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What's New
PubMed · December 1, 2026
A study found that people with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure who lost weight through a dietary program — about 25 pounds on average over 12 months — were able to cut back on their high blood pressure medications, yet their blood pressure stayed just as well controlled as before. In fact, their heart rate and certain measures of blood pressure fluctuation during the night also improved. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
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 · July 26, 2026
Researchers found that diabetes isn't just about having too much fat — it can also happen when the body loses healthy fat tissue that it actually needs to function well. When fat cells become damaged and inflamed, they can stop working properly and disappear, which throws off the body's metabolism (the system that turns food into energy). This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
ScienceDaily · July 25, 2026
A press release describes early findings suggesting that a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza, taken in pill form, may reduce pleasure-driven eating by calming a part of the brain linked to cravings and reward. For people with obesity, this is interesting because it hints that these medications might work not just on metabolism but also on the urge to eat for pleasure rather than hunger. This is early research in mice and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 25, 2026
Researchers found that a dark, velvety skin change called acanthosis nigricans — which often appears on the neck, armpits, or skin folds — may be a visible warning sign of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions (like high blood sugar, excess belly fat, and high blood pressure) that together raise the risk of serious health problems and death. In the studies reviewed, roughly 7 out of 10 people who had this skin change also showed signs linked to metabolic syndrome, most often insulin resistance, meaning their body wasn't responding well to insulin. For people with type 2 diabetes, this finding matters because spotting this skin change early might help doctors identify those at higher risk before more serious problems develop. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
ScienceDaily · July 18, 2026
A study found that people with obesity who limited all their eating to an eight-hour window each day — for example, eating only between noon and 8 p.m. — kept more weight off even a full year after the 12-week program ended, compared to people who ate on their usual schedule. The benefit showed up whether people chose an earlier or later eight-hour window, though an earlier eating window seemed especially good at helping people hold on to fat loss specifically. Researchers found this approach helped people with obesity maintain their results over time, not just while they were actively following the program.
What's New
PubMed · July 16, 2026
Researchers found that smartphone and app-based tools that send people personalized nudges or tips at just the right moment — like when they're most likely to make a poor food choice — may help people eat healthier in their everyday lives. For someone managing obesity, this kind of real-time, tailored support could make it easier to build better habits without relying on memory or willpower alone. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 15, 2026
Researchers found that older adults with obesity who consistently ate more foods containing spermidine — a natural compound found in things like wheat germ, mushrooms, and aged cheese — showed improvements in liver health and blood sugar level (A1C) over one year, along with reductions in body weight and waist size. Spermidine is thought to help the body's cells clean and repair themselves, which may explain why higher intake was linked to better health markers in this group. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · July 15, 2026
A study found that adults with type 2 diabetes who followed a personalized exercise program — combining aerobic activity (like brisk walking or cycling) and strength training, tailored to each person's fitness level — for 16 weeks lost an average of about 2.6 pounds of body fat and gained more muscle compared to those who kept their usual routine. The exercise group also saw improvements in blood sugar control and showed better memory, faster thinking, and sharper mental focus by the end of the program. Researchers used brain scans to confirm that the brains of people in the exercise group were working more efficiently after the 16 weeks.
What's New
JAMA · July 14, 2026
Researchers found that eating a lot of ultraprocessed foods — things like packaged snacks, fast food, and ready-made meals that are heavily manufactured and contain many added ingredients — may be linked to a higher risk of serious heart problems like heart attacks or strokes, as well as a greater chance of death overall. For people with type 2 diabetes, who are already at higher risk for heart-related complications, this connection could be especially important to be aware of. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 13, 2026
Researchers found that a combination medication called IDegLira — which pairs a long-acting insulin with a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza — helped overweight or obese people with type 2 diabetes reach healthy blood sugar levels faster and with less insulin than those using a standard long-acting insulin alone, all within a short 7-day hospital treatment. People in the IDegLira group also spent more time with their blood sugar in a healthy range and had fewer dangerous highs, which could matter because keeping blood sugar steady reduces the risk of serious complications over time. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether IDegLira (a combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide) might work better than insulin glargine for helping the patient control blood sugar levels if the patient is overweight or obese.
