News by Subject Medicine & Health

Adding another reason for doctors to avoid the overuse of antibiotics, new research shows that a reduction in the variety of microbes in the gut interferes with the immune system's ability to fight off disease.

The study found that female college-aged students who reported at least one period of daily self-weighing over a two-year study saw a drop in their body mass index.

The research team examined the US Department of Agriculture's Smart Snacks in School regulation. The federal mandate was intended to replace unhealthy school snacks and beverages with more wholesome options, including fruits, vegetables, and packaged treats low in fat, sugar, and sodium.

While there is a proven link between obesity and certain types of cancer, less is known about how the ratio of energy to food weight, otherwise known as dietary energy density (DED), contributes to cancer risk. To find out, researchers looked at DED in the diets of post-menopausal women and discovered that consuming high DED foods was tied to a 10 percent increase in obesity-related cancer among normal weight women.

Patients at risk for type 2 diabetes are often asked to exercise, but exercise doesn't help each patient equally. To investigate this variability, a sample of women were divided by their levels of insulin resistance (lower/ higher), a warning sign for diabetes, all underwent high-intensity interval training. The training generally improved all metrics of cardiometabolic health tested. Women with higher insulin resistance more often saw improvements in the measures of glucose and insulin in their blood.

A study by researchers at King's College London has found that children who skip breakfast regularly may not be consuming the daily amounts of key nutrients for growth and development that are recommended by the UK government.

A high amount and intensity of exercise along with a diet plan resulted in a modest reduction in blood glucose levels among adults with type 2 diabetes, but was accompanied by reductions in the use of glucose-lowering medications, according to a study published by JAMA.