Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Blood tests years before pregnancy predict risk of hypertension

Pre-pregnancy blood biomarkers linked to hypertension risk highlight the potential for early intervention in managing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

5 May 2026

Study highlights stigma surrounding popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs

Glucagonlike peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications have taken over the national conversation around weight loss.

4 May 2026

Using symptom dimensions may provide more precise, personalized mental health care

A researcher from the University of Kansas has led a large-scale study of university undergraduates to better understand how psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders are connected.

4 May 2026

Virginia Tech researcher wins NIH award to study metabolic brain health

Mary Elizabeth Baugh, a research scientist with Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health Mentored Research Scientist Development Award to study how metabolic health influences the brain systems that shape what and how we eat.

4 May 2026

Learn B.E. F.A.S.T. to recognize stroke signs and save lives

A stroke can change a life in an instant. In the minutes after symptoms begin, quick action can help protect the brain, reduce long-term disability and save a life, according to the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

4 May 2026

Study: One in ten babies regularly falls asleep with a screen

Despite recent government guidelines that parents should avoid screen time for babies under the age of two, a new global study finds that one in ten babies now regularly fall asleep with a screen.

4 May 2026

Active brown fat may protect heart health in obese individuals

People with obesity face a significantly increased risk of atherosclerosis, and consequently heart attack and stroke.

4 May 2026

Child health experts launch GenHEART to tackle Australia's obesity crisis

Heart health, diet, exercise and sleep will be targeted under a multi-pronged strategy by child health experts to address Australia's obesity crisis.

4 May 2026

Semaglutide as a promising new treatment for alcohol use disorder

Research indicates semaglutide can significantly decrease alcohol consumption and cravings in individuals with comorbid obesity and alcohol use disorder.

4 May 2026

Five-target drug beats GLP-1/GIP therapy in obese diabetic mice

A Nature study reports a single-molecule GLP-1–GIP–lanifibranor quintuple agonist that targets incretin receptor-expressing cells while activating PPARα/γ/δ pathways. In obese and insulin-resistant mice, the compound reduced body weight, food intake, and hyperglycaemia more effectively than semaglutide or GLP-1R–GIPR co-agonism, while remaining a preclinical finding.

30 Apr 2026

GLP-1 drugs reduce risk of major adverse cardiovascular events

New research has shown that GLP‑1 weight-loss drugs deliver protection against heart attacks, strokes and premature death over a sustained period of time.

30 Apr 2026

Meth use accounts for nearly 1 in 6 heart attacks, California study shows

Methamphetamine (meth) use accounted for nearly 15% of heart attacks for a decade in a northern California study, published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Apr 2026

New screening tool predicts health risks for people living with obesity

A simple tool, developed by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, could help identify which people living with obesity or overweight are most likely to develop serious obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

30 Apr 2026

New research shows weight loss is possible without GLP-1

Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonism - GLP-1, common in obesity medicines - is not essential to weight management, according to preclinical research led by Richard DiMarchi and Matthias Tschöp, with funding from their startup company Bluewater Biosciences.

30 Apr 2026

Baby teeth show when metal exposure may affect brain development

The study identifies critical windows of metal exposure via baby teeth, revealing impacts on brain development and behavior in children and adolescents.

30 Apr 2026

Maternal weight before pregnancy may shape toddlers’ development

A nationwide Korean cohort study of 258,367 mother-child pairs found that maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with developmental delay risk in children aged 18 to 36 months. Children of underweight mothers showed modest early risks that later attenuated, while obesity-related risks persisted across developmental domains.

29 Apr 2026

Brief walking breaks help the body control sugar after carb-rich meals

Brief brisk walking breaks during prolonged sitting improved post-meal interstitial glucose responses in healthy adults after carbohydrate-rich meals, with the strongest effects seen in women. Gluteal fat showed a more stable glucose pattern than abdominal fat, suggesting it may help buffer carbohydrate-related glucose rises through depot-specific uptake and lipid-synthesis pathways.

29 Apr 2026

AHA calls for lifelong brain health strategy to prevent cognitive decline

The AHA scientific statement calls for a life-course approach to brain health that integrates cognitive, emotional, behavioral, vascular, environmental, inflammatory, sleep, microbiome, and social factors. It highlights how early-life exposures, mental health, pollution, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, gut dysbiosis, and socioeconomic adversity may shape brain resilience and later-life cognitive decline.

29 Apr 2026

New hybrid molecule uses Trojan horse approach to treat obesity

A team led by metabolism researcher Prof Timo D. Müller at Helmholtz Munich has developed a new approach for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes: a hybrid molecule uses the well-known GLP-1/GIP signalling pathway as a "door opener" and delivers an additional metabolic modulator specifically into the target cells.

29 Apr 2026

Study suggests a U-shaped link between cholesterol levels and mortality among Chinese adults

A new commentary published in Engineering highlights key findings from a large multinational cohort study that re-evaluates cholesterol management for cardiovascular and chronic disease prevention, suggesting a U-shaped association between cholesterol levels and mortality among Chinese adults that challenges the conventional "lower is better" approach.

28 Apr 2026