All articles tagged with #obesity
Reducing two amino acids common in animal protein—methionine and cysteine—in mice boosted energy expenditure by about 20% via beige fat, causing weight loss without changing food intake or activity, and was comparable to constant cold exposure, suggesting diet alone could activate fat-burning pathways, though human relevance remains unproven and further work on safety and applicability is needed.
The American Heart Association projects that by 2050 up to about 60% of US women could have cardiovascular disease, driven by rising high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, with greater increases among younger women and women of color; while cholesterol levels may improve and prevention efforts could reduce the burden, the overall trend signals a cardiovascular health crisis for women that requires stronger prevention and policy actions.
Novo Nordisk is partnering with Vivtex, a biotech co-founded by MIT’s Robert Langer, to develop oral obesity therapies, expanding the pharmaceutical giant’s push into obesity drugs.
A Fortune/Yahoo report notes that several scientists are challenging recent warnings about microplastics harming human health, arguing that many high-profile findings may be due to methodological issues, contamination, and false positives (for example, Py-GC-MS signals can be confused by fat in tissue). Some researchers say rising obesity could better explain observed health problems, and they call for more robust, standardized techniques before policy changes or costly “detox” treatments. Experts also urge precautionary steps but warn against sensational claims while the field remains immature and in need of rigorous validation.
Using national surveys and census projections, the American Heart Association forecasts that cardiovascular disease in U.S. women will rise from 10.7% in 2020 to 14.4% in 2050, driven by aging and increasing rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, with larger increases among younger and minority women. The report underscores the need for better prevention and early detection, notes that risk factors are rising across ages (including 20–40 year-olds), and highlights uncertainties around the impact of weight-loss GLP-1 drugs and affordability that could affect disparities.
Novo Nordisk’s obesity drug CagriSema delivered slightly less weight loss than Lilly’s Zepbound in an 84-week phase 3 trial, raising questions about its market potential ahead of a late-2026 FDA decision and a possible 2027 launch. Novo defends the drug’s efficacy and points to additional trials (REDEFINE 11 and a higher-dose study) while analysts warn it may struggle to gain share from Zepbound, signaling potential reliance on future deals to bolster its pipeline.
Guardian Science Weekly explores how fat is not just inert body padding but a dynamic, communicative tissue—so central that some researchers consider it an organ—and examines what this means for health and obesity, with insights from Ian Sample, Madeleine Finlay, and Imperial College London’s Declan O’Regan.
A profile of Jamie Selzler shows how weight‑loss medications can shift a person’s relationship with activity: once he dreaded workouts as punishment, the meds helped him view exercise as something to be proud of, illustrating how pharmacotherapy can change attitudes toward physical activity beyond just weight loss.
A 21-day animal study suggests salcaprozate sodium (SNAC), the absorption aid in oral semaglutide, may alter the gut microbiome, lower short-chain fatty acids, raise inflammatory markers, increase liver weight, shrink the cecum, and reduce a brain-derived protein tied to cognitive impairment. While these findings raise questions about potential long-term effects of chronic SNAC exposure as oral obesity drugs become more common, researchers caution that results are not yet proven in humans and call for further investigation.
GLP-1 drugs help some patients lose weight, but they don’t work for everyone. A Maryland woman, Jennie Mixon, chose gastric bypass in 2024 after diabetes and severe obesity; she’s lost about half her weight and has been off insulin since February 2024, regaining energy to enjoy time with her grandkids. Doctors say bariatric surgery remains the most durable weight‑loss option, though only about 1% of eligible patients undergo it, and stigma around the procedure persists as obesity is treated as a disease with complex effects on the body.
Bubble tea, once a colorful favorite, may carry health risks beyond its sweetness: some tapioca pearls (made from cassava) can accumulate lead, the pearls’ density can slow digestion or cause blockages, and there are links between high sugar intake and obesity, diabetes, and dental issues; rare cases tie pearl consumption to kidney stones and choking hazards, while some studies note associations with anxiety and mood effects. Health experts urge moderation and recommend treating bubble tea as an occasional treat rather than a daily habit, even suggesting sipping directly from the cup to reduce choking risk.
Trial results for Eli Lilly’s retatrutide show about 28.7% weight loss after 68 weeks, higher than current meds, but with 12–18% dropout due to side effects and some participants reporting they were losing too much weight. Health experts caution about malnutrition and disordered eating, advocating dosing that is tailored to the patient and kept at the lowest effective level as obesity becomes a chronic disease; Novo Nordisk’s CagriSema uses flexible dosing to manage safety as full data from the retatrutide trial await publication.
A Cochrane review of 22 studies involving nearly 2,000 adults finds short-term intermittent fasting (up to 12 months) makes little to no difference in weight loss or quality of life compared with standard dieting or no advice, though it may offer other health benefits that require more evidence. Individual responses vary, and more robust, diverse research is needed to draw firmer conclusions.
Researchers identified a brain leptin pathway that can trigger rapid loss of all body fat—including bone marrow fat—without reducing food intake, by inducing a state of low glucose and insulin and removing fat‑breakdown inhibitors. While this could guide new obesity treatments and aid wasting disorders, safety concerns for bone health mean it’s not ready for human use.
A Medscape commentary summarizes the ten major risk factors for pancreatic cancer, including smoking, heavy alcohol use, high BMI, diabetes, dietary patterns, pancreatitis, age, family history, genetic predisposition, and premalignant lesions, and advocates prevention and risk‑based screening.