Lifestyle
ScienceDaily · July 10, 2026
A press release describes findings suggesting that eating a Mediterranean-style diet — one that is low in protein, particularly from animal sources like meat and dairy — may help reduce body fat and lower the chances of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The diet also kept levels of a building block found in animal protein, called methionine, just low enough to appear beneficial. Researchers saw these effects in mice and also found a pattern in human data linking less animal protein to better outcomes.
Medications
ScienceDaily · July 9, 2026
A press release highlights a rise in accidental dosing mistakes involving Ozempic and Wegovy — medications used to help manage weight and blood sugar — leading to a surge in calls to poison control centers. These incidents appear to be unintentional errors, such as taking the wrong dose or dosing too often, rather than deliberate misuse. Experts suggest that clearer education about how to use these weekly medications correctly could help prevent many of these situations.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the patient needs clear written instructions about how often to inject Wegovy and how to increase the dose slowly to avoid accidental overdose mistakes.
Medications
ScienceDaily · July 7, 2026
A new once-daily pill called orforglipron was tested against oral semaglutide — the pill version of the medication behind Ozempic — and helped people with type 2 diabetes lose more weight and improve their blood sugar control. Unlike Ozempic, which is an injection, orforglipron is a pill that doesn't need to be refrigerated or taken at a specific time around meals, making it potentially easier to use. It's also less expensive to produce, which could mean more people around the world might one day be able to access it.
What's New
PubMed · July 7, 2026
Researchers found that people who lost belly fat through diet and exercise kept some of those gains even years later — even after regaining the weight they had lost. Specifically, the fat stored deep in the abdomen (called visceral fat, which wraps around internal organs and is linked to heart and metabolic problems) stayed partially reduced for up to 10 years, which may help protect long-term heart health. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed (Open Access Guidelines) · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes tend to lose less weight on a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza compared to people who have obesity but not diabetes — but when factors like age, body weight, and other health conditions were accounted for, type 2 diabetes itself may not be the direct reason for that difference. This suggests the gap in weight loss might be explained by other characteristics common in people with type 2 diabetes, such as high blood pressure or differences in starting body weight, rather than diabetes acting as a barrier on its own. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that people taking a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza, or a diabetes medication like Jardiance or Invokana, lost not just fat but also some lean body mass — meaning muscle and other non-fat tissue — with about 28% of the total weight lost coming from lean mass rather than fat alone. This matters for people with type 2 diabetes because losing muscle alongside fat could affect strength and physical function over time. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Medications
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that people taking a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza — which is also used for weight loss — were about three times more likely to experience hair loss compared to those taking a placebo, or dummy pill. Out of every 100 people studied who took this type of medication, roughly 4 experienced hair loss. This appears to be a newly identified safety finding, not a guideline recommendation, and people interested in learning more should speak with their doctor.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the patient should know about hair loss as a possible side effect if they start taking a GLP-1 medication like semaglutide or tirzepatide for diabetes.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that people taking a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza often experience stomach-related side effects — such as nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or vomiting — even when they're also following healthy eating or lifestyle guidance. On a more encouraging note, the research found that these medications generally helped people lose fat while keeping their muscle mass mostly intact, which matters because losing muscle during weight loss can affect strength and overall health. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
