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Lifestyle
PubMed · August 1, 2026
Researchers found that eating a low-carbohydrate diet built around plant foods — think vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains, while cutting back heavily on bread, sugar, and starchy foods — helped people with obesity or related health conditions lose roughly 5 to 7 kilograms (about 11 to 15 pounds). The same approach also lowered harmful LDL cholesterol and improved blood sugar level (A1C), which measures how well the body has been managing blood sugar over the past few months. These results came from seven studies involving nearly 1,000 adults and lasted anywhere from about one month to one year.
What's New
ScienceDaily · June 14, 2026
A press release highlights an interesting finding: people who started taking a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss were also moving less — taking fewer daily steps and exercising less — even as they lost weight. This matters because these medications can reduce muscle along with fat, and being less active could make that muscle loss worse over time, which affects strength and overall health. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
ScienceDaily · June 3, 2026
A press release describes an experimental pill being developed for type 2 diabetes and obesity that works differently from a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza — instead of reducing appetite, it targets the muscles to help the body burn fat and manage blood sugar control, while keeping muscle mass intact. Early results suggest it appears to be safe and well tolerated by patients. Because this is a press release about early-stage research and not yet a published study, it's worth watching but hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
JAMA · June 2, 2026
A study explored how exercise fits into weight loss plans, especially for people taking a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza, and found that getting patients to stick with regular exercise is a real challenge for doctors. Researchers looked at strategies that could help people stay consistent with physical activity, whether or not they're on these medications. This matters because exercise likely plays an important supporting role in weight management, and patients might want to ask their doctor what realistic, personalized movement goals could look like for them.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
A study found that people with prediabetes — a stage where blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet at diabetes levels — who added fiber supplements (from potato fiber and sugar beet pectin) to a high-protein diet showed early signs of changes in brain activity related to food cravings, particularly in the amygdala, a part of the brain involved in emotional responses and desire for food. The idea behind this is that fiber is broken down in the gut and may send signals to the brain that help people feel fuller and less drawn to high-calorie foods, which could potentially help with weight and blood sugar control. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
A study found that when people with obesity lost weight using diabetes medications like Ozempic or Victoza (including newer versions that work two ways at once), roughly a quarter to a third of the weight they lost came from muscle rather than fat — a pattern that was similar to what happened with diet and exercise changes alone. The most encouraging finding was that adding resistance training (such as weightlifting or strength exercises) to a lifestyle program led to the least amount of muscle loss during weight loss, compared to any other approach studied. For someone with obesity, this matters because keeping muscle while losing weight helps maintain strength and long-term health. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
A study found that for people with metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions including high blood pressure, excess belly fat, and blood sugar problems — high-intensity interval training (short bursts of hard effort followed by rest) was the most effective type of exercise for lowering blood pressure, outperforming steady aerobic exercise, strength training, and mind-body practices like yoga or tai chi. The benefits were especially noticeable in people who already had high blood pressure and in those who kept up their exercise program for 16 weeks or longer. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that eating a low-carbohydrate diet (where roughly 1 in 4 calories comes from carbs, like bread, pasta, and sugar) and eating a low-fat diet (where about 1 in 4 calories comes from fat) produced nearly identical results when it came to reducing inflammation in people with obesity — inflammation being the body's low-level, ongoing stress response that can quietly raise the risk of disease. The study looked at 25 separate studies involving over 2,000 adults, following them for an average of about six months. In short, neither eating style had a clear edge over the other for calming inflammation markers in the body.
Medications
PubMed · June 1, 2026
A study found that tirzepatide (brand name Zepbound or Mounjaro) helped people with obesity meaningfully reduce their waist size relative to their height — a measure linked to health risks like serious heart problems and diabetes. After about 72 weeks, more than half of people taking the higher doses moved into a healthier category for this measurement, compared to fewer than 1 in 10 people taking a placebo (an inactive treatment). This appears to be a new finding about how tirzepatide affects body shape and fat distribution, not just overall weight.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
A study found that adults with prediabetes and obesity who followed a ketogenic diet (a very low-carb, high-fat eating plan) combined with eating fewer calories lost significantly more weight and body fat over 12 weeks than those on a regular diet — and also showed improvements in insulin resistance, meaning their bodies responded better to insulin and had better blood sugar control. However, researchers also found that this diet raised blood levels of a substance called LPS (a marker linked to inflammation that comes from gut bacteria), which could potentially be a concern, even though a key inflammation signal called IL-6 went down at the same time. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that eating while watching TV or doing something passive — like listening to a podcast — led people to eat noticeably more food compared to eating without any distraction. However, when the distraction involved physical activity, that effect wasn't seen. For people managing obesity, this matters because small, repeated increases in how much is eaten during passive screen time could add up over time. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · May 26, 2026
Researchers found that people who ate more red meat, processed meat, and cream — while eating less fruit, vegetables, and tea — were more likely to have problems with how their liver processed insulin, a hormone that helps control blood sugar. This "insulin resistance" in the liver makes it harder for the body to keep blood sugar levels steady, which is a key concern for people with type 2 diabetes. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Medications
PubMed · May 21, 2026
Researchers found that oral semaglutide — a diabetes and weight-loss medication known by the brand name Rybelsus (the pill form of the same drug in Ozempic) — helped people with overweight or obesity lose weight and improve their blood sugar level (A1C) compared to a placebo, or sugar pill. The analysis pulled together results from 13 studies involving more than 26,000 people, making it a fairly large look at the evidence. This appears to be a new finding adding to what we know about how the pill form of this medication may help with weight and heart-health-related factors beyond just blood sugar control.
