Nutrition Discovery

Addiction often isn’t about chasing pleasure—it’s about escaping pain. Researchers at Scripps Research have discovered that a tiny brain region called the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) becomes hyperactive when animals learn that alcohol eases the agony of withdrawal. This circuit helps explain why people relapse: their brains learn that alcohol brings relief from stress and anxiety.

Researchers from Leeds found that overeating is driven more by what people believe about food than by its actual ingredients or level of processing. Foods perceived as fatty, sweet, or highly processed were more likely to trigger indulgence. Surprisingly, the “ultra-processed” label explained almost none of the difference in overeating behavior. The findings suggest that perception and psychology may be more important than packaging or processing.

Researchers have uncovered how a protein called MRAP2 acts as a key regulator of hunger. It helps move the appetite receptor MC4R to the cell’s surface, allowing it to send stronger “stop eating” signals. The discovery offers new hope for tackling obesity by targeting this natural hunger switch.

A massive new study combining observational and genetic data overturns the long-held belief that light drinking protects the brain. Researchers found that dementia risk rises in direct proportion to alcohol consumption, with no safe level identified.

Researchers found that middle-aged adults, especially women, are far more likely to be addicted to ultra-processed foods than older generations. Marketing of diet-focused processed foods in the 1980s may have played a major role. Food addiction was linked to poor health, weight issues, and social isolation, highlighting long-term risks. Experts warn that children today could face even higher addiction rates in the future.

Scientists discovered that high-fat junk food disrupts memory circuits in the brain almost immediately. Within just four days, neurons in the hippocampus became overactive, impairing memory. Restoring glucose calmed the neurons, showing that interventions like fasting or dietary shifts can restore brain health. This could help prevent obesity-related dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Daily cocoa extract supplements reduced key inflammation markers in older adults, pointing to a role in protecting the heart. The findings reinforce the value of flavanol-rich, plant-based foods for healthier aging.

For decades, scientists believed Alzheimer’s was driven mainly by sticky protein plaques and tangles in the brain. Now Purdue researchers have revealed a hidden culprit: fat. They found that brain immune cells can become clogged with fat, leaving them too weak to fight off disease. By clearing out this fat and restoring the cells’ defenses, researchers may have uncovered an entirely new way to combat Alzheimer’s — shifting the focus from plaques alone to how the brain handles fat.

Researchers have shown that a green-Mediterranean diet can help slow brain aging. By analyzing data from the DIRECT PLUS trial, scientists found reduced levels of proteins tied to faster brain decline among those consuming green tea and Mankai. The results point to anti-inflammatory compounds as key protectors of brain health. This diet may be a powerful tool for preserving cognitive function.

Plastic particles from everyday items like Styrofoam cups and take-out containers are finding their way into the brain, where they may trigger Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. New research shows that mice carrying the Alzheimer’s-linked APOE4 gene who consumed microplastics exhibited sex-dependent cognitive decline, mirroring the differences seen in human patients.

Some people taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro notice that food suddenly tastes sweeter or saltier, and this subtle shift in flavor perception appears tied to reduced appetite and stronger feelings of fullness. In a study of more than 400 patients, roughly one in five experienced heightened taste sensitivity, and many reported being less hungry and more easily satisfied.

People taking semaglutide report far fewer obsessive thoughts about food, with cravings dropping sharply and mental health improving. This new research hints the drug may offer freedom from the constant distraction of food noise.

What we eat as we age may determine how many chronic illnesses we face later in life. A 15-year study of more than 2,400 older adults reveals that diets rich in vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats slow the accumulation of diseases like cardiovascular problems and dementia—while inflammatory diets heavy in red meat and sugary drinks speed it up. Researchers now aim to pinpoint the most effective dietary recommendations to promote longer, healthier lives.

Scientists discovered seven molecules in the blood linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, a condition that affects one in three Americans and raises the risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The study highlights the role of both diet and hormones, finding that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may protect against drowsiness, while compounds like tyramine may worsen it.

Meal timing shifts with age, and researchers found that eating breakfast later is tied to depression, fatigue, sleep problems, and an increased risk of death. Monitoring when meals are eaten could provide an easy health marker for aging adults.

