Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Minimal exposure to modern medicine rapidly alters the human microbiome

Even minimal exposure to modern medicine can rapidly change the human microbiome. In a new study publishing May 20 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports, researchers reveal that the gut microbes of remote Amazonian Indigenous communities began shifting toward patterns more commonly seen in urban, industrialized populations after only a few medical visits.

20 May 2026

New AI framework maps systemic obesity damage at cellular resolution

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) and collaborating institutions have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) framework that maps disease-related changes throughout the entire mouse body at cellular resolution.

20 May 2026

Higher ferritin threshold could detect childhood iron deficiency much earlier

Many cases of iron deficiency in school-aged children could be diagnosed earlier, according to a new study published in Blood Red Cells & Iron, a journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

20 May 2026

Severe asthma patients often face multiple overlooked health conditions

Most people living with severe asthma are also battling other health conditions that go under the radar, a major new study has found.

20 May 2026

Women may face greater cognitive impact from dementia risk factors

Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that women not only experience a higher burden of certain modifiable dementia risk factors, but also appear more vulnerable to their effects on cognitive function.

20 May 2026

Ensitrelvir cuts household COVID-19 risk when given after exposure

Ensitrelvir, an oral SARS-CoV-2 3C-like protease inhibitor, reduced symptomatic RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 among household contacts when given within 72 hours after symptom onset in the infected index patient. In the phase 3 SCORPIO-PEP trial, COVID-19 occurred in 2.9% of ensitrelvir recipients versus 9.0% of placebo recipients, with similar overall adverse-event rates.

20 May 2026

Researchers identity patients with exceptional tirzepatide response outcomes

Tirzepatide GLP-1 medication is known to improve sleep apnea for people with both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity, but not all patients benefit equally.

19 May 2026

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