Nutrition Research News

June 13, 2025

Top Headlines

The Hunger Switch in Your Nose: How Smells Tell Your Brain to Stop Eating

June 12, 2025 — A team of scientists has discovered a direct link between the smell of food and feelings of fullness at least in lean mice. This brain circuit, located in the medial septum and triggered by food odors, helps animals eat less by making them feel ...

Newly Identified Group of Nerve Cells in the Brain Regulates Bodyweight

May 28, 2025 — Obesity is a global health problem that affects many people. In recent years, very promising anti-obesity drugs have been developed. Despite these successes, there are patients who do not respond to these drugs or suffer from side effects. ...

Global Shortage of Essential Nutrient Poses Health Concern

Apr. 30, 2025 — There is a global shortage of omega-3 partly due to environmental factors, according to new research. This is not just a healthcare issue; it is a public health and environmental ...

Weight Loss Linked to Nerve Cells in the Brain

May 27, 2025 — A specific group of nerve cells in the brain stem appears to control how semaglutide affects appetite and weight -- without causing ...

Can the Brain Be Targeted to Treat Type 2 Diabetes?

May 15, 2025 — Successfully treating type 2 diabetes may involve focusing on brain neurons, rather than simply concentrating on obesity or insulin resistance, according to a new study. For several years, researchers have known that hyperactivity of a subset of ...

Vitamin Supplements Slow Down the Progression of Glaucoma

May 8, 2025 — A vitamin supplement that improves metabolism in the eye appears to slow down damage to the optic nerve in glaucoma. The researchers behind the study have now started a clinical trial on ...

Eating Ultra Processed Foods May Speed Up Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease

May 7, 2025 — People who eat more ultra processed foods like cold breakfast cereal, cookies and hot dogs are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson's disease when compared to those who eat very few ultra ...

Neuroestrogen: The Brain's Secret Weapon Against Hunger

May 1, 2025 — Estrogens are known for their role in reproduction, but a new study reveals that neuroestrogens -- estrogens produced in the brain -- play a key role in appetite regulation. These brain-made hormones enhance the expression of a hunger-suppressing ...

Nudges Improve Food Choices and Cut Calories When Shopping for Groceries Online

Apr. 25, 2025 — A team of researchers designed and tested a new digital toolkit that helps consumers make healthier grocery choices online -- an innovation that could play a major role in the global fight against ...

High-Fat, High-Sugar Diets Impact Cognitive Function

Apr. 21, 2025 — New research links fatty, sugary diets to impaired brain function. The findings build on a growing body of evidence showing the negative impact of high-fat, high-sugar (HFHS) diets on cognitive ability, adding to their well-known physical ...

Researchers Use Machine Learning to Predict Exercise Adherence

Apr. 18, 2025 — Sticking to an exercise routine is a challenge many people face. But a research team is using machine learning to uncover what keeps individuals committed to their ...

How Mothers Adapt to the Metabolic Demands of Nursing

Apr. 10, 2025 — Nursing poses major metabolic demands on mothers, to which they respond by eating more and saving energy to sustain milk production. There are significant hormonal changes during lactation, but how they lead to metabolic adaptations in nursing ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:18pm EDT

Long-Term Effects of Obesity on Brain and Cognitive Health

Apr. 9, 2025 — With the global prevalence of obesity on the rise, it is crucial to explore the neural mechanisms linked to obesity and its influence on brain and cognitive health. However, the impact of obesity on ...

Eight or More Drinks Per Week Linked to Signs of Injury in the Brain

Apr. 9, 2025 — Heavy drinkers who have eight or more alcoholic drinks per week have an increased risk of brain lesions called hyaline arteriolosclerosis, signs of brain injury that are associated with memory and ...

Thirst and Hunger Neurons

Apr. 3, 2025 — New research shines light on how the brain interprets nutritional and hydration needs and turns them into ...

Scientists Discover Why Obesity Takes Away the Pleasure of Eating

Mar. 26, 2025 — Many obese people report losing pleasure in eating rich foods -- something also seen in obese mice. Scientists have now discovered the reason. Long-term high-fat diets lower levels of neurotensin in ...

C. Diff Uses Toxic Compound to Fuel Growth Advantage

Mar. 25, 2025 — The pathogen C. diff -- the most common cause of health care-associated infectious diarrhea -- can use a compound that kills the human gut's resident microbes to survive and grow, giving it a ...

Depressing Findings for Those Suffering from Eating Disorders

Mar. 13, 2025 — New research shows that people with eating disorders are more harshly judged than those suffering from depression, making it much harder for them to seek ...