A large Brazilian study following more than 12,000 middle-aged adults found that those consuming the most artificial sweeteners—commonly found in diet sodas, flavored waters, and processed snacks—experienced significantly faster declines in memory and thinking skills. The effect was equivalent to about 1.6 years of extra brain aging, with the strongest impact seen in people under 60 and those with diabetes.

A study finds that people are more open to plant-based eggs when they’re part of familiar foods, like pancakes, rather than served plain. While taste and appearance still favor regular eggs, vegan eggs score higher on environmental and ethical benefits. Familiarity is the key to getting people to try them.

A six-month randomized trial challenges the idea that eating more sweet foods increases a person’s preference for sweetness. Participants on diets with high, low, or mixed sweetness levels showed no changes in their sweet taste preferences, energy intake, body weight, or health markers. The study’s rigorous design suggests sweetness alone isn’t to blame for overeating, and even after the intervention, participants naturally returned to their baseline sweet intake.

Over-the-counter (OTC) products like St John’s Wort and omega-3s have long been touted for helping with depression, but new research reveals that 64 different OTC products have been tested in clinical trials, with varying levels of evidence. Some well-known options like St John’s Wort, saffron, and probiotics showed encouraging results, sometimes comparable to antidepressants. Others like folic acid, lavender, and lemon balm show emerging promise. Although few safety concerns were reported, researchers stress the need for better safety reporting and more studies, especially on commonly used but understudied herbal remedies.

A massive global survey has revealed that people with eating disorders often turn to cannabis and psychedelics like magic mushrooms and LSD to ease their symptoms, rating them more effective than traditional medications. Surprisingly, common prescriptions like antidepressants were seen as helpful for overall mental health but fell short for eating disorder relief.

Mice taught to link smells with tastes, and later fear, revealed how the amygdala teams up with cortical regions to let the brain draw powerful indirect connections. Disabling this circuit erased the links, hinting that similar pathways in humans could underlie disorders like PTSD and psychosis, and might be tuned with future brain-modulation therapies.

Researchers testing urine from 2- to 4-year-olds in four U.S. states uncovered 96 different chemicals, many of them unmonitored and linked to hormone and brain disruption. Legacy toxins like triclosan are slowly declining, yet replacements such as DINCH plasticizer and modern pesticides are rising. Toddlers—especially the youngest, later-born, and those from minority groups—often carried higher levels than their own mothers. Scientists urge expanded biomonitoring and stricter regulations before these invisible pollutants derail early development.

Over a thousand students revealed a striking link between lactose intolerance and nightmare-filled nights, hinting that midnight stomach turmoil from dairy can invade dreams. Researchers suggest simple diet tweaks especially ditching late-night cheese could turn scary sleep into sweet rest, though more experiments are needed to decode the gut-dream connection.

Scientists have uncovered a surprising sugar-related mechanism inside brain cells that could transform how we fight Alzheimer’s and other dementias. It turns out neurons don’t just store sugar for fuel—they reroute it to power antioxidant defenses, but only if an enzyme called GlyP is active. When this sugar-clearing system is blocked, toxic tau protein builds up and accelerates brain degeneration.

A common diabetes drug may be the next big thing for migraine relief. In a clinical study, obese patients with chronic migraines who took liraglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, experienced over 50% fewer headache days and significantly improved daily functioning without meaningful weight loss. Researchers believe the drug s ability to lower brain fluid pressure is the key, potentially opening a completely new way to treat migraines. The effects were fast, sustained, and came with only mild side effects.

Rutgers scientists have uncovered a tug-of-war inside the brain between hunger and satiety, revealing two newly mapped neural circuits that battle over when to eat and when to stop. These findings offer an unprecedented glimpse into how hormones and brain signals interact, with implications for fine-tuning today's weight-loss drugs like Ozempic.

A team of scientists has discovered a direct link between the smell of food and feelings of fullness at least in lean mice. This brain circuit, located in the medial septum and triggered by food odors, helps animals eat less by making them feel satiated even before taking a bite. But intriguingly, obese mice lacked this response, highlighting how excess weight may interfere with this satiety mechanism. The finding could have major implications for how we think about the role of smell in appetite and offer new strategies to combat overeating.

