Featured
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News |
Gut microbes linked to fatty diet drive tumour growth
Scientists know there is a link between obesity and some cancers. A study in mice and people suggests why that might be.
- Gillian Dohrn
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News & Views |
Dual-action obesity drug rewires brain circuits for appetite
A two-in-one drug that modulates neural pathways involved in appetite and reward might prove to be more effective and longer lasting than current weight-loss drugs on the market.
- Tyler M. Cook
- & Darleen Sandoval
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News |
Experimental obesity drug packs double punch to reduce weight
Test of weight-loss candidate in mice shows that there is still room for improvement in a burgeoning field.
- Asher Mullard
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News Feature |
Obesity drugs aren’t always forever. What happens when you quit?
Many researchers think that Wegovy and Ozempic should be taken for life, but myriad factors can force people off them.
- McKenzie Prillaman
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News |
First US drug approved for a liver disease surging around the world
A therapy called resmetirom improves hallmarks of an obesity-linked condition that can lead to liver failure.
- Heidi Ledford
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News |
Blockbuster obesity drug leads to better health in people with HIV
Semaglutide reduces weight and fat accumulation associated with the antiretroviral regimen that keeps HIV at bay.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News |
Smoking scars the immune system for years after quitting
A cigarette habit and previous infection with a common virus both have important effects on the immune system.
- Heidi Ledford
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Comment |
No ‘easy’ weight loss: don’t overlook the social cost of anti-obesity drugs
Ideas of diet and exercise as the ‘best’ way to lose weight could stigmatize people taking Ozempic, WeGovy and other blockbuster drugs that affect appetite. Lessons from weight-loss surgery reveal ways to help.
- Alexandra Brewis
- & Sarah Trainer
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News |
Obesity drugs have another superpower: taming inflammation
The blockbuster medications that reduce body weight also reduce inflammation in organs such as the brain, raising hopes that they can treat Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News Feature |
Weight-loss-drug pioneer: this biochemist finally gained recognition for her work
Svetlana Mojsov led early studies of GLP-1, the hormone behind Wegovy, Ozempic and other blockbusters.
- Elie Dolgin
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Nature Podcast |
Audio long read: Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity
Although body mass index is the main diagnostic test for obesity, it leaves out many factors that can affect how healthy someone is.
- McKenzie Prillaman
- & Benjamin Thompson
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News Explainer |
Anti-obesity drugs’ side effects: what we know so far
Recent studies evaluate risks associated with drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News Feature |
Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity
The main diagnostic test for obesity — the body mass index — accounts for only height and weight, leaving out a slew of factors that influence body fat and health.
- McKenzie Prillaman
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Article
| Open AccessCauses and consequences of child growth faltering in low-resource settings
Analysis of data from 33 longitudinal cohorts from low- and middle-income countries indicates that conditions during pre-conception, pregnancy and the first few months of life are crucial in determining the risk of growth faltering in young children.
- Andrew Mertens
- , Jade Benjamin-Chung
- & Pablo Penataro Yori
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Article
| Open AccessChild wasting and concurrent stunting in low- and middle-income countries
An analysis of longitudinal cohort data across diverse populations suggests that the incidence of wasting between birth and 24 months is higher than previously thought, and highlights the role of seasonal factors that affect child growth.
- Andrew Mertens
- , Jade Benjamin-Chung
- & Pablo Penataro Yori
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Article
| Open AccessEarly-childhood linear growth faltering in low- and middle-income countries
A pooled analysis of longitudinal studies in low- and middle-income countries identifies the typical age of onset of linear growth faltering and investigates recurrent faltering in early life.
- Jade Benjamin-Chung
- , Andrew Mertens
- & Pablo Penataro Yori
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News Explainer |
Anti-obesity drug also protects against heart disease — what happens next?
Clinical-trial data suggest that semaglutide, sold under the name Wegovy, slashes risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular incidents.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News Feature |
Four key questions on the new wave of anti-obesity drugs
Scientists want to know who will benefit most, what the long-term effects might be and whether the treatments will change views on obesity.
- McKenzie Prillaman
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Research Briefing |
Energy burn in muscle boosted by a hormonal signalling axis
Restricting dietary calories leads to weight loss, but with time these effects diminish because the body’s metabolism slows down. A hormone called GDF15 is now shown to maintain weight loss during dieting by promoting energy expenditure through the activation of pathways that affect calcium levels in skeletal muscle.
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News |
Beyond Ozempic: brand-new obesity drugs will be cheaper and more effective
Hormone mimics offer advantages even beyond those of the potent weight-loss jabs on the market now.
- Saima Sidik
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Spotlight |
By the numbers: China’s changing diet
Data show that the Chinese middle class is eating a higher-fat, less-healthy diet — a trend reflected in the increases in heart disease and childhood obesity.
- Yvaine Ye
- & Jack Leeming
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News |
Game-changing obesity drugs go mainstream: what scientists are learning
Studies tackle who’s most likely to lose weight on the new generation of anti-obesity medications.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News |
Diabetes and obesity are rising globally — but some nations are hit harder
Rates of type 2 diabetes and other conditions caused by disorders of the body’s energy-processing system are driven in part by changing food habits.
- Saima May Sidik
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News |
Sex, food or water? How mice decide
Neurons that regulate a mouse’s response to hunger and thirst also influence social interactions with the opposite sex.
