https://medicalxpress.com/family-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Family medicine Adolescents who consume more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have significantly higher odds of being overweight or obese, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Mekuriaw Nibret Aweke of the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ultra-food-intake-sharply-higher.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:00:11 EDT news695466061 Adding as little as 1,700 to 5,500 steps per day can offset the risk of a list of chronic diseases—including obesity, diabetes and sleep apnea—according to a new study from a corresponding author with Vanderbilt Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-adding-day-offsets-chronic-disease.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:40:01 EDT news695045821 A multifaceted, team-based care strategy significantly reduced blood pressure (BP) in low-income patients with uncontrolled hypertension, according to a study led by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Their findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, could eventually lead to the widespread use of this strategy at primary care clinics across the country. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-multifaceted-clinic-strategy-income-patients.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:40:01 EDT news694957022 Breastfeeding not only affects your weight while you are breastfeeding—women gain up to 6.5 kilos less on average later in life if they breastfeed for at least three months, according to a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-breastfeeding-months-weight-gain-decades.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:20:01 EDT news694946402 Long-term opioid prescribing has fallen in the United States over the last decade, but millions of patients still received opioids for 90 days or longer in 2023, according to a new research letter in JAMA led by University of Michigan researchers. The team analyzed U.S. trends in long-term opioid therapy, a pattern of opioid dispensing often used for chronic pain but associated with risks, including overdose and addiction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-term-opioid-fallen-millions-therapy.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:40:04 EDT news694880701 While cigarette exposures are decreasing for young children, electronic nicotine products are putting toddlers at new risk of inhalation, according to Rutgers Health researchers. Their study, published in JAMA Network Open, was the first to assess trends in young children's nicotine exposures across all types of products. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-vapes-cigarettes-nicotine-threat-young.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:03 EDT news694434961 Federal regulators on Wednesday approved Eli Lilly's new weight-loss pill, a second daily oral medication to treat obesity and other weight-related conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fda-grants-speedy-eli-lilly.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:30:06 EDT news694275291 In collaboration with researchers in South Korea, a team from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) has discovered a promising therapeutic target in fat tissue that improves cellular function, reduces inflammation, and may protect against obesity-related diseases. The study was published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-dose-leukemia-drug-senescent-fat.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:00:04 EDT news694272541 Documenting a patient visit in the electronic health record (EHR) is essential to health care delivery, but also a major contributor to clinician burnout. Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled ambient documentation, or "AI scribes," can automatically generate draft clinical notes for review after an appointment. While they have been shown to reduce clinician burnout, large-scale studies examining how these technologies impact clinician workflows are lacking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-scribes-linked-modest-reductions.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:00:01 EDT news694253642