New Atlas

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Altering liver's fat metabolism could help prevent diabetes without dietary changes

Michael Irving May 30, 2019

What if you could stay healthier without changing your diet? In mouse tests researchers have now found a way to alter the fat metabolism in the liver, reducing the chances of diabetes without changing a high-fat diet.

Altering the fat metabolism in the liver could reduce the chances of diabetes even while still ...

Science Audio available

First-of-its-kind trial finds processed food causes overeating, but researchers not sure why

Rich Haridy May 16, 2019

Researchers have discovered diets composed of ultra-processed foods lead to overeating and weight gain when compared to diets composed of unprocessed foods. As both diets contained the same amounts of sugars and fats, it is unclear why the ultra-processed food engenders overeating and weight gain.

This image shows one of the study's unprocessed lunches, consisting of a spinach salad with chicken ...

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Striking study reveals how dietary fats enter the brain and cause depression

Rich Haridy May 12, 2019

An intriguing study suggests there is a direct causative link between a high-fat diet and the development of depression. The research demonstrates how certain dietary fats can enter the brain, disrupt specific signaling pathways in the hypothalamus, and subsequently induce signs of depression.

A new study demonstrates how fatty acids can enter the brain and disrupt signaling pathways that ...

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First human trial into fecal transplants for obesity delivers mixed results

Rich Haridy May 9, 2019

Researchers are reporting mixed results from the first human trial investigating the effects of fecal transplantation in obese patients. Initial reports suggest the treatment failed to induce weight loss or changes in a key satiety hormone.

Despite no weight loss noted during the treatment period, a study into FMT to treat obesity ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Stress eating causes more weight gain than eating when calm

Rich Haridy April 25, 2019

A striking study has discovered that eating while stressed may lead to greater weight gain than if the same caloric load was consumed in a stress-free environment. The study reveals a molecular pathway activated by stress can alter the body’s metabolic processes and lead to increased weight gain.

Stressed mice were found to gain more weight from a high-calorie diet than mice eating the ...

Medical Audio available

Inflatable weight-loss capsule is activated by a magnet

Ben Coxworth April 24, 2019

For several years now, obese people have been able to lose weight by swallowing capsules that inflate within the stomach, providing a sense of fullness. While such capsules have had to be inflated via a catheter fed down the throat, scientists have now created one that's activated magnetically.

Prof. Louis Phee (left) and Prof. Lawrence Ho, with the prototype EndoPil

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Anti-obesity genetic variant discovery paves way for new weight-loss drugs

Rich Haridy April 22, 2019

A study has homed in on a number of specific variants in a single gene that can help people either lose or gain weight. The research revealed that some naturally-occurring variants can offer protection against obesity, and may lead to new weight-loss drugs that mimic this genetic variation.

Examining genetic data from half a million people revealed several specific genetic variants associated with lower ...

Medical Audio available

Green tea found to prevent obesity in mice

Nick Lavars March 14, 2019

The latest intriguing observations surrounding the potential health benefits of green tea come from nutritionists at Ohio State University (OHU), who set out to study how the steamy beverage might limit obesity in mice and returned some positive results.

New research has uncovered evidence green tea consumption can prevent obesity in mice

Medical

Restricting hormone uptake boosts the burning of beige fat in mice

Darren Quick January 17, 2019

Researchers have found that blocking the uptake of a specific hormone prompts the burning of stores of beige fat in mice. The researchers say this regulatory mechanism provides a new target for the development of drugs that combat obesity by boosting the burning of stored fat in the human body.

Researchers have uncovered a new target for drugs to help those struggling to lose weight

Medical

Compelling new link between obesity-related anxiety and “zombie cells” in the brain

Rich Haridy January 6, 2019

A new study has revealed a connection between obesity, anxiety, and the accumulation of "zombie," or senescent, cells in the brain. The research in mice revealed that obesity increases the volume of these cells in the brain, which subsequently increases anxiety-like behavior in the animals.

A mouse study revealed clearing the brain of senescent, or "zombie", cells resulted in the reduction ...