https://medicalxpress.com/overweight-obesity-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Weight Management A new report, published in Nature Metabolism, is shedding light on the distinct and underappreciated role of fructose in driving disease, separate from its role as a simple source of calories. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fructose-emerges-key-driver-metabolic.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:00:03 EDT news695568601 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 The brain is the body's command center, and neurons are the workhorses that carry out its commands. They transmit signals that regulate many bodily functions, including key metabolic processes such as appetite, body weight and energy expenditure. But how do neurons power all this activity? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-neurons-dont-sugar-hidden-fat.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:00:09 EDT news695390041 Researchers at Toronto's Sinai Health have found that semaglutide—the active ingredient in popular weight loss drugs that mimic the gut hormone GLP-1—acts directly on a subset of liver cells to improve organ function and does so independently of weight loss. The finding challenges long-held assumptions about how GLP-1 medicines work in the liver and could reshape how physicians treat metabolic liver disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-glp-medicine-liver-health-independent.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:00:03 EDT news695311381 In a study involving over 600,000 people, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have investigated how changes in weight between the ages of 17 and 60 are linked to the risk of dying from various diseases. The results show a clear pattern: weight gain early in adulthood has the greatest impact. The work is published in the journal eClinicalMedicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-weight-gain-20s-health-impact.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:20:08 EDT news695300761 New findings reveal that obesity significantly impaired the quality and longevity of antibody responses to a Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine in a mouse model. The impaired antibody production was due to defects in germinal centers, a transient part of the immune system where specialized immune cells, called B cells, produce antibodies and build memory against pathogens. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-obesity-derail-vaccine-response-lung.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:00:01 EDT news695035117 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 By using AI to analyze more than 400,000 Reddit posts, Penn researchers have identified patient-reported symptoms associated with GLP-1s, the popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide, that may not be fully captured in clinical trials or regulatory documents. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-scans-reddit-flag-overlooked.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:00:03 EDT news694973341 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 Obesity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but people's weights can shift over time, and little is known about the cumulative impact of excess weight. New research from investigators at Mass General Brigham shows that long-term exposure to excess weight is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular risk than body mass index (BMI) at a single point in time, with the effect strongest in younger people. The results, published in PLOS One, suggest that losing weight and decreasing excess weight exposure may decrease a person's cardiovascular risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-term-excess-weight-bmi-cardiovascular.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:16 EDT news694863241 When the stomach is full, how does the brain know to stop eating? Scientists long assumed the answer lies mainly with neurons, the brain's primary signaling cells. But a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that another type of brain cell called astrocytes, usually seen as "support staff," may be playing a far more active role in controlling behavior than previously thought. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-link-brain-appetite.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:40:01 EDT news694788002 Originally developed to treat diabetes, a class of drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are now stepping into the spotlight as weight loss drugs. A recent umbrella review draws attention to safety concerns regarding the use of this GLP medication, alongside a mix of potential benefits. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-glp-agonist-drugs-digestive-side.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:00:05 EDT news694687699