Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

UC Davis scientists identify protein key to male fertility

The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn't even involve the genes themselves.

19 May 2026

Pennington and Vanderbilt launch major study on childhood obesity treatment

Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has launched a research study, the COACH trial, to test different ways to help children and their families improve their health through lifestyle changes delivered by primary care clinics in communities in Louisiana and Tennessee.

19 May 2026

Nutrition education improves diet quality in university students

Nutrition education at universities shows promise in improving dietary habits and mental well-being, highlighting the importance of healthy eating for students.

19 May 2026

Sleep disturbances during pregnancy may be a risk factor for gestational diabetes

A recent study by Kuopio University Hospital and the University of Eastern Finland shows that sleep disturbances during pregnancy may be a significant risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

19 May 2026

New report highlights widening cardiovascular health inequalities across Europe

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of Europe's biggest health challenges, according to new data from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Atlas of Cardiology, published in the European Heart Journal.

19 May 2026

Chia seeds may boost fetal brain DHA during obesity-linked pregnancy

Chia seed supplementation during pregnancy increased maternal omega-3 long-chain fatty acids, including DHA, in a rat model of high-fat-high-sugar diet-induced obesity. The findings suggest plant-derived ALA from chia seeds may improve maternal, placental, and mid-gestation fetal brain lipid profiles, but human relevance and offspring outcomes still need testing.

17 May 2026

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty outperforms oral semaglutide in short-term weight loss

A comparative study, presented at ESGE Days 2026, has found that endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is associated with significantly greater short-term weight loss than oral semaglutide in adults with obesity.

15 May 2026

How exercise influences cancer cell viability

This interview uncovers how exercise may reduce cancer cell viability, with insights into adipose interactions and innovative 3D culture systems.

From Promega Corporation 15 May 2026

GLP-1 weight loss medications linked to significant drop in asthma flares

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows the use of the new GLP-1 class of obesity drugs in people with asthma is associated with a 26 % fall in the number of asthma exacerbations and a 14% drop in use of asthma inhaler reliever use. The study is by Simon Høj and Dr Kjell Erik Julius Håkansson, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark and colleagues.

15 May 2026

New research reassures mothers on NSAID safety during the first trimester

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, taken during the first trimester of pregnancy are not associated with an increased risk of major birth defects, according to a new study published May 14th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Sharon Daniel of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Clalit Health Services, Beer-Sheva, Israel, and colleagues.

15 May 2026

New obesity medications offer a potent tool for combating hypertension

A meta-analysis of 32 studies and 43,618 adults presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that use of new classes of obesity drugs for weight loss is associated with a clinically relevant drop in blood pressure (BP): a 0.34 mmHg reduction in systolic BP per 1\% weight loss.

15 May 2026

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

Semaglutide significantly reduces obesity in treatment-resistant young adults

A weekly dose of semaglutide (2.4 mg) leads to a clinically significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) and related health outcomes in young adults with severe obesity who are treatment resistant following hospital-based non-pharmacological obesity care during childhood, according to a randomized controlled trial being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May).

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

Too little or excessive sleep may accelerate organ aging

An analysis of biological clocks throughout the human body suggests that too few hours of sleep-and too many-may speed aging in the brain, heart, lung, and immune system and is associated with a wide range of diseases.

13 May 2026

Why experts say PCOS needs a new name

A Lancet Health Policy paper reports an international consensus process that selected polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) as the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The change aims to shift the focus away from ovarian cysts and better reflect the condition’s endocrine, metabolic, and ovarian features.

13 May 2026

Higher body mass index linked to financial problems, loneliness, and stress

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with more financial problems, loneliness, and stress.

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