Nutrition Research News

January 24, 2025

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Memory Systems in the Brain Drive Food Cravings That Could Influence Body Weight

Jan. 15, 2025 — A research team identified the brain's food-specific memory system and its direct role in overeating and diet-induced obesity. They found a specific population of neurons in the mouse brain that ...

Is Eating More Red Meat Bad for Your Brain?

Jan. 15, 2025 — People who eat more red meat, especially processed red meat like bacon, sausage and bologna, are more likely to have a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia when compared to those who eat very little red meat, according to a new ...

High Levels of Disordered Eating Among Young People Linked to Brain Differences

Jan. 10, 2025 — More than half of 23-year-olds in a European study show restrictive, emotional or uncontrolled eating behaviors, according to new research. Structural brain differences appear to play a role in the ...

Key Players in Brain Aging: New Research Identifies Age-Related Damage on a Cellular Level

Jan. 1, 2025 — Scientists have identified the molecular changes that occur in the brains of aging mice and located a hot spot where much of that damage is centralized. The cells in the area are also connected with ...

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Integrating GABA and Dopamine Signals to Regulate Meal Initiation

Dec. 20, 2024 — When you are feeling hungry, the brain takes the necessary steps toward consuming a meal. Many of these steps are not well known, but a new study reveals brain circuits and chemical messengers that ...

Drinking Coffee May Help Prevent Mental Decline in People With Atrial Fibrillation

Dec. 19, 2024 — A study of more than 2,400 people with atrial fibrillation, who had an average age of 73, found that drinking more than five cups of caffeinated ...

More Calories -- More Consumption: Individuals With and Without Obesity Both Prefer High-Calories Food, Study Finds

Dec. 17, 2024 — Higher calorie foods were preferred among individuals with and without obesity despite similar taste and texture, according to a new ...

New Evidence on the Relationship Between Moderate Wine Consumption and Cardiovascular Health

Dec. 18, 2024 — Light and moderate consumption of wine is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular complications, according to a multicenter study. The study ...

Is Fake Meat Good to Eat? Processed Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Linked to Depression Risk in Vegetarians

Dec. 17, 2024 — Researchers found that vegetarians who consumed PBMAs had a 42% increased risk of depression compared to vegetarians who refrained from ...

Researchers Discover New Neurons That Suppress Food Intake

Dec. 5, 2024 — Researchers have discovered a new population of neurons that is responsive to the hormone leptin. Leptin responsive neurons are important in obesity since leptin is sent to the brain from the body's ...

Targeting a Brain Enzyme to Curb Obesity

Dec. 16, 2024 — Endocannabinoids in the brain play a key role in food intake and energy use. Modulating the action of these molecules could help fight obesity, say ...

A Healthy Diet Helps the Weighty Battle With Chronic Pain

Dec. 8, 2024 — New research shows that adopting a healthy diet can reduce the severity of chronic pain, presenting an easy and accessible way for sufferers to better manage their ...

Hidden Fat Predicts Alzheimer's 20 Years Ahead of Symptoms

Dec. 2, 2024 — Researchers have linked a specific type of body fat to the abnormal proteins in the brain that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease up to 20 years before the earliest symptoms of dementia appear, ...

Confinement May Affect How We Smell and Feel About Food

Nov. 18, 2024 — New research found confined and isolating environments changed the way people smelled and responded emotionally to certain food aromas. The team in this study compared 44 people's emotional responses ...

Cocoa or Green Tea Could Protect You from the Negative Effects of Fatty Foods During Mental Stress

Nov. 18, 2024 — New research has found that a flavanol-rich cocoa drink can protect the body's vasculature against stress even after eating high-fat ...

New Discovery May Lead to More Effective Treatment for Cardiovascular Disease

Nov. 13, 2024 — Researchers have identified a new target to treat atherosclerosis, a condition where plaque clogs arteries and causes major cardiac issues, including stroke and heart ...

Researchers Suggest Stress Hormones Explain How Obesity Causes Diabetes

Nov. 12, 2024 — Obesity causes insulin resistance by increasing activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the release of the stress hormone norepinephrine, according to a new ...

