Health

A research team led by Dr. Lee Da young, Dr. Nan Hee Kim of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism (Department of Internal Medicine, Ansan Hospital), Dr. Lee Heon-jeong of the Department of Psychiatry (Anam Hospital) and Dr. Lee Jung-been of the Division of Computer Science and Engineering (Sun Moon University) announced findings indicating that circadian rhythms (biorhythms) are closely related to blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Unhealthy dietary patterns are among the leading drivers of the global health crisis, significantly contributing to rising rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Nutritional science has long established that the quality of fat in our diet is crucial for metabolic health. Reducing saturated fat intake or replacing it with unsaturated fats has been shown to lower CVD and T2D risk by improving blood lipid profiles and reducing inflammation. While traditional blood lipid profiles focus on key markers like cholesterol, advanced lipidomics provides a comprehensive view of the entire circulating lipidome, uncovering specific changes in lipid classes.

Eating the components of a meal in a specific order is the principle of meal sequencing. For example, foods with a low glycemic index, especially vegetables or salad, are eaten first, followed by carbohydrate-rich foods with a higher glycemic index, such as bread, rice, potatoes or pasta. This sequence is intended to limit the rise in blood sugar after eating and, according to experts in health and nutrition, could also be relevant for people with type 2 diabetes.

Adults with type 2 diabetes who followed a low-fat vegan diet for 16 weeks, eating as much as they wanted, with no calorie counting or portion control, lost weight, reduced fat buildup in the liver and abdomen and improved insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function, according to a new clinical trial published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

Obesity is one of the most common health conditions in the world and one of the most misunderstood. Today, it affects about 4 in 10 U.S. adults, and the numbers keep rising.

New research from the Bogalusa Heart Study has found that greater exposure to clinical obesity during young adulthood is associated with a greater burden of white matter changes in the brain by midlife, providing new insight into how metabolic health across the life span may influence brain health.

Amid the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), a team led by researchers from Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has conducted what they describe as the most extensive systematic evaluation to date of associations between ADRD and nearly 200 environmental exposures—from pollution to diet to social connections.

Andrea Romanos-Nanclares, Ph.D., of the Channing Division of Network Medicine within the Department of Medicine at Mass General Brigham, is the lead author of a paper published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health titled “The Nurses’ Health Studies: a half-century of discovery in women’s health.” A. Heather Eliassen, ScD, of Mass General Brigham and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the senior author.

In treating diabetes, postmeal elevation of glucose levels is an important therapeutic target. Existing clinical studies indicate that eating vegetables, protein or fat before carbohydrates can moderate a postmeal rise in blood glucose, pointing to the potential of meal sequencing as a simple and sustainable dietary strategy.

Muscle health is linked to how well people recover from illness, maintain independence as they age and retain strength and function during weight loss. But it isn’t always a central consideration in clinical nutrition.

Increased consumption of potassium-rich foods that are part of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet did not raise blood potassium to dangerous levels in people taking medications to lower their blood pressure, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026, held in Arlington, Virginia, Oct. 7–11.