Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Could your birth characteristics influence colorectal cancer risk?

A California study links birth and parental factors to early-onset colorectal cancer risk, highlighting male sex and Hispanic ethnicity as key contributors.

26 Jun 2026

Childhood sugary drinks and fruit juice linked to higher adult blood pressure risk

The study finds sugary drinks and fruit juice linked to hypertension, highlighting whole fruit as a healthier alternative for long-term heart health.

26 Jun 2026

Neuroticism and adversity dominate depression and anxiety risk in UK Biobank study

In a UK Biobank study of 87,648 adults followed for 13.7 years, psychosocial factors accounted for the largest estimated population burden of depression and anxiety in both women and men. Neuroticism symptoms, childhood and adult adversity, obesity, chronic inflammation, and some reproductive factors in women were linked to incident mental health outcomes, although the PAF estimates remain theoretical and not proof of causality.

25 Jun 2026

Exercise, not liraglutide alone, drives vascular gains after obesity-related weight loss

A prespecified secondary analysis of the S-LiTE trial found that regular exercise reduced carotid artery wall thickness and circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines in adults with obesity who had already achieved substantial diet-induced weight loss. Liraglutide alone did not significantly improve these vascular or inflammatory markers, while exercise plus liraglutide also improved endothelial function biomarkers.

25 Jun 2026

Bariatric surgery linked to higher risk of developing alcohol problems

Your body absorbs alcohol much more rapidly after bariatric surgery. Patients need to know this when they choose the kind of surgery they will have.

25 Jun 2026

Recognizing perinatal heart failure early reduces life-threatening risks

Early detection and timely treatment of heart failure in pregnant or postpartum women are crucial to prevent serious complications, such as irregular heartbeat, stroke and death, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement, "Heart Failure Occurring in the Perinatal Period."

25 Jun 2026

Maternal blood test reveals prenatal methylation clues linked to autism risk

Researchers found that maternal plasma cell-free DNA methylation patterns in late pregnancy were associated with later autism diagnosis and maternal obesity in a high-likelihood ASD cohort. The findings suggest cfDNA may offer a minimally invasive way to study prenatal epigenetic changes linked to neurodevelopmental risk, but larger validation studies are needed.

25 Jun 2026

Gene linked to lower BMI points researchers toward a new obesity target

A review in Cardiology in Review highlights GPR75, a receptor for 20-HETE, as a promising therapeutic target for obesity and metabolic syndrome. Evidence from genetic studies, cell experiments, and mouse models suggests that blocking this pathway could influence weight gain, insulin resistance, hypertension, inflammation, and vascular dysfunction.

25 Jun 2026

England faces widening obesity inequalities across regions and communities

This study is the first to analyse obesity trends from 2019 to 2025, using NHS England electronic health records covering nearly 55 million adults.

24 Jun 2026

Study links COVID-19 to higher sleep apnea risk years after infection

Researchers analyzed more than 910,000 adults and found that SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a higher adjusted risk of new-onset obstructive sleep apnea up to 4.5 years later. The association appeared in both hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, supporting targeted screening in higher-risk post-COVID groups while highlighting the need for objective sleep testing.

24 Jun 2026

Concerns about weight regain after yo‑yo dieting are largely unfounded, review shows

Many people experience fluctuations in body weight throughout their lives, and so‑called yo‑yo dieting has long been considered a health risk – in some cases even more harmful than remaining overweight.

24 Jun 2026

Plant-based Mediterranean-style diet cuts heart disease risk by 26%

A 20-year study links plant-based Mediterranean diets to lower heart disease risk, highlighting the importance of sustainable eating for cardiovascular health.

24 Jun 2026

Lost weight is less likely to return when exercise follows obesity treatment

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials found that exercise during the post-weight-loss maintenance phase reduced weight regain by an average of 2.81 kg compared with control groups. Evidence for fat-mass reduction remained inconclusive, highlighting the need for longer, standardized trials with better adherence and body-composition monitoring.

24 Jun 2026

Colorectal cancer cases rise among younger adults in Germany

Colorectal cancer is generally considered a disease of older adults. However, a new analysis of German cancer registries shows that the number of new colorectal cancer cases among younger adults has risen slightly over the past two decades.

23 Jun 2026

USC study links modified Mediterranean diet to longer lifespan

A plant- and fish-based, low-protein diet paired with small amounts of an amino acid commonly found in eggs, meat and dairy increased healthy lifespan and decreased frailty and fat mass in mice, according to a new USC study published today in the journal Cell Metabolism.

23 Jun 2026

Parental genes rather than pregnancy weight influence childhood body mass index

The link between parents' body mass index (BMI) and their children's BMI in childhood is driven largely by genetic inheritance, rather than by any direct biological effects of parental weight during pregnancy, a new study suggests.

23 Jun 2026

Cytoskeletal proteins in the cell nucleus influence brain development

The cytoskeleton gives cells their shape and helps them move. Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the Ludwig Maximilian University now show that, in neural stem cells, proteins of the cytoskeleton are also found in the cell nucleus, where they can influence developmental programs.

23 Jun 2026

Elite athletes with higher vitamin D show healthier lipid profiles

Higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were independently associated with lower LDL-C, triglycerides, and lipoprotein(a) in 773 male professional athletes. The cross-sectional study cannot establish causality, but it suggests that vitamin D status may be linked to cardiovascular risk-related lipid markers, even in elite athletic populations.

23 Jun 2026

Insilico and SK Biopharmaceuticals partner to develop AI-driven neuroimmune therapies

Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, and SK Biopharmaceuticals, a Korean-based company leads the way in biotech innovation with groundbreaking drug research, development, and commercialization worldwide, announced a research and development collaboration at the BIO 2026 International Convention to discover AI-enabled innovative drug candidates in the neuroimmune area of the central nervous system.

22 Jun 2026

Accelerated biological aging may drive rising early-onset cancer risk

Cancer is often considered a disease of aging. Older adults are at higher risk because they have had more time to accumulate cellular damage that can trigger tumor formation.

22 Jun 2026