Dieting and Weight Control News

June 13, 2025

Top Headlines

The Hunger Switch in Your Nose: How Smells Tell Your Brain to Stop Eating

June 12, 2025 — A team of scientists has discovered a direct link between the smell of food and feelings of fullness at least in lean mice. This brain circuit, located in the medial septum and triggered by food odors, helps animals eat less by making them feel ...

Newly Identified Group of Nerve Cells in the Brain Regulates Bodyweight

May 28, 2025 — Obesity is a global health problem that affects many people. In recent years, very promising anti-obesity drugs have been developed. Despite these successes, there are patients who do not respond to these drugs or suffer from side effects. ...

Global Shortage of Essential Nutrient Poses Health Concern

Apr. 30, 2025 — There is a global shortage of omega-3 partly due to environmental factors, according to new research. This is not just a healthcare issue; it is a public health and environmental ...

Weight Loss Linked to Nerve Cells in the Brain

May 27, 2025 — A specific group of nerve cells in the brain stem appears to control how semaglutide affects appetite and weight -- without causing ...

Can the Brain Be Targeted to Treat Type 2 Diabetes?

May 15, 2025 — Successfully treating type 2 diabetes may involve focusing on brain neurons, rather than simply concentrating on obesity or insulin resistance, according to a new study. For several years, researchers have known that hyperactivity of a subset of ...

Research Shows How Hormone Can Reverse Fatty Liver Disease in Mice

May 14, 2025 — A pioneering research study details how the hormone FGF21 (fibroblast growth factor 21) can reverse the effects of fatty liver disease in mice. The hormone works primarily by signaling the brain to improve liver ...

Seek Medical Advice Before Attempting Water-Only Fasting Diets, Experts Warn

May 13, 2025 — Experts are urging people, especially those with existing heart or vascular conditions, to seek medical advice before attempting to lose weight using water-only fasting ...

Lack of Sleep Can Increase the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

May 8, 2025 — Even a few nights with insufficient sleep promote molecular mechanisms linked to a greater risk of heart problems. This has been shown in a new study in which the researchers investigated how sleep deprivation affects biomarkers (in this case ...

Eating Ultra Processed Foods May Speed Up Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease

May 7, 2025 — People who eat more ultra processed foods like cold breakfast cereal, cookies and hot dogs are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson's disease when compared to those who eat very few ultra ...

Neuroestrogen: The Brain's Secret Weapon Against Hunger

May 1, 2025 — Estrogens are known for their role in reproduction, but a new study reveals that neuroestrogens -- estrogens produced in the brain -- play a key role in appetite regulation. These brain-made hormones enhance the expression of a hunger-suppressing ...

Does Your Biological Age Affect Your Risk of Dementia?

Apr. 30, 2025 — People whose biological age is higher than their chronological age may be more likely to develop dementia than people whose biological age matches or is lower than their chronological age, according to a new study. Biological age is based on ...

Seasonal Changes Affect Alcohol Tolerance and Your Waistline

Apr. 30, 2025 — Researchers have found that drug effectiveness, alcohol tolerance, and carbohydrate metabolism change with the seasons. Their findings are based on a comprehensive seasonal gene expression map, which investigated over 54,000 genes in 80 tissues in ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:21pm EDT

Early Puberty Increases Risk of Overweight Later in Life for Girls

May 19, 2025 — Unique Danish longitudinal study with over 136,000 measurements reveals the connection between pubertal development and weight throughout ...

Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Increased Risk of Young-Onset Dementia

Apr. 23, 2025 — Having a larger waistline, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of young-onset dementia, according to a new study. ...

High-Fat, High-Sugar Diets Impact Cognitive Function

Apr. 21, 2025 — New research links fatty, sugary diets to impaired brain function. The findings build on a growing body of evidence showing the negative impact of high-fat, high-sugar (HFHS) diets on cognitive ...

Brain Pathway Links Inflammation to Loss of Motivation, Energy in Advanced Cancer

Apr. 10, 2025 — Researchers identified a direct connection between cancer-related inflammation and the loss of motivation characteristic of advanced cancer. In a ...

Novel Drug Delivery Platform Paves Way to Potential New Treatments for Alzheimer's, Other Brain-Related Disorders

Apr. 9, 2025 — Researchers have discovered a way to get anti-inflammatory medicine across the blood-brain barrier, opening the door to potential new therapies for a ...

Neurons in Brain That Regulate Energy Levels and Body Temperature

Mar. 26, 2025 — Scientists have gained greater clarity in the brain regions and neurons that control metabolism, body temperature and energy use. A team of researchers discovered which chemicals influence the ...

Scientists Discover Why Obesity Takes Away the Pleasure of Eating

Mar. 26, 2025 — Many obese people report losing pleasure in eating rich foods -- something also seen in obese mice. Scientists have now discovered the reason. Long-term high-fat diets lower levels of neurotensin in ...

Lowering Bioenergetic Age May Help Fend Off Alzheimer's

Mar. 13, 2025 — A person's 'bioenergetic age' -- or how youthfully their cells generate energy -- might be a key indicator of whether they're at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, new research shows. The study ...