What's New
PubMed · May 1, 2026
A study found that people with prediabetes, obesity, and schizophrenia who were taking a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza showed meaningful improvements in how well their bodies responded to insulin — meaning their bodies had an easier time managing blood sugar — compared to those who took a placebo. Much of this benefit appeared to be linked to weight loss, with participants losing an average of about 20 pounds over 30 weeks. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · April 1, 2026
Researchers found that among different types of exercise studied in people with fatty liver disease, high-intensity interval training — short bursts of hard effort followed by rest, repeated several times — showed the strongest results for reducing fat stored inside the liver, followed by steady aerobic exercise like brisk walking or cycling. Exercise in general also helped lower fasting blood sugar (the amount of sugar in the blood after not eating) and improved markers that doctors use to check how well the liver is working.
What's New
PubMed · April 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with fatty liver disease who took semaglutide — a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza — showed meaningful improvements in liver health compared to those who took a placebo, including reductions in liver fat and improvements in blood sugar level (A1C) and cholesterol over 52 weeks. The study also used non-invasive tests (simple scans and blood tests, rather than a liver biopsy) to track these changes, which could make it easier to monitor fatty liver disease in the future without uncomfortable procedures. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 1, 2026
Researchers found that as a person's BMI (a measure of body weight relative to height) goes up, their risk of developing prediabetes — a stage where blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet at diabetes levels — also rises in a steady, step-by-step way, with each one-unit increase in BMI linked to about a 4.6% higher risk. Interestingly, waist circumference, which is often used as another measure of excess body fat, did not show the same clear connection to prediabetes risk in this analysis. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · March 2, 2026
Researchers found that a person's genes may influence how well certain eating patterns — like the Mediterranean diet or reducing saturated fat — work for managing weight and blood sugar in people with obesity or prediabetes. For example, people with a higher genetic risk for these conditions appeared to benefit more from healthy eating habits, while those with lower genetic risk saw little difference, and certain gene variations seemed to affect how the body responds to specific nutrients like protein and carbohydrates. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · March 1, 2026
A study found that an AI-led lifestyle program worked just as well as one led by a human coach in helping adults with prediabetes who were also overweight or obese — with both groups seeing similar results after 12 months. This matters because AI-based programs could potentially make it easier and more affordable for more people to get support for managing their weight and blood sugar before diabetes fully develops. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · March 1, 2026
A study found that people with obesity who consistently tracked what they ate — logging their meals on a smartphone app on most days — lost about 4.2% of their starting body weight, compared to just 1.9% for those who tracked less often. The more consistent trackers also made better food choices when they received personalized feedback telling them which foods were likely to cause big spikes in their blood sugar (the sharp rise in blood sugar that happens after eating). Researchers found that getting that personalized food feedback was a key part of why regular meal tracking led to more weight loss.
What's New
PubMed · March 1, 2026
Researchers found that a two-week ketogenic diet — a very low-carb, high-fat eating plan — changed the mix of bacteria living in the gut of people with obesity and early signs of diabetes, in ways a regular calorie-restricted diet did not. Specifically, it reduced the variety of gut bacteria and shifted which types were most common, while also raising blood levels of a substance called acetate (a byproduct that gut bacteria produce and that may affect metabolism). This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · January 1, 2026
Researchers found that combining regular exercise with changes to eating habits worked better than doing either one alone for people with obesity or overweight — helping them lose weight, shrink waist size, and improve heart and lung fitness. The biggest benefits showed up in programs that lasted at least 6 to 12 months, met frequently with guidance from a coach or trainer, and included strength-building exercises like lifting weights or resistance bands. In children, programs that involved the whole family and met in person showed the most consistent results, though improvements often faded within 6 to 12 months after the program ended if nothing was done to keep them going.
Lifestyle
PubMed · January 1, 2026
A study found that following the DASH diet — an eating plan rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy while cutting back on salt and saturated fat — helped people with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of health issues like excess belly fat, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure that raise the risk of heart disease) see meaningful improvements across several key health markers, including waist size, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and blood fats like triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood). Researchers combined results from 14 separate studies involving over 1,000 people and found these benefits were consistent across the board, not just for one or two measures. People with type 2 diabetes or those at risk might find it worth asking their doctor whether the DASH diet could be a helpful part of managing their overall health.
Lifestyle
PubMed · January 1, 2026
Researchers found that teenagers who ate a lot of ultra-processed foods — think packaged snacks, fast food, sugary drinks, and ready-made meals — were 63% more likely to be overweight or obese compared to teenagers who ate less of those foods. This finding came from a combined analysis of 23 studies involving around 155,000 teenagers. The more ultra-processed food teens regularly ate, the stronger the link to weight gain.
Medications
FDA Drug Approvals · December 22, 2025
A study found that the FDA approved a new oral tablet form of Wegovy (semaglutide), a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza, made by Novo. This is notable because Wegovy was previously only available as an injection, so this approval introduces a new way for people to take the medication. This represents a new dosage form rather than a brand-new drug or a safety update.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether Wegovy might be an option for the patient to help with weight management, and if so, how it would work compared to other medications the patient might have heard about.
What's New
NIH News · January 1, 1970
NIH researchers found that tweaking the way cells respond internally to a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza may help the drug produce greater weight loss. Essentially, there's a biological "switch" inside cells that, when adjusted, could make these medications work even better for people with obesity. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether there are ways to make GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy work better for weight loss by changing how the patient's cells respond to the medicine.
For informational purposes only. Not medical advice. Always consult a physician before making any health decisions.