https://medicalxpress.com/nutrition-healthy-eating-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Nutrition & Healthy Eating Although a plant-based diet is recommended, notably for its environmental benefits, the health consequences of such a diet—in which protein intake is exclusively plant-based—are not yet fully understood. Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have studied, in mice, the effects of switching from a diet containing both animal and plant proteins to one containing only plant proteins. Within just a few days, liver metabolism changes and the willingness to engage in physical exercise decreases significantly. At the heart of these changes lies a liver enzyme, glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). The findings are published in Molecular Metabolism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-diet-free-animal-proteins-liver.html Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:11 EDT news711100261 Infants born to mothers who ate a healthy, Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy were at lower risk for colic and eczema, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. The researchers also found that regularly consuming seafood during pregnancy helped lower an infant's risk for these conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-healthy-diet-pregnancy-infant-colic.html Mon, 12 Oct 2026 11:00:07 EDT news710770081 A study from the Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM) at Maastricht University Medical Center in Maastricht, the Netherlands, has found that longer-term consumption of unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts can benefit insulin responsiveness in the brains of older adults. The findings are published in Food & Function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-daily-peanut-consumption-beneficially-affects.html Sat, 10 Oct 2026 18:00:06 EDT news710501293 In general, people who eat a healthy diet give themselves a significantly better chance of avoiding some major diseases than those who don't. The Nordic diet, also known as a northern version of the Mediterranean diet, is a healthy, sustainable way of eating based on traditional foods of countries like Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. It includes plant foods and berries, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and fatty fish. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-healthy-nordic-diet-longer-liver.html Sat, 10 Oct 2026 10:20:01 EDT news710834163 Vaccination is one of the most important tools for preventing infectious diseases and protecting public health. However, immune responses after vaccination vary dramatically from person to person: If you give many people the exact same vaccine, some will experience side effects such as fever and flulike symptoms while others feel fine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-gut-microbes-body-inflammatory-response.html Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:40:01 EDT news710770202 Two major international studies are providing new insight into how human milk is regulated, showing that some components respond to maternal nutrition, while others remain stable or reflect biological processes involved in lactation and infant growth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-reveals-remarkable-complexity-human.html Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:20:23 EDT news710768228 Gut health and muscle health are often thought of as separate concerns. The first brings to mind eating fiber and probiotics, while the other centers on exercise and protein. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-gutmuscle-link-fermented-foods-boost.html Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:40:01 EDT news710767561 The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee weighed the available evidence on dietary patterns associated with the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia but said there were not enough data to make a recommendation. In response, a new paper by U.S. and European researchers addresses ambiguities across studies and harmonizes key data to shed light on how different diets may shape cognitive performance, executive function and dementia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-diets-linked-cognitive.html Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:20:07 EDT news710760541 While the adult obesity rate appears to be slowing in the United States, childhood obesity remains historically high, affecting nearly 1 in 5 school-age children. Many efforts to address this persistent health crisis have urged children to make multiple lifestyle changes at once—such as increasing physical activity, improving diet and getting more sleep—but these interventions are often difficult to implement and unrealistic for children and families to sustain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-school-based-intervention-children-healthier.html Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:00:05 EDT news710754421 Unhealthy dietary patterns are among the leading drivers of the global health crisis, significantly contributing to rising rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Nutritional science has long established that the quality of fat in our diet is crucial for metabolic health. Reducing saturated fat intake or replacing it with unsaturated fats has been shown to lower CVD and T2D risk by improving blood lipid profiles and reducing inflammation. While traditional blood lipid profiles focus on key markers like cholesterol, advanced lipidomics provides a comprehensive view of the entire circulating lipidome, uncovering specific changes in lipid classes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-peanut-consumption-affects-lipid-profile.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:40:05 EDT news710670599 Adults with type 2 diabetes who followed a low-fat vegan diet for 16 weeks, eating as much as they wanted, with no calorie counting or portion control, lost weight, reduced fat buildup in the liver and abdomen and improved insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function, according to a new clinical trial published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-fat-vegan-diet-liver-insulin.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:40:13 EDT news710694061 A study led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine identified shared molecular patterns in human milk that link maternal nutrition, mammary gland biology and infant growth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-human-window-mammary-gland-function.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:01:02 EDT news710600678 In treating diabetes, postmeal elevation of glucose levels is an important therapeutic target. Existing clinical studies indicate that eating vegetables, protein or fat before carbohydrates can moderate a postmeal rise in blood glucose, pointing to the potential of meal sequencing as a simple and sustainable dietary strategy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-olive-oil-carbs-blunts-early.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:00:26 EDT news710612641 Around half of people who are severely overweight have mild inflammation in their bodies. Research by neuroscientist Judith Scholing of the Donders Institute at Radboud University shows that this inflammation can cause people to opt for convenient food choices, which often means fast food. This makes it harder to lose weight. The work is published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-inflammation-people-obesity-easier-healthy.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:20:05 EDT news710421121 Most nutrition science suggests that meals with the same basic nutritional profile will have the same impact on a person's blood sugar. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-calories-responses-food-metabolism-brain.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 05:00:01 EDT news710161982 A new study by researchers at City of Hope suggests eating less sugar could protect the microbiome during antibiotic treatment. The study followed patients with blood cancer undergoing an intensive treatment called allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant, a population at particularly high risk for severe gut microbiome disruption and associated side effects. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-sweets-antibiotic-treatment-gut-microbiome.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:00:05 EDT news709900201 Omega fatty acids have long been recognized for their benefits: supporting cardiovascular health, reducing systemic inflammation, and promoting brain development and cognitive function. But scientists now warn of a long-unrecognized downside to these compounds when it comes to cancer and immunotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-omega-paradox-healthy-fats-defenses.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 07:40:03 EDT news709891181 A new pilot study found that older, sedentary adults who consumed blueberries daily showed a greater, more consistent reduction in depressive symptoms, along with minor changes in markers of gut microbial enzymes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-blueberries-gut-microbiome-older-adults.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 18:00:10 EDT news709902543 Researchers at the University of Liverpool have conducted the longest and most comprehensive randomized controlled trial of non-nutritive sweetened (NNS) soft drinks. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-major-trial-sugar-free-sweetened.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:49:33 EDT news709890496