A team of scientists has identified specialized neurons in the brain that store "meal memories" detailed recollections of when and what we eat. These engrams, found in the ventral hippocampus, help regulate eating behavior by communicating with hunger-related areas of the brain. When these memory traces are impaired due to distraction, brain injury, or memory disorders individuals are more likely to overeat because they can't recall recent meals. The research not only uncovers a critical neural mechanism but also suggests new strategies for treating obesity by enhancing memory around food consumption.

Obesity is a global health problem that affects many people. In recent years, very promising anti-obesity drugs have been developed. Despite these successes, there are patients who do not respond to these drugs or suffer from side effects. Therefore, there is still an unmet need for therapies. Researchers have now discovered a small group of nerve cells in the hypothalamus of mouse brains that influence eating behavior and weight gain. This discovery could pave the way for the development of new targeted anti-obesity drugs.

A new study suggests how APOE2 is protective while APOE4 increases disease risk by regulating the brain's immune cells.

Scientists at the University of Gothenburg have pinpointed a group of nerve cells in the brain stem that appear to be responsible for semaglutide’s appetite- and weight-controlling powers—without triggering the nausea and muscle loss that often come with the drug. By mapping and manipulating these cells in mice, the team showed it’s possible to separate semaglutide’s benefits from its downsides, offering a glimpse at how future obesity treatments could be both more effective and easier to tolerate.

A leading cardiovascular disease researcher is ringing the alarm on universal recommendations intended to improve heart health around the globe. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, with 80 per cent of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. However, international heart-health guidelines are primarily based on research from high-income countries and often overlook upstream causes of CVD, according to experts.

The study explores how social influences, particularly peer pressure, impact substance use -- and misuse -- among young adults. A confidential online survey on alcohol use was given to 524 students at a large public university (not UTA).

Spending too much time sitting after a heart scare could be deadly. New research shows that patients who were sedentary for more than 14 hours a day in the month after leaving the hospital had a sharply higher chance of suffering another heart problem or even dying within a year. But there’s good news: simply replacing 30 minutes of sitting with light activities like walking around the house—or even more sleep—cut risks dramatically, in some cases by more than half.

A hidden link between impulsivity and obesity may not be fixed in human biology but shaped by the cities we live in. Using a novel engineering-based approach, researchers found that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) contributes to obesity not only directly through known biological pathways but also indirectly, by reducing physical activity.

While Alzheimer's disease is mostly considered a disorder of the brain, emerging evidence suggests that the condition also affects other organs of the body. Working with the laboratory fruit fly, researchers provide a new understanding of how Alzheimer's disease affects different tissues across the entire body. The findings reveal new insights into brain-body communication in neurodegeneration and pave the way for identifying novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease.

Humans perceive and navigate the world around us with the help of our five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. And while scientists have long known that these different senses activate different parts of the brain, a new study indicates that multiple senses all stimulate a critical region deep in the brain that controls consciousness. The study sheds new light on how sensory perception works in the brain and may fuel the development of therapies to treat disorders involving attention, arousal, and consciousness.

A collaborative study tested 17 strategies in an 'intervention tournament.' Interventions targeting future thinking, such as writing a letter for a child to read in the future, are the most effective ways to motivate climate action.

Postpartum maternal mental health and mother-to-infant bonding are well-established as critical factors in a child's psychosocial development. However, few studies have explored the combined impact of postpartum maternal depression and early bonding experiences on emotional and behavioral difficulties during middle childhood. A new study reveals significant associations between postpartum depression, mother-to-infant bonding, and child difficulties. Notably, secure early bonding was found to partially buffer the long-term effects of postpartum depression on child outcomes.

Experts are urging people, especially those with existing heart or vascular conditions, to seek medical advice before attempting to lose weight using water-only fasting diets.

A new study puts the spotlight on the rising burden of ischemic heart disease across Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, and calls for localized, equity-focused interventions in these regions. The researchers identified region-specific, modifiable risk factors that influence the increasing prevalence of ischemic heart disease, such as toxic air pollution in East Asia and ultra-processed dietary dependence in Oceania.

