Fitness News

September 9, 2025

Top Headlines

How Orangutans Thrive in Feast and Famine Without Gaining Weight

Sep. 9, 2025 — Orangutans, humans’ close evolutionary relatives, have developed remarkable strategies to survive in the unpredictable rainforests of Borneo. A Rutgers-led study reveals that these apes balance protein intake and adjust their activity to match ...

The Fat You Can’t See May Be Damaging Your Heart, Even If You Exercise

Sep. 6, 2025 — Hidden fat wrapped around organs, known as visceral fat, has now been linked to faster heart aging. Using AI and imaging from more than 21,000 people in the UK Biobank, scientists found that this invisible belly fat accelerates stiffening and ...

The Next Ozempic: A 4-in-1 Breakthrough for Lasting Weight Loss

Sep. 1, 2025 — Scientists are racing to improve weight loss treatments beyond drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which are effective but plagued by nausea, bone loss, and weight regain. Tufts University chemists have created a new multi-target compound that goes ...

Exercise May Actually Reverse Your Body’s Aging Clock

Aug. 31, 2025 — New research suggests that exercise may not just make us feel younger—it could actually slow or even reverse the body’s molecular clock. By looking at DNA markers of aging, scientists found that structured exercise like aerobic and strength ...

Why Ultra-processed Diets Make You Gain Fat Even Without Extra Calories

Aug. 30, 2025 — Men eating ultra-processed foods gained more fat than those eating unprocessed meals, even with equal calories. Their hormone levels shifted in worrying ways, with testosterone falling and pollutants rising. Researchers say the processing itself, ...

Ancient DNA Finally Solves the Mystery of the World’s First Pandemic

Aug. 30, 2025 — Scientists have finally uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis — the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — in a mass grave in Jerash, Jordan. This long-sought discovery resolves a centuries-old debate, confirming that the ...

Tiny Green Tea Beads Trap Fat and Melt Away Pounds Without Side Effects

Aug. 24, 2025 — Researchers have created plant-based microbeads that trap fat in the gut, helping rats lose weight without side effects. Unlike current drugs, the beads are safe, tasteless, and easy to mix into everyday foods. Human trials are now ...

How Much Damage Are Ultraprocessed Foods Really Doing to Your Health?

Aug. 10, 2025 — Many foods we consume today are ultraprocessed, packed with unhealthy ingredients, and linked to major health risks. As consumption of these foods rises, so do chronic health issues, especially among lower-income groups. Experts are calling for ...

Losing Weight but Gaining Weakness? What Ozempic Might Be Doing to Your Muscles

Aug. 10, 2025 — Ozempic’s weight loss benefits might come at the cost of muscle strength, even if muscle size remains relatively stable. This raises significant concerns for older adults, who are already at risk ...

Can a Diet Really Ease Lipoedema? Sunniva’s Journey to Pain Relief and Weight Loss

Aug. 10, 2025 — Sunniva Kwapeng struggled with lipoedema, a painful condition causing disproportionate fat accumulation, until finally being diagnosed in her 40s. An NTNU study found that a low-carb diet helped ...

Scientists Just Found a Tiny Molecule That Could Change How We Lose Weight

Aug. 10, 2025 — Researchers at the Salk Institute have used CRISPR to uncover hidden microproteins that control fat cell growth and lipid storage, identifying one confirmed target, Adipocyte-smORF-1183. This breakthrough could lead to more effective obesity ...

Scientists Discover Amino Acid Switch That Turns Fat Into a Calorie-burning Furnace

Aug. 8, 2025 — Cutting calories doesn’t just slim you down—it also reduces cysteine, an amino acid that flips fat cells from storage mode to fat-burning mode. Researchers found that lowering cysteine sparks the ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:13pm EDT

This Diet Helped People Lose Twice as Much Weight, Without Eating Less

Aug. 5, 2025 — People eating minimally processed foods lost twice as much weight as those on ultra-processed diets, even though both diets were nutritionally balanced and participants could eat freely. This ...