A study found that weight-loss surgeries — like sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass — helped many people with fatty liver disease see real improvements, including a reduction in liver scarring in more than half of patients and diabetes going into remission in about 6 out of 10 cases. Researchers also found that people whose liver disease had progressed to a severe, unstable stage had higher risks from surgery and less benefit, suggesting that timing and liver health matter a great deal when considering this option. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that higher doses of a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza — especially an oral version called orforglipron — helped people with overweight or obesity improve several heart and metabolic health markers at once, including weight loss, blood fats, blood sugar level (A1C), and blood pressure. One form of semaglutide (7.2 mg) ranked highest overall, but an oral pill option also performed comparably, which could matter for people who prefer not to use injections. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers are studying whether intermittent fasting (eating normally some days and cutting calories sharply on others), exercise, or a combination of both works best for improving blood sugar control and reducing body weight in people with type 2 diabetes who are not on insulin. The study is also looking at things like how the body burns energy at rest and how gut bacteria might play a role — which could help explain why these approaches work differently for different people. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
ScienceDaily · June 26, 2026
Researchers found that not all sugars affect hunger in the same way — fructose, the type of sugar found in many processed foods and sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, appears to be much weaker at telling the brain 'you've eaten enough' compared to glucose (the more basic form of sugar your body uses for energy). This could help explain why some foods leave people feeling less satisfied even after eating plenty of calories, which may be especially relevant for people managing their weight. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 22, 2026
Researchers found that a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza may help people with fatty liver disease — a condition where too much fat builds up in the liver — by reducing the amount of fat stored there and, in some cases, calming liver inflammation. The benefits appeared strongest in people whose liver disease hadn't yet progressed to advanced scarring (called cirrhosis), while those with more severe scarring saw less improvement. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 19, 2026
Researchers found that plants from the Artemisia family — a group of more than 500 herbs that includes plants like wormwood and mugwort — may help lower blood sugar and fat levels in the blood, improve how the body responds to insulin (a hormone that controls blood sugar), and reduce inflammation. This review looked at 28 different Artemisia plants and found encouraging results across animal studies, lab studies, and some human studies. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · June 18, 2026
A study found that adults with overweight or obesity in Cambodia who followed a 12-week program of exercise and healthy eating videos — delivered through Telegram and YouTube, paired with one in-person safety session — showed meaningful improvements compared to those who did not receive the videos. Specifically, people in the video group lost body weight, shrank their waist size, lowered their blood pressure, and improved their fasting blood sugar (a measure of how much sugar is in the blood after not eating overnight). Researchers found that delivering this kind of structured lifestyle guidance through everyday apps made it easier for people to stick with healthier habits over the 12 weeks.
Medications
ScienceDaily · June 16, 2026
A press release discusses diabetes medications like Ozempic and Victoza, noting that while many people stop taking them — often due to side effects — a large number eventually start taking them again. It also highlights that newer versions of these medications seem to help people stay on treatment longer. This appears to be new information about patient patterns rather than a safety update or official guideline recommendation.
What's New
ScienceDaily · June 16, 2026
A study found that people with type 2 diabetes who took a diabetes medication like Ozempic had about 15% fewer broken bones compared to people taking other common weight-loss medications — even though they lost more weight, which can sometimes weaken bones. This was an unexpected finding, since greater weight loss is usually associated with some bone loss. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 16, 2026
Researchers found that people with obesity who took a nutrient called betaine — a natural compound found in foods like beets and spinach — saw greater improvements in body weight, waist size, blood sugar control, and cholesterol levels compared to those who took standard B vitamins alone, after eight weeks of treatment. They also had bigger drops in homocysteine, a substance in the blood that, when elevated, is linked to a higher risk of serious heart problems like heart attacks or strokes. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Medications
JAMA · June 16, 2026
Researchers found that a new pilot program from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — the federal agency that runs Medicare — will make a diabetes medication like Ozempic or Victoza available for weight loss at a capped cost of $50 a month for people on Medicare. This is a new access program, not a safety update or guideline change, and it's aimed at making these medications more affordable for eligible Medicare beneficiaries. It's worth noting this comes from a government program announcement rather than a clinical research study.
For informational purposes only. Not medical advice. Always consult a physician before making any health decisions.