https://medicalxpress.com/nutrition-healthy-eating-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Nutrition & Healthy Eating What we eat plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A well-balanced meal rich in essential micronutrients not only fuels the body but may also help protect against metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. There is another question worth asking: Does when we eat matter just as much as what we eat? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-longevity-heart-health.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:42:19 EDT news706783315 Each person has a unique gut microbial population, with variation shaped by diet, lifestyle and disease. We are seeing a rapid rise in metabolic disorders, obesity and inflammatory diseases that cannot be explained by our relatively stable genetic code. One of the most encouraging findings in common modern diseases is that modifiable factors can outweigh genetic predispositions. Unlike genetics, the microbiome is a dynamic system that responds to the daily choices we make. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-gut-microbial-health-index-composite.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:00:01 EDT news706535175 Spinach, almonds and sweet potatoes are celebrated as some of the healthiest foods on the planet. But for the millions of Americans living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a new study from the UNC School of Medicine suggests that these same foods may be quietly worsening gut inflammation through a compound most people have never heard of. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-oxalate-spinach-almonds-worsen-gut.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:00:01 EDT news706535151 A UIC study led by kinesiology and nutrition professor Krista Varady found that time-restricted eating may be a safe, effective tool to control blood sugar in adults with type 1 diabetes. The work is published in the journal Diabetes Care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-intermittent-fasting-diabetics-blood-sugar.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:40:03 EDT news706455025 Participants who followed a Mediterranean-style plan tailored for the Southeast not only kept weight off but also ate better in ways that may help prevent chronic disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-mediterranean-style-tailored-southeast-weight.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:40:07 EDT news706446421 University of Alabama researchers have found that a combination of an existing immunosuppressant drug and a compound derived from dietary sources showed greater benefit than either treatment alone in a preclinical model of lupus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dietary-compound-boosts-immunosuppressant-effect.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:00:05 EDT news706444262 Prostate tumors can rewire amino acid metabolism to override the normal brakes on cholesterol production, a process that may fuel hormone therapy resistance, according to a study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-prostate-cancer-hijacks-amino-acid.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:12 EDT news706368901 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that gut bacteria can convert dietary nitrate and iron into protective molecules that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The study, published in Cell, reveals a new way in which the gut microbiota helps protect vital bodily functions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-gut-bacteria-spinach-beets-iron.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:13 EDT news706201621 While consumers may save a few bucks on groceries at dollar stores, they end up paying a higher price with their health. New UC Riverside research shows a link between dollar store food quality and higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-hidden-health-dollar-groceries.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 19:00:04 EDT news706292881 Could how much sugar you consumed before your second birthday shape your health decades later—even into your 70s? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-babies-born-sugar-rationing-grew.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:40:09 EDT news706266962 Approximately 65% of U.S. adults report consuming one or more sugar-sweetened beverages every day. Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute researchers found that consuming these drinks daily was associated with an increased risk of developing gastric cancer, while artificially sweetened beverages were not associated with an increased risk. Results are published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-people-consume-sugar-sweetened-beverages.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:40:11 EDT news706189144 GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual agonists have transformed the treatment of obesity and other metabolic diseases, and a new editorial co-authored by Dr. Steven Heymsfield of LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Dr. Adam Gilden of the University of Colorado examines what scientists are learning as these medications reach millions of people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-unanticipated-benefits-glp-medications.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705935134 Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital have uncovered an intervention that could potentially improve outcomes for children with malnutrition, a condition that contributes to nearly half of all deaths among children younger than 5. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-intervention-potentially-outcome-children-malnutrition.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:00:07 EDT news705859921 Most individuals encounter their health primarily through an annual health screening, which provides a limited snapshot of their health status. A new study by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), challenges the way we think about health and longevity by seeking to understand what occurs between those assessments, focusing on function rather than static markers and tracking how physiology changes moment to moment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-professor-subject-longevity-biological-age.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:40:01 EDT news705839287 Coffee is one of the world's most widely consumed beverages, and previous research has linked its consumption to a lower risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the biological mechanisms behind these benefits remain unclear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-coffee-consumption-linked-leaner-body.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705833641 Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) account for nearly 60% of adults' and 70% of children's energy intake in the United States. These industrially manufactured products—such as soft drinks, packaged cereals and snacks, and processed meats—are made with refined fats, oils, sugars, starches, salts and other additives that can enhance flavor, texture and shelf life while reducing nutritional value. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ultra-foods-linked-notably-higher.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:00:03 EDT news705753569