Children Who Lack Fish in Their Diets Are Less Sociable and Kind, Study Finds

Mar. 11, 2025 — Children who consumed the least amounts of seafood at 7-years-old were likely to be less 'prosocial' at ages 7 and 9 years than those who regularly ...

Memory Is Impaired in Aged Rats After 3 Days of High-Fat Eating

Mar. 6, 2025 — Just a few days of eating a diet high in saturated fat could be enough to cause memory problems and related brain inflammation in older adults, a new study in rats ...

Researchers Uncover Blood Metabolites That May Influence Early Childhood Development

Feb. 28, 2025 — Researchers have identified small molecules in the blood that may impact early childhood development, showing how dietary exposures, early life ...

A Third of Children Worldwide Forecast to Be Obese or Overweight by 2050

Mar. 3, 2025 — Obesity rates are set to skyrocket, with one in six children and adolescents worldwide forecast to be obese by 2050, according to a new study. But with significant increases predicted within the next ...

Obesity Starts in the Brain

Feb. 28, 2025 — A study has provided new insights into the role of the brain as a crucial control center and the origin of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The hormone insulin plays a key role in the development of ...

Role of Hormone in Influencing Brain Reward Pathway and Food Preferences

Feb. 25, 2025 — When faced with multiple food options and ultimately choosing one, the factors of that decision-making process may be more physiological than previously assumed. A group of scientists recently ...

From Plants to People: How Amino Acid, Vitamin Balance Links Plant Immunity to Epilepsy

Feb. 18, 2025 — A groundbreaking study has revealed a surprising biochemical connection between plant immune responses and human neurological health. Researchers have discovered that the metabolic pathways ...

Biological Clock Plays Critical Role in Driving Teens' Late-Day Eating Habits

Feb. 17, 2025 — The causes of obesity are complex and influenced by many factors. While research has highlighted connections between sleep, eating patterns and weight gain, scientists remain uncertain of the role of ...

Dessert Stomach Emerges in the Brain

Feb. 13, 2025 — Who hasn't been there? The big meal is over, you're full, but the craving for sweets remains. Researchers have now discovered that what we call the 'dessert stomach' is rooted in ...

Wealth Gap Fuels Health Inequality for Over 50s: New Study Reveals Lifestyle Divide and Depression Link

Feb. 12, 2025 — There is a 'silent emergency' brewing under our noses as research finds that there is a clear wealth gap among adults over 50 who meet physical activity and dietary guidelines. The research ...

Barbeque and Grandma's Cookies: New Study Looks at Nostalgia, Comfort in Food Preparation for Older Adults

Feb. 11, 2025 — Foods that evoke a sense of nostalgia and comfort and have good texture variety are important considerations in prepared meals aimed at older adults, according to new ...

Brain Waves Measure the Effect of Anti-Alcohol Campaigns

Feb. 7, 2025 — To evaluate the effectiveness of public video campaigns against risky alcohol consumption, psychologists used EEG measurements to examine the synchronization of brain activity in groups of viewers. ...

Nutrition Labels Meant to Promote Healthy Eating Could Discourage Purchases

Feb. 6, 2025 — As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration weighs whether to require front-of-package food labels, a new study shows some food labels designed to nudge Americans toward healthier food choices can have ...

Carbohydrate Cravings in Depression

Feb. 5, 2025 — Depression affects 280 million people worldwide. The mental illness has been proven to lead to changes in eating behavior. Researchers have discovered that although patients with depression generally ...

Researchers Discover the Brain Cells That Tell You to Stop Eating

Feb. 5, 2025 — Newly discovered brain cells count each bite before sending the order to cease eating a ...

Study Finds New Link Between Food Choices, Depression and Alzheimer's Disease

Feb. 5, 2025 — New research has shown that diet could influence the risk of both depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Evidence suggests that depressive symptoms are both a risk factor for AD and a reaction ...

Guided Self-Help Makes Treating Children With Obesity Easier and More Affordable

Jan. 29, 2025 — According to a new study, self-guided family therapy for obesity could work just as well as traditional approaches at a fraction of the ...

Calorie Labels on Menus Could Make Eating Disorders Worse

Jan. 28, 2025 — Calorie labels on restaurant menus are negatively impacting people with eating disorders, according to a new study. The review found that individuals who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder ...

Patients With Anorexia Have Elevated Opioid Neurotransmitter Activity in the Brain

Jan. 27, 2025 — A study showed that changes in the functioning of opioid neurotransmitters in the brain may underlie ...

Weight Loss App That Tracks Fiber, Protein Content in Meals

Jan. 24, 2025 — Many people struggle to maintain a healthy weight, and choosing the optimal meals for weight loss can be challenging. A research team has developed a weight management program that helps individuals ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...