Obesity

It's controversial, but slogging passengers with a body-weight surcharge is still on the table for many airlines, be it for profit or the environment. But it seems attitudes, particularly among younger travelers, is shifting on the contentious issue.

Balloons that trick the stomach into feeling full have long been used for weight loss. But, they become less effective the longer they stay inflated. Engineers have devised a balloon that inflates and deflates on demand – it reduced food intake by 60%.

An innovative mix of readily available natural products shapes up as a long-term alternative to the likes of Ozempic for managing obesity, diabetes, liver health and inflammation – without the injections, cost or side effects associated with GLP-1 drugs.

Dark chocolate has been extensively studied for its cardiometabolic health benefits, but findings have been inconsistent, spurring heated debates over whether this treat has pros that outweigh the cons. Now, new research puts dark chocolate back on the table, quantifying its impact on type 2 diabetes risk and weight gain in a study of nearly 200,000 US adults.

If you've never heard of fox nuts, you'd be forgiven for assuming that they don't seem particularly palatable. But they're actually starchy seeds harvested from an aquatic lily that boast vast health benefits. And no foxes are harmed in the process.

Studies presented at a recent American Heart Association conference have confirmed the heart health benefits provided by the new anti-obesity drugs, semaglutide and tirzepatide, and how lifestyle interventions for weight loss affect heart biomarkers in diabetics.

A new study has found a link between the rollout of high-speed internet services and a rise in obesity rates. The researchers who conducted the study attribute the increase to the effect of high-speed internet access on physical activity and eating habits.

Game-changing GLP-1 agonist drugs are a step closer to being available in oral pill form, with AstraZeneca revealing "encouraging data" from the Phase I safety and tolerability trial of its once-daily obesity and diabetes drug AZD5004.

A new oral nanotherapy works directly on the small intestine, reducing its ability to absorb fat from the food we eat, according to a new study. If it proves effective in humans, it has huge potential as a treatment for diet-related obesity.

In the first study of its kind, excess abdominal fat has been associated with chronic pain, but the good news is that losing weight that can reduce waistlines could help relieve widespread musculoskeletal conditions and greatly improve quality of life.

The race is on to deliver the first once-a-day weight-loss pill that would be both cheaper and less invasive than the current injectable drugs, with strong results from Terns following those from competitors Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Roche and Structure.

While being a night owl has a certain cachet, a new study shows that staying up into the wee hours can be downright dangerous. The late-night lifestyle was shown to dramatically raise diabetes risk and cause several other health-damaging effects.