Obesity

While Ozempic and other drugs like it have proven effective in helping people lose weight, many gain it back when the injections stop. A new drug targets weight loss differently, leading to a more permanent fat-shedding solution.

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in understanding how fat cells grow in size, in response to accommodating larger droplets of fat. The findings unlock a new path in tackling obesity, by reducing the amount of fat our cells can store away.

Researchers have successfully tweaked a specialized compound from brown seaweed to unlock its powerful anti-obesity potential. Instead of appetite suppression and fat burning, this molecule reshapes the gut microbiome to fight weight gain naturally.

At a time when more than one billion people are living with obesity,GLP-1s are widely viewed as among the biggest advances in obesity treatment. But one important question is becoming harder to avoid: what happens when people stop taking them?

A lengthy trial robbing adults of 90 minutes of sleep a night has uncovered the effect even this small amount of lost shut-eye has on the waistline after little more than a month. It also increased the risk factors for chronic disease.

A once-a-day oral GLP-1 pill known as CX11 has met its dosage and efficacy goals in a trial on US patients and will now advance to its first North American Phase 3 trial. It's already cleared this final hurdle in China where it awaits approval.

Weight-loss jabs are the latest craze for shedding a few pounds. But as effective as GLP-1 drugs are, not everyone who uses them will lose a significant amount of weight. Research suggests that between 10% and 30% of patients fit into this group.

Scientists have identified a new way to supercharge obesity drug semaglutide by targeting key neurons. It could dramatically boost GLP-1 weight-loss power and prevent the dreaded plateaus that not even this "wonder drug" has been able to circumvent.

Could glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) nix the inflammation that drives asthma? Maybe, according to a large national study of more than 27,000 older adults, which was presented to scientists last week.

High-protein diets are often touted as a great way to lose weight. A new finding from a team of researchers, however, found that under certain conditions, mice on a low-protein diet converted energy-storing white fat to calorie-burning beige fat.

New research shows that people with obesity host a distinct oral microbiome. The study turns our attention to the mouth as a signal of metabolic health in a shift that challenges long-held assumptions about where obesity-related biomarkers can be measured.

After a century of false starts, scientists believe they have found a way to make cells burn more energy without the dangerous side effects – and it could be a breakthrough that reshapes weight-loss and anti-aging medicine as we know it.

The sustainability of weight-loss drugs is under scrutiny as new research shows that people who stop taking GLP-1s regain the pounds and return to their original size after 1.7 years. It questions whether we're relying on this "magic cure" too heavily.

The next transformative phase of weight-loss medication is upon us, with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving Novo Nordisk's highly anticipated oral GLP-1 drug – with a starting dose available in early January for US$149.

The World Health Organization has finally made its recommendations on using GLP-1 therapeutics for weight loss, though it remains to be seen whether it changes their status for prescribing or price. And scientists still have some concerns.

A new class of weight-loss drug has shown it can significantly boost weight loss when paired with GLP-1 therapy – without adding side effects – in a mid-stage clinical trial, pointing to a powerful new combination approach to tackling obesity.

In a world where slimness is often equated with health, a new Danish study has flipped the narrative: being slightly overweight, or even mildly obese, may not be as deadly as once thought. In fact, in some ways it could be safer than being thin.

We've known for some time that obesity affects the brain, but now scientists have found that it's where you carry it that matters most. Deep visceral fat around organs has the biggest impact on brain aging, affecting a suite of cognitive functions.