Exercise and Healthy Eating Behavior Together Provide the Best Protection Against Cardiovascular Diseases

Mar. 5, 2025 — Researchers have found that women who exhibit disturbed eating behaviors and engage in low physical activity tend to have more central body fat and a ...

Improving School Readiness for Children With Low Birth Weight

Mar. 7, 2025 — School readiness not only impacts kids' academic success, but also their long-term economic and health outcomes. Unfortunately, research reveals a concerning gap in school readiness for children with ...

Memory Is Impaired in Aged Rats After 3 Days of High-Fat Eating

Mar. 6, 2025 — Just a few days of eating a diet high in saturated fat could be enough to cause memory problems and related brain inflammation in older adults, a new study in rats ...

A Third of Children Worldwide Forecast to Be Obese or Overweight by 2050

Mar. 3, 2025 — Obesity rates are set to skyrocket, with one in six children and adolescents worldwide forecast to be obese by 2050, according to a new study. But with significant increases predicted within the next ...

Obesity Starts in the Brain

Feb. 28, 2025 — A study has provided new insights into the role of the brain as a crucial control center and the origin of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The hormone insulin plays a key role in the development of ...

Role of Hormone in Influencing Brain Reward Pathway and Food Preferences

Feb. 25, 2025 — When faced with multiple food options and ultimately choosing one, the factors of that decision-making process may be more physiological than previously assumed. A group of scientists recently ...

Biological Clock Plays Critical Role in Driving Teens' Late-Day Eating Habits

Feb. 17, 2025 — The causes of obesity are complex and influenced by many factors. While research has highlighted connections between sleep, eating patterns and weight gain, scientists remain uncertain of the role of ...

Dessert Stomach Emerges in the Brain

Feb. 13, 2025 — Who hasn't been there? The big meal is over, you're full, but the craving for sweets remains. Researchers have now discovered that what we call the 'dessert stomach' is rooted in ...

Carbohydrate Cravings in Depression

Feb. 5, 2025 — Depression affects 280 million people worldwide. The mental illness has been proven to lead to changes in eating behavior. Researchers have discovered that although patients with depression generally ...

Communication Between Body Muscle and the Brain Influences Fertility

Feb. 5, 2025 — A newly discovered line of communication between body muscle and the pituitary gland may play an unexpected role in female fertility, according to a new study. Researchers found that a protein ...

Study Finds New Link Between Food Choices, Depression and Alzheimer's Disease

Feb. 5, 2025 — New research has shown that diet could influence the risk of both depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Evidence suggests that depressive symptoms are both a risk factor for AD and a reaction ...

Guided Self-Help Makes Treating Children With Obesity Easier and More Affordable

Jan. 29, 2025 — According to a new study, self-guided family therapy for obesity could work just as well as traditional approaches at a fraction of the ...

Calorie Labels on Menus Could Make Eating Disorders Worse

Jan. 28, 2025 — Calorie labels on restaurant menus are negatively impacting people with eating disorders, according to a new study. The review found that individuals who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder ...

Patients With Anorexia Have Elevated Opioid Neurotransmitter Activity in the Brain

Jan. 27, 2025 — A study showed that changes in the functioning of opioid neurotransmitters in the brain may underlie ...

Weight Loss App That Tracks Fiber, Protein Content in Meals

Jan. 24, 2025 — Many people struggle to maintain a healthy weight, and choosing the optimal meals for weight loss can be challenging. A research team has developed a weight management program that helps individuals ...

Scientists Identify Neurons in Mice That, Once Activated, Can Change Body's Metabolic Rate, Induce Hibernation-Like State

Jan. 21, 2025 — A new study has identified a group of neurons that, when activated, can induce a hypometabolic state, akin to hibernation. The discovery could have far-reaching implications for conditions like ...

Treatment for Children With Obesity Has Lasting Effect

Jan. 21, 2025 — When children with obesity undergo weight-loss treatment, the effects have repercussions later in life and the risk of serious health problems and premature death is lower as they reach young ...

Signposting Children to Weight Management Services Could Happen When Parents Attend an Adult Program

Jan. 21, 2025 — Parents attending an adult weight management program, who were worried about their child's weight, would accept support and signposting to services for their child if it was ...

Memory Systems in the Brain Drive Food Cravings That Could Influence Body Weight

Jan. 15, 2025 — A research team identified the brain's food-specific memory system and its direct role in overeating and diet-induced obesity. They found a specific population of neurons in the mouse brain that ...

Key Players in Brain Aging: New Research Identifies Age-Related Damage on a Cellular Level

Jan. 1, 2025 — Scientists have identified the molecular changes that occur in the brains of aging mice and located a hot spot where much of that damage is centralized. The cells in the area are also connected with ...

More Calories -- More Consumption: Individuals With and Without Obesity Both Prefer High-Calories Food, Study Finds

Dec. 17, 2024 — Higher calorie foods were preferred among individuals with and without obesity despite similar taste and texture, according to a new ...

Is Fake Meat Good to Eat? Processed Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Linked to Depression Risk in Vegetarians

Dec. 17, 2024 — Researchers found that vegetarians who consumed PBMAs had a 42% increased risk of depression compared to vegetarians who refrained from ...