Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Study reveals substantial rise in Latin American dementia rates

A new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Newcastle University in the U.K. finds that the share of adults living with dementia rose substantially across several Latin American and Caribbean sites over the past two decades.

13 Jul 2026

Nearly one in 10 Britons use or want weight-loss medication

The prevalence of GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight management in Great Britain highlights public interest and concerns over safety and prescribing practices.

13 Jul 2026

Study links GLP-1 treatment to fewer alcohol drinking days

Current GLP-1 receptor agonist prescriptions were associated with modestly lower AUDIT-C scores in a large, diverse US cohort. The difference appeared to reflect less frequent drinking rather than fewer drinks per occasion or fewer binge-drinking episodes.

13 Jul 2026

Gut microbiota may shape eating behavior and guide new obesity treatments

The review shows how gut microbiota may influence appetite, food reward, inflammation, and energy balance through the gut-brain axis. Microbiota-targeted approaches could support future treatments for obesity and eating disorders, but clinical evidence remains limited.

12 Jul 2026

Cold-exposed mothers pass metabolic protection to male rat offspring through milk

Maternal cold exposure during early pregnancy improved glucose control and reduced liver fat in male rat offspring, with benefits persisting into late adulthood. The findings implicate a breast milk LCA, gut microbiota, and Th17 immune pathway, while human cohort data showed an observational link between winter conception and lower MASLD risk.

12 Jul 2026

Harvard University hosts the world's largest conference dedicated to longevity biotechnology

The 13th Aging Research & Drug Discovery (ARDD) Meeting, the world's largest conference dedicated to longevity biotechnology, will take place from October 1-3, 2026, at the David Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University.

11 Jul 2026

Genetic risk knowledge alone fails to curb obesity, study shows

Does informing people about their genetic risk of obesity help them change their habits and lose excess weight? A study, published in the journal Obesity Reviews by scientists including researchers from SWPS University, shows that knowledge about one's genes alone is not enough.

11 Jul 2026

Insilico Medicine founder to highlight sustainable longevity at BIO Asia-Taiwan

Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov, Founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, has been invited to attend BIO Asia-Taiwan, which will be held from July 15 to 19 in Taiwan, China.

11 Jul 2026

Global hotspots where breast cancer and atrial fibrillation overlap

Investigating breast cancer and atrial fibrillation overlap, this study highlights key risk factors, underscoring the need for integrated prevention approaches.

10 Jul 2026

GLP-1 exposure in pregnancy does not clearly raise major birth defect risk

A systematic review and meta-analysis of seven cohort studies involving more than 40,000 GLP-1 receptor agonist-exposed pregnancies found no statistically significant increase in major congenital malformations or several other adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the evidence was low or very low certainty, and a urinary malformation signal based on unadjusted data requires cautious interpretation.

10 Jul 2026

Semaglutide outperforms other GLP-1 drugs for weight loss in psychiatric populations

A network meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials found that once-weekly semaglutide showed the largest estimated weight-loss effect among GLP-1 receptor agonists tested in adults with mental illness and obesity or related metabolic risk. The authors cautioned that the findings remain preliminary because the evidence base was small, heterogeneous, and largely indirect.

9 Jul 2026

Global cancer cases projected to reach nearly 35 million by 2050

Millions of people are facing physical, emotional and financial toll of cancer, a disease that claims more than 26 000 lives every day, according to a report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO).

9 Jul 2026

Yeast food supplement helps immune cells fight cancer more effectively

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD) have shown for the first time that a food supplement made from yeast helps the body to make stronger immune cells that can fight cancer.

9 Jul 2026

Medicare prescriptions for Wegovy spike after heart disease coverage expansion

Medicare prescriptions for Wegovy increased sharply after the program started covering the anti-obesity medication to prevent heart problems, but just a fraction of beneficiaries likely eligible received the treatment, according to new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.

9 Jul 2026

Study uncovers mechanism that regulates how the body uses stored fat to produce energy

An international study by scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has identified a fundamental mechanism that regulates how the body uses stored fat to produce energy.

9 Jul 2026

New Italian data show extreme longevity is spreading beyond the blue zones

A nationwide ecological analysis of Italian regions found that aging and extreme longevity indicators rose steadily from 1982 to 2025, with northern and central regions generally leading. Regional patterns linked higher longevity indices to lower diabetes and cerebrovascular mortality and healthier contemporary nutrition profiles, while Cilento emerged as a notable southern hotspot.

9 Jul 2026

Setmelanotide shows promise for hypothalamic obesity after brain tumors

A new therapy helps achieve a healthier BMI in people whose weight has become dysregulated following treatment for a brain tumor, a clinical trial has found.

8 Jul 2026

Study finds growing burden of diabetes-related chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common, largely silent, and serious. Most people who have the condition do not realize they have it, while it sharply raises the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and early death.

8 Jul 2026

New consensus outlines best practices for obesity medications

Obesity and dietitian societies have joined forces to issue a new consensus statement on recommendations surrounding use of obesity drugs for weight loss treatment.

8 Jul 2026

Socioeconomic status brings unequal metabolic disease reductions across racial, ethnic groups

Higher socioeconomic status is not associated with equal reductions in rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity across all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to a new study published July 8, 2026, in the open access journal PLOS One by Sara Cromer of Harvard Medical School, USA, and colleagues.

8 Jul 2026