protein intake was associated with higher levels, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.

28 Oct 2026

Ulcerative colitis burden across 7MM to exceed 2.36 million cases by 2035, forecasts GlobalData

The diagnosed prevalent cases of ulcerative colitis (UC) in the seven major markets (7MM) are projected to reach over 2.36 million by 2035.

28 Oct 2026

Climate change intensifies global health risks, Lancet Countdown report warns

The 2026 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change finds that many of the health risks and harms of climate change grew faster in the decade since the Paris Agreement was introduced (2016–2025) than in the decade before it (2006–2015).

27 Oct 2026