Obesity News and Research

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Overweight and obesity are defined by the WHO as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to an individuals health.

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer and while it was once an issue only in high income countries, overweight and obesity has now dramatically risen in low- and middle-income countries.Such countries are now facing a "double burden" of disease, for while they continue to deal with the problems of infectious disease and under-nutrition, they are also experiencing a rapid upsurge in chronic disease risk factors such as obesity and overweight, particularly in urban settings.

Strength Training Induces Fat Breakdown in Obese Mice Without Weight Loss

Just seven days of strength training increased visceral fat burning in obese mice, even before any weight loss could be seen on a scale. In an experiment conducted at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), researchers observed that a short period of strength training activated mechanisms involved in fat breakdown, reduced fat cell size, and decreased fat around the animals' intestines.

23 Sep 2026

What Drives Pregnancy Cravings? Researchers Find a Clue in the Brain

What causes intense food cravings during pregnancy? Scientists at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, working alongside collaborators, have pinpointed a neural mechanism that may explain how pregnancy influences the desire to pursue certain highly appealing foods.

22 Sep 2026

Breakthrough Study Explains Developmental Origins of the Human Brain

For centuries, scientists have thought of the brain as a single, unified organ. But new research led by Stanford Medicine reveals that what we call the brain is two distinct organs that evolved independently over hundreds of millions of years.

21 Sep 2026

Obesity May Remove a Natural Defense Against Breast Cancer

A research team at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) has found that obesity prevents a biological process that kills cancerous cells, revealing a possible reason why obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer.

18 Sep 2026

Combining Massive Genomic Cohorts With Single-Cell Analysis to Track Autoimmune Diseases

A research team led by Professor Hong-Hee Won of the Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology (SAIHST) at Sungkyunkwan University(SKKU) and Samsung Medical Center, with Researcher Hyeonbin Jo as a first author, has revealed the specific mechanisms.

18 Sep 2026

Scientists Identify Molecular Mechanism Behind Persistent Obesity and Weight Relapse

Two enduring biological mysteries have remained unsolved for decades: why almost everyone who loses weight gains it back, no matter how they lost it, and why obesity passes from mother to child at rates that diet and environment cannot explain. Now, scientists from Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University have identified why.

11 Sep 2026

AI-Designed Protein Vehicle Enables Lower RNA Dosing While Maximizing Therapeutic Protein Expression

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and TUM have developed Synthetic Transfer Vehicles (STVs), an entirely new class of RNA transporters. To do so, they combined naturally occurring protein building blocks with synthetic protein structures designed using generative AI.

3 Sep 2026

Targeting EFHD1 Protein Prevents Severe Obesity-Related Metabolic Liver Damage

Obesity-related metabolic liver disease affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, but only some fraction of those livers develop scarring, become inflamed, and eventually fail.

2 Sep 2026

Tiny Cell Structures Called Peroxisomes Protect Vital Human Insulin Supply

Researchers at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center have identified a previously underappreciated role for tiny structures inside cells called peroxisomes in protecting insulin and maintaining the health and maturity of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

31 Aug 2026

Bulky Molecular CRISPR Systems Barely Fit Inside Single Viral Vectors

The ability to precisely adjust the expression of genes inside the human body - ramping up protective ones and tamping down harmful ones - holds enormous potential for treating and preventing disease.

31 Aug 2026

Scientists Map Overlapping Genetic Markers in Serious Human Eating Disorders

A landmark global study including University of North Carolina eating disorder expert Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., FAED, has, for the first time, mapped and compared the genetic profiles of binge eating and anorexia nervosa.

20 Aug 2026

McMaster Team Identifies Natural Immune Defense Against Advanced Fatty Liver Disease

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered that a naturally occurring hormone best known for suppressing appetite and promoting weight loss also helps protect the liver from inflammation through a previously unknown signaling pathway, opening new possibilities for treating advanced fatty liver disease.

11 Aug 2026

Sweeteners Shown to Slow Growth of Important Gut Bacteria in Lab Tests

Cambridge researchers have shown how commonly-used sweeteners slow the growth of certain gut bacteria.

16 Jul 2026

Research Maps Structural Interactions Between Mitochondria and Lipid Droplets

An international study by scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has identified a fundamental mechanism that regulates how the body uses stored fat to produce energy.

10 Jul 2026

Innovative Artificial Intelligence Tool Identifies Hidden Molecular Biomarkers for Thrombosis

Two people may be the same age and have similar family histories or risk factors, yet only one of them may develop thrombosis.

7 Jul 2026

Modified Mediterranean Diet Improves Lifespan and Metabolic Health

A plant- and fish-based, low-protein diet paired with small amounts of an amino acid commonly found in eggs, meat and dairy increased healthy lifespan and decreased frailty and fat mass in mice, according to a new USC study published today in the journal Cell Metabolism.

24 Jun 2026

Scientists Discover Hidden Brain Development Signaling Pathway

The cytoskeleton gives cells their shape and helps them move. Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the Ludwig Maximilian University now show that, in neural stem cells, proteins of the cytoskeleton are also found in the cell nucleus, where they can influence developmental programs.

23 Jun 2026

Decoding Hidden Metabolic Tissue Crosstalk via Advanced Proteomic Tracking

The body's organs are in constant communication. Fat tissue tells the liver when to store or release energy, the immune system signals localized inflammation, and thousands of proteins carry these messages to organs throughout the body.

23 Jun 2026

Researchers Identify a Dedicated Gut-Brain Signaling Pathway That Helps Drive Hunger

Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center found that common dietary sugars fructose and glucose, despite having the same amount of calories, communicate with the brain through different gut-brain pathways, a difference that may help shape our food and beverage preferences.

12 Jun 2026

Building A Soft Robotic Heart That Mimics HFpEF Progression

Researchers developed a soft robotic heart model that replicates HFpEF, enhancing understanding of the disease and supporting innovative treatment strategies.

10 Jun 2026