Newly Discovered Neurons Change Our Understanding of How the Brain Handles Hunger

Nov. 6, 2024 — A new cell type provides a missing piece of the neural network regulating ...

High Levels of Omega-3, Omega-6 May Protect Against Cancer

Nov. 4, 2024 — In addition to lowering your cholesterol, keeping your brain healthy and improving mental health, new research suggests omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may help ward off a variety of ...

How the Keto Diet Could One Day Treat Autoimmune Disorders

Nov. 4, 2024 — Scientists have long suspected the keto diet might be able to calm an overactive immune system and help some people with diseases like multiple sclerosis. Now, they have reason to believe it could be ...

New Research Identifies Ways to Protect Neurons from the Negative Effect of High-Fat Diet on Multiple Sclerosis Progression

Nov. 4, 2024 — New research has identified crucial links between dietary choices and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study explored how enzymes called ceramide synthase 5 and 6 are responsible for ...

Study Demonstrates Efficacy of Iron Supplements for Children Living With HIV

Oct. 31, 2024 — A research team has found that giving iron supplements to children living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in sub-Saharan Africa could be an important first step in optimizing brain ...

The Harmful Frequency and Reach of Unhealthy Foods on Social Media

Oct. 31, 2024 — An analysis of social media posts that mention food and beverage products finds that fast food restaurants and sugar sweetened beverages are the most common, with millions of posts reaching billions ...

The Decision to Eat May Come Down to These Three Neurons

Oct. 23, 2024 — Manipulating a newly identified neural circuit can curb appetite -- or spur massive ...

Coffee During Pregnancy Safe for Baby's Brain Development, Study Suggests

Oct. 10, 2024 — A new study has failed to find any strong links between drinking coffee during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental difficulties in ...

Eyes on the Fries: How Our Vision Creates a Food Trend

Oct. 2, 2024 — Research shows that how we rate food is influenced by 'serial dependence' -- our judgement cascades on from the food we've just ...

Food Fussiness a Largely Genetic Trait from Toddlerhood to Adolescence

Sep. 19, 2024 — A new study compared survey results of parents with identical or non-identical twins in England and Wales from the ages of 16 months to 13 years. The study found that fussy eating is mainly ...

Calorie Labels on Alcohol Might Help Some Drinkers Maintain a Healthier Weight

Sep. 19, 2024 — Just over half of heavier drinkers in England say they would make changes to their drinking if calorie labels for alcohol were introduced, according to a new ...

Can the MIND Diet Lower the Risk of Memory Problems Later in Life?

Sep. 18, 2024 — People whose diet more closely resembles the MIND diet may have a lower risk of cognitive impairment, according to a new study. Results were similar for Black and white participants. These results do ...

Shrinking the Pint Can Reduce Beer Sales by Almost 10%

Sep. 17, 2024 — Reducing the serving size for beer, lager and cider reduces the volume of those drinks consumed in pubs, bars and restaurants, and could be a useful alcohol control measure, according to a new study. ...

Babies Born to Women Consuming a High Fat, Sugary Diet at Greater Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes in Later Life

Sep. 13, 2024 — Babies born to pregnant women with obesity are more likely to develop heart problems and diabetes as adults due to fetal damage caused by the high-fat, high-energy diet of their ...

Unaffordable Food Putting Mums-to-Be at Risk

Sep. 10, 2024 — Pregnant women who have limited access to affordable, nutritious, and healthy foods have a higher chance of developing both physical and mental health problems and their baby's weight is at ...

A Groundbreaking Study Describes a New Molecular Pathway Involved in the Control of Reproduction

Aug. 29, 2024 — A new study provides the first evidence of a direct interaction between kisspeptins, proteins crucial for sexual development, and astrocytes, non-neuronal cells of the nervous system, blazing new ...

Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane Could Be the Key to Drinking Less Alcohol

Aug. 22, 2024 — A new study suggests recollecting a previous drinking episode could put women off drinking too ...