A vitamin supplement that improves metabolism in the eye appears to slow down damage to the optic nerve in glaucoma. The researchers behind the study have now started a clinical trial on patients.

People who eat more ultra processed foods like cold breakfast cereal, cookies and hot dogs are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson's disease when compared to those who eat very few ultra processed foods, according to a new study. The study does not prove that eating more ultra processed foods causes early signs of Parkinson's disease; it only shows an association.

Researchers are investigating how the legal supply of cannabis affects consumption and mental health among participants. In a first academic publication, the study team has now reported on the direct comparison of the substance's legal versus illegal procurement.

When picturing a 'typical' alcoholic, people tend to imagine a person drinking at home alone. But that focus overlooks the social origins of many serious alcohol problems.

Researchers have developed a new imaging method, D-PSCAN, which enables minimally invasive, wide-field, high-resolution imaging of the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) in living mice. This technique allows detailed investigation of NTS activity and offers broad potential for advancing our understanding of brain--body--mind interactions, as well as informing therapeutic strategies for psychiatric and neurological disorders.

A team of researchers has made a discovery in fruit flies that could change the way we understand brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in humans. The scientists found that Eato -- a fruit-fly protein whose counterparts in mammals were already known for helping brain cells get rid of harmful fats -- actually has a much bigger job. It not only protects neurons (brain cells), from being destroyed, but also increases the efficiency by which other cells, called phagocytes, clean up damaged neurons.

Estrogens are known for their role in reproduction, but a new study reveals that neuroestrogens -- estrogens produced in the brain -- play a key role in appetite regulation. These brain-made hormones enhance the expression of a hunger-suppressing receptor in the hypothalamus and improve leptin sensitivity. The findings highlight a new biological pathway that could lead to innovative strategies for managing obesity and eating disorders.

There is a global shortage of omega-3 partly due to environmental factors, according to new research. This is not just a healthcare issue; it is a public health and environmental challenge.

Researchers found that Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) can help rewire the brain's response to natural healthy pleasure, leading to reduced opioid cravings. The findings suggest that MORE could be a promising tool in the fight against opioid use disorder.

A team of researchers designed and tested a new digital toolkit that helps consumers make healthier grocery choices online -- an innovation that could play a major role in the global fight against chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Body appreciation differs between Middle-Eastern and Western societies, a new international study can reveal, highlighting how cultural and family influences shape body image and eating behaviors in young women. The study surveyed over 850 women aged 18-25 in Australia and Lebanon, examining the roles that mothers and sisters play in shaping body dissatisfaction, body appreciation, and eating patterns.

A preclinical study finds that a drug already FDA-approved for treating inflammatory conditions may help reduce both alcohol intake and pain sensitivity -- two issues that commonly co-occur with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

New research links fatty, sugary diets to impaired brain function. The findings build on a growing body of evidence showing the negative impact of high-fat, high-sugar (HFHS) diets on cognitive ability, adding to their well-known physical effects.

Five-year-olds exposed to paternal depression are more likely to have behavioral issues in grade school, researchers find.

New research has found that nearly half of the time American children spend with their grandparents involves interacting with or watching media on a screen. How that screen time is managed can influence media habits and impact family relationships.

'Do we see colors the same way?' is a fundamentally human question and one of great importance in research into the human mind. While impossible to answer at present, researchers take steps to answering it using a method that can map the experiences of colors between individuals, including those with colorblindness.

Researchers have developed and tested an intervention called Counter-Attitudinal Advocacy and compared it to to the well-established Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) to evaluate their effectiveness in decreasing drinks per week, peak blood alcohol concentration and alcohol-related consequences relative to a control group.

A new study suggests that perceived stress and depression factor into the relationship between insomnia and hazardous drinking -- perhaps not a surprise. But because the relationship between insomnia and heavy drinking goes in both directions, the influence of stress or depression depends on which condition came first, the analysis found.

Nursing poses major metabolic demands on mothers, to which they respond by eating more and saving energy to sustain milk production. There are significant hormonal changes during lactation, but how they lead to metabolic adaptations in nursing mothers remained unclear. Medical researchers uncovered a mechanism that connects prolactin, estrogen, the brain and metabolic adaptations during lactation.