Breakthrough Lung Cancer Treatment Supercharges Immune Cells With Mitochondria

Aug. 3, 2025 — Scientists have found a way to supercharge lung cancer treatment by transplanting healthy mitochondria into tumors, which both boosts immune response ...

Fat Melts Away, but So Does Muscle: What Ozempic Users Need to Know

July 31, 2025 — GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are transforming weight loss, but a new UVA study warns they're not improving a critical measure of health: cardiorespiratory fitness. While these medications help people ...

Walk Faster, Live Longer: How Just 15 Minutes a Day Can Boost Lifespan

July 29, 2025 — Fast walking, even just 15 minutes a day, can dramatically reduce the risk of death, especially from heart disease, according to a large study involving nearly 80,000 low-income and predominantly ...

This Gut Hormone Could Explain 40% of IBS-D Cases—and Lead to a Cure

July 29, 2025 — A mysterious gut hormone may be behind many cases of chronic diarrhea, especially in people with undiagnosed bile acid malabsorption, a condition often mistaken for irritable bowel syndrome. ...

Walk Faster, Age Slower: The 14-Step Boost That Builds Strength

July 28, 2025 — Walking just a bit faster could be the key to aging well. Researchers found that older adults who upped their walking pace by just 14 steps per minute significantly improved their physical ...

Can AI Predict Cancer? New Model Uses Genomics to Simulate Tumors

July 27, 2025 — A team of scientists has developed a remarkable new approach to modeling how cells behave over time—using a digital "forecast" much like predicting the weather. By combining patient genomics with a ...

This DNA Test Can Predict If a 5-Year-Old Will Be Obese as an Adult

July 25, 2025 — What if we could predict obesity before it ever takes hold? A global team has created a genetic test that forecasts a child’s risk of adult obesity before age five—years before other factors kick ...

Four Hidden Types of Autism Revealed — and Each Tells a Different Genetic Story

July 24, 2025 — Scientists at Princeton and the Simons Foundation have identified four biologically distinct subtypes of autism, using data from over 5,000 children ...

New Genetic Test Predicts Obesity Before You Start Kindergarten

July 23, 2025 — A groundbreaking study involving genetic data from over five million people has uncovered how our DNA can predict obesity risk as early as childhood. The new polygenic risk score outperforms previous ...

Active but Still Gaining Weight? Duke Scientists Reveal Why

July 20, 2025 — People in richer countries aren t moving less they re just eating more. A new Duke study shows that diet, not laziness, is fueling the obesity epidemic across industrialized ...

Three-Person DNA IVF Stops Inherited Disease—eight Healthy Babies Born in UK First

July 18, 2025 — In a groundbreaking UK first, eight healthy babies have been born using an IVF technique that includes DNA from three people—two parents and a female donor. The process, known as pronuclear ...

Tai Chi, Yoga, and Jogging Rival Pills for Beating Insomnia

July 17, 2025 — Yoga, Tai Chi, walking, and jogging may be some of the best natural remedies for improving sleep and tackling insomnia, according to a large analysis comparing various treatments. While cognitive ...

Weight-Loss Wonder Drug Mounjaro/Zepbound Shrinks Breast Cancer Tumors

July 15, 2025 — A cutting-edge mouse study reveals that tirzepatide, the dual GLP-1/GIP drug already hailed for impressive weight loss, does more than trim fat: it slashes the growth of obesity-linked breast tumors. ...

Semaglutide Melts Fat—but May Quietly Strip Away Your Strength

July 15, 2025 — Semaglutide, a popular anti-obesity drug, may come with a hidden cost: significant muscle loss, especially in women and older adults. A small study found that up to 40% of weight loss from ...

