From midlife wellness to pregnancy, diet awareness lowers health risks
Weight loss does not have to rely on cosmetic procedures, synthetic drugs, or costly fads. Studies show that simple, sustainable habits, such as being mindful of food choices, eating the right portions, and maintaining an active lifestyle can go a long way in managing weight. Approaches like balanced meal planning, regular walking or exercise, consistent sleep patterns and even intermittent fasting are often more effective in the long run than quick fixes. These healthy practices lower the risk of chronic diseases and support a better quality of life at any age or physical condition.
Leaner weight, lower health risks in midlife
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open on weight loss in Midlife has examined the long-term effects of sustained weight reduction in midlife, looking beyond the well-established reduction in diabetes risk.
The research followed 23,149 adults between the ages of 40 and 50 from three cohorts: the Whitehall II study in the UK (1985–1988), the Helsinki Businessmen Study in Finland (1964–1973), and the Finnish Public Sector study (2000). Participants were tracked for 12 to 35 years and classified into four groups based on body mass index (BMI): those who maintained a healthy weight, those who reduced their BMI from overweight to healthy, those who gained weight from healthy to overweight, and those who remained overweight.
The study found that individuals who lost weight from the overweight range into a healthy range during midlife and maintained it had a lower risk of developing chronic diseases and a reduced risk of death from all causes compared to those who stayed overweight. Importantly, these benefits extended beyond the lowered risk of type 2 diabetes, indicating that sustained weight loss offers broader protective effects on long-term health. While achieving and maintaining weight loss through lifestyle changes in midlife can be challenging, the findings suggest that doing so can significantly improve overall health outcomes over the course of decades.
Heart health and intermittent fasting
A new study published in The BMJ suggests that intermittent fasting can be just as effective as traditional calorie-restricted diets for weight loss and improving cardiometabolic health, with alternate day fasting showing the greatest benefit.
The research, led by Zhila Semnani-Azad of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the largest systematic review to date on intermittent fasting and analyzed 99 clinical trials involving more than 6,500 participants. Most participants had an average body mass index of 31, with nearly 90% already managing health conditions.
The study compared intermittent fasting diets, including alternate day fasting, time-restricted eating such as the 16:8 method, and whole day fasting such as the 5:2 plan, with calorie-restricted and unrestricted diets.
Results showed that both intermittent fasting and calorie restriction led to meaningful weight loss and better health outcomes compared with unrestricted eating, but alternate day fasting produced superior results. Participants on this plan lost on average 1.3 kg more than those on traditional calorie-restricted diets and showed additional improvements in waist circumference, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and c-reactive protein, an inflammation marker linked to chronic disease.
These findings highlight the potential of weight loss through intermittent fasting to improve not only body weight but also markers of heart and metabolic health. While the researchers caution that most clinical trials were short-term, lasting less than 24 weeks, they say the evidence points to fasting as a promising option for people seeking effective ways to manage obesity and related health risks. At the same time, they stress that fasting is not for everyone and that individuals should consult with healthcare providers to ensure it suits their medical history, lifestyle, and long-term sustainability.
New evidence of cellular-level benefits of weight Loss in obesity
Scientists have produced the first detailed characterization of how weight loss changes human fat tissue by analyzing hundreds of thousands of cells. The study published in Nature, revealed a number of beneficial effects, including the clearing of damaged, ageing cells and an increased metabolism of harmful fats.
Researchers say these findings provide new insights into how weight loss improves health at the molecular level and could eventually guide the development of therapies for diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
The research compared fat tissue samples from people with severe obesity, defined as a BMI over 35, who underwent bariatric surgery, with samples from healthy-weight individuals. For the weight loss group, fat was analyzed during surgery and again more than five months later, when participants had lost an average of 25 kg.
By studying gene expression in more than 170,000 fat cells from 70 individuals, scientists discovered that weight loss unexpectedly triggers the breakdown and recycling of lipids, a process that may help burn energy and reverse the harmful accumulation of fats in organs like the liver and pancreas. While further research is needed to confirm whether this lipid recycling directly contributes to health improvements, it may help explain why weight loss often leads to remission of type 2 diabetes.
The team also observed that weight loss cleared out senescent cells, which are ageing and damaged cells that build up in tissues, cause inflammation, and impair proper function. Removing these cells may play a role in reducing obesity-related complications. However, the study also found that certain effects of obesity on the immune system were not fully reversed, as inflammatory immune cells infiltrating fat tissue persisted even after significant weight loss. This type of immune memory, researchers warn, could have harmful consequences if weight is regained.
According to Dr. William Scott of the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London, who led the study, these results provide a detailed map of the mechanisms driving the health benefits of weight loss at the cellular level.
Fat tissue, he explained, influences much more than weight itself, playing roles in blood sugar regulation, body temperature, hormone balance, and reproductive health. The researchers hope that knowledge gained from this work will contribute to more effective treatments for diabetes and other conditions linked to excess body fat. The study was funded by the Medical Research Council, Diabetes UK, and Wellcome.
Modest diet change improves pregnancy health
A new study published in Nature Medicine has found that a reduced-calorie diet in late pregnancy is safe for women with gestational diabetes who are overweight or obese, and offers meaningful health benefits for both mother and baby.
The research, led by Professor Claire Meek at the Universities of Leicester and Cambridge, showed that women who followed a 1,200-calorie nutritionally balanced diet from 29 weeks of pregnancy were less likely to require insulin treatment compared with those on a standard 2,000-calorie plan.
Researchers estimate that adopting this approach nationally could help up to 13,000 women with gestational diabetes each year avoid insulin use.
Apart from lowering the need for insulin, modest weight loss of around 3kg in the third trimester was linked to improved blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as a 48% lower risk of delivering a large baby, a factor tied to safer births and reduced risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in childhood.
These benefits continued after pregnancy, with women maintaining better blood sugar control for at least three months postnatally. Since gestational diabetes raises the risk of type 2 diabetes tenfold, the findings suggest that modest weight loss in late pregnancy could play an important role in protecting long-term health for both mothers and their children.
Category: Top Story, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
