Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Art history may help doctors better understand obesity stigma

Understanding how obesity has been portrayed in art across the ages can make doctors more empathic and less judgmental, which should lead to their patients achieving better outcomes, new reasearch at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) argues.

14 May 2026

Obesity drugs and surgery linked to greater fat-free mass loss

A new systematic review and meta-analysis of studies presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that diet and exercise interventions result in a lower proportion of fat-free mass loss compared with obesity surgery or obesity drugs among people undergoing a weight loss of 10% or more.

13 May 2026

Adult weight gain strongly linked to higher obesity-related cancer risk

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that people who gain the highest amount of weight across adulthood are at greatly increased risk of certain obesity related cancers.

13 May 2026

GLP-1 obesity drugs mainly reduce fat while preserving muscle mass

New research to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (12–15 May) shows that following treatment with GLP-1 drugs for obesity, most weight loss is fat mass (80–85%) and relative muscle mass is preserved.

13 May 2026

New trial aims to improve ATTR-CM diagnosis in heart failure

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is an increasingly recognized yet frequently underdiagnosed cause of heart failure, particularly among older adults.

13 May 2026

Gut microbes may reveal why diabetes raises heart disease risk

Integrated gut microbiome and plasma metabolomics profiling identified distinct microbial and metabolic signatures in people with T2DM and T2DM-CAD. In a small exploratory cohort, Bacteroides sp._CAG_875 and 12-ketoLCA emerged as candidate markers that may help distinguish diabetic patients with coronary complications, pending larger validation.

13 May 2026

PET/CT scans reveal biological activity of aggressive head and neck tumors

A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has demonstrated in a recent study that the biological characteristics of a subgroup of head and neck tumors - which are very aggressive in many cases - are reflected in modern imaging techniques.

13 May 2026

Faster biological aging linked to higher dementia risk

Having a biological age older than chronological age is associated with a greater likelihood of developing dementia, a new study has shown.

13 May 2026

Osteoporosis may increase mortality risk in postmenopausal women

Osteoporosis, which is highly prevalent in postmenopausal women, has long been associated with an increased risk of fractures.

13 May 2026

Researchers find new way to deliver drugs directly into cancer cells

National University of Singapore Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a high-throughput method to identify gold nanoparticles capable of delivering therapies directly to mitochondria (the energy centres inside cancer cells).

13 May 2026

Large human islet study reveals new insights into diabetes risk

Diabetes is the most common and serious chronic disease worldwide, characterized by insufficient insulin to maintain proper blood glucose levels.

12 May 2026

Cannabis compounds may improve metabolism and reduce diabetes risk

A University of California, Riverside preclinical study is shedding light on a long-observed but poorly understood phenomenon: chronic cannabis users tend to have lower body weight and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, despite the drug's well-known tendency to increase appetite.

11 May 2026

Researchers uncover sex-specific metabolic patterns in ocular tissues

As a highly differentiated sensory organ, the maintenance of the eye's physiological functions relies on rigorous metabolic regulation.

11 May 2026

Molecular switch in mice links energy burning and bone health

Scientists' discovery of a molecular "switch" that activates an energy‑burning pathway in mice has the potential to lead to new treatments for bone disease.

11 May 2026

Partners of women with gestational diabetes face higher health risks

Partners of women with gestational diabetes have more health-related risk factors and morbidity than partners of women without gestational diabetes.

11 May 2026

Urges for cardiologists to screen patients for UPF intake

The European Society of Cardiology identifies ultra-processed foods as a key cardiovascular risk, urging a shift in dietary guidelines for better heart health.

11 May 2026

Longer working hours linked to rising obesity across OECD countries

A new study presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that a 1% reduction in annual working hours is associated with a 0.16% decrease in obesity rates across OECD countries.

11 May 2026

Targeted mitochondrial therapy accelerates healing of diabetic chronic wounds

Impaired mitophagy and the accumulation of damaged mitochondria are key drivers of endothelial cell (EC)dysfunction in diabetic wounds.

10 May 2026

Copper-based nanoplatform shows promise against metastatic tumor growth

What happens if cancer cells lose both their mitochondrial energy supply and their glycolytic backup system? This question is central to a new study published in Research by researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University and collaborating institutions.

10 May 2026

Tumors exploit peripheral nerves to support cancer growth and spread

Tumors do not communicate only with immune cells, blood vessels, and stromal tissue. A growing body of evidence suggests that cancer can also co-opt the nervous system, reshaping the tumor microenvironment in ways that support growth, invasion, immune escape, and therapeutic resistance.

10 May 2026