Hormone Therapy Supercharges Tirzepatide, Unleashing Major Weight Loss After Menopause

July 13, 2025 — Postmenopausal women struggling with weight loss may find a powerful solution by combining the diabetes drug tirzepatide with menopause hormone therapy. A Mayo Clinic study revealed that this dual ...

Tirzepatide: The Weight-Loss Drug That Also Shrinks Breast Tumors in Mice

July 13, 2025 — In a striking new study, the anti-obesity drug tirzepatide, known as Mounjaro and Zepbound, not only triggered significant weight loss in obese mice but also slashed breast cancer tumor growth. The ...

Not All Exercise Boosts Mental Health — It’s the Why That Matters Most

July 13, 2025 — Movement helps your mood, but it's not one-size-fits-all. Exercising for fun, with friends, or in enjoyable settings brings greater mental health benefits than simply moving for chores or ...

Hate Exercise? Neuroscience Maps the Routine Your Personality Will Love

July 8, 2025 — A new UCL study reveals that aligning workouts with personality boosts fitness and slashes stress—extroverts thrive on HIIT, neurotics favor short, private bursts, and everyone benefits when ...

Ultrafast 12-Minute MRI Maps Brain Chemistry to Spot Disease Before Symptoms

July 2, 2025 — Illinois engineers fused ultrafast imaging with smart algorithms to peek at living brain chemistry, turning routine MRIs into metabolic microscopes. The system distinguishes healthy regions, grades ...

Acid-Busting Diet Triggers 13-Pound Weight Loss in Just 16 Weeks

June 26, 2025 — Swap steaks for spinach and you might watch the scale plummet. In a 16-week crossover study, overweight adults who ditched animal products for a low-fat vegan menu saw their bodies become less acidic ...

Hot Tubs Outperform Saunas in Boosting Blood Flow and Immune Power

June 26, 2025 — Hot tubs don't just feel great, they may actually outperform saunas when it comes to health perks. A study found that soaking in hot water raises core body temperature more than dry or infrared ...

Fitness Trackers Are Failing Millions — This Fix Could Change Everything

June 20, 2025 — Fitness trackers often fail people with obesity by underestimating their energy burn, leading to discouraging results and misguided health data. A scientist's frustrating experience in an ...

How Brain Cells Meant to Help May Be Making Depression Worse

June 24, 2025 — Major depressive disorder affects hundreds of millions worldwide, but a key to understanding its origins may lie in the brain’s immune system. New findings spotlight astrocytes—previously ...

Beyond Ozempic: New Weight Loss Drug Rivals Surgery

June 12, 2025 — Tufts University scientists are aiming to revolutionize the future of weight loss drugs by engineering a new compound that targets four gut hormones instead of the usual one to three. These next-gen ...

Ginger Vs. Cancer: Natural Compound Targets Tumor Metabolism

June 10, 2025 — Scientists in Japan have discovered that a natural compound found in a type of ginger called kencur can throw cancer cells into disarray by disrupting how they generate energy. While healthy cells ...

This Overlooked Supplement Could Help You Think Sharper and Age Better

June 10, 2025 — Creatine is gaining recognition far beyond its roots in athletic performance. Once seen as a gym-only supplement, it's now understood to play a vital role in cellular energy, cognitive function, ...

This "Healthy" Fat May Secretly Be Fueling Obesity

June 11, 2025 — A popular fat found in olive oil may not be as innocent as it seems. Scientists discovered that oleic acid, a major component of many high-fat foods, uniquely spurs the growth of new fat cells by ...

Why Your Diet Might Be Making You Sad--Especially If You're a Man

June 7, 2025 — New research reveals a surprising downside to calorie-cutting diets: a link to higher levels of depressive symptoms, especially in men and those who are overweight. Despite popular beliefs that ...

Being in Nature Can Help People With Chronic Back Pain Manage Their Condition

June 3, 2025 — Researchers asked patients, some of whom had experienced lower back pain for up to 40 years, if being in nature helped them coped better with their lower back pain. They found that people able to ...