- Heidi Ledford
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Nature Podcast |
Audio long read: The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers
A slew of remarkable trials have raised the profile of a class of weight loss drugs, but there are concerns about cost and weight stigma.
- McKenzie Prillaman
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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News Feature |
The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers
A class of drugs that quash hunger have shown striking results in trials and in practice. But can they help all people with obesity — and conquer weight stigma?
- McKenzie Prillaman
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News |
Almost half of cancer deaths are preventable
Data show that smoking, drinking alcohol and obesity are the biggest contributors to cancer worldwide.
- Giorgia Guglielmi
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Outlook |
The vicious cycle of depression and obesity
Is it time for obesity to be treated as a mental-health concern?
- Benjamin Plackett
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News & Views |
A two-step hormone-signalling mechanism that drives physical activity
In mice, the ovarian hormone oestradiol sensitizes neurons in a brain region called the hypothalamus to a melanocortin hormone that signals an energy surplus. Their dual activation increases physical activity.
- Stephanie L. Padilla
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Article |
An organoid-based organ-repurposing approach to treat short bowel syndrome
In a rat model of short bowel syndrome, transplantation of small intestinal organoids into the colon partially restores intestinal function and improves survival—a proof of principle that organoid transplantation might have therapeutic benefit.
- Shinya Sugimoto
- , Eiji Kobayashi
- & Toshiro Sato
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Outlook |
EraCal Therapeutics: a new drug candidate for obesity
The start-up that developed the compound is a finalist for The Spinoff Prize.
- Elie Dolgin
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Article
| Open AccessMapping child growth failure across low- and middle-income countries
High-resolution subnational mapping of child growth failure indicators for 105 low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017 shows that, despite considerable progress, substantial geographical inequalities still exist in some countries.
- Damaris K. Kinyoki
- , Aaron E. Osgood-Zimmerman
- & Simon I. Hay
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Editorial |
Counting the hidden $12-trillion cost of a broken food system
The world’s food system costs trillions in poor health and ecological damage. On World Food Day, governments and researchers must commit to more-regular audits of these unseen expenses.
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Research Highlight |
The workout that excels at countering obesity genes
Half a dozen forms of exercise help to offset a genetic predisposition to obesity, but one stands out.
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News & Views |
Rural areas drive increases in global obesity
The global rise in the prevalence of obesity has been seen as an urban problem. A large-scale study challenges this view by showing that weight gain in rural areas is the main factor currently driving the obesity epidemic.
- Barry M. Popkin
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Nature Podcast |
Podcast: Urban vs Rural BMI, and the health of rivers
Hear the latest science updates, brought to you by Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell.
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News & Views |
Fat cells with a sweet tooth
Some fat cells convert energy into heat, so targeting them to induce weight loss is appealing. The discovery that a subset of the cells burns glucose, rather than both glucose and lipids, could improve our ability to do just that.
- Wenfei Sun
- & Christian Wolfrum
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News & Views |
Reduced oxygen consumption by fat cells improves metabolic defects
Low oxygen levels are a hallmark of expanding fat tissue in obesity, and can lead to type 2 diabetes. In addition to a lack of adequate blood supply, increased oxygen demand in fat cells now emerges as being key to this harmful state.
- Nolwenn Joffin
- & Philipp E. Scherer
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Comment |
Reward food companies for improving nutrition
Governments must provide incentives for businesses to fix the global food system, not just punish them for acting irresponsibly, argues Lawrence Haddad.
- Lawrence Haddad
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Article
| Open AccessMapping child growth failure in Africa between 2000 and 2015
Geospatial estimates of child growth failure in Africa provide a baseline for measuring progress and a precision public health platform to target interventions to those populations with the greatest need.
- Aaron Osgood-Zimmerman
- , Anoushka I. Millear
- & Simon I. Hay
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Toolbox |
The mazes with minds of their own
Automated ‘smart mazes’ free behavioural researchers from the tedium of monitoring animals. They also boost data quality and reproducibility.
- Charles Choi
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Outlook |
Childhood obesity: A growing concern
Rising obesity means that more children are developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
- Bianca Nogrady
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News & Views |
Receptors identified for a weight regulator
The discovery of the receptors for the protein GDF15 suggests that it regulates food uptake through the emergency pathway — a neuronal circuit that causes weight loss in response to cancer, tissue damage and stress. See Letter p.255
- Mart Saarma
- & Adrian Goldman
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News & Views |
Gut feeling for food choice
One effect of weight-loss surgery is a change in food preferences. An analysis in rats shows that this is caused by altered nutrient signals in the intestine. These activate the vagus nerve to increase signalling in the brain by the neurotransmitter dopamine.
- Darleen A. Sandoval
- & Randy J. Seeley
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Outlook |
Obesity: The fat advantage
Obese people have a higher incidence of kidney cancer, but are also more likely to survive the disease. Is the 'obesity paradox' real or an artefact of how studies are conducted?
- Sujata Gupta
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News & Views |
Microbial signals to the brain control weight
The bacteria that inhabit the rodent gut promote insulin secretion and food intake by activating the parasympathetic nervous system — a hitherto unknown mode of action for this multifaceted microbiota. See Article p.213
- Mirko Trajkovski
- & Claes B. Wollheim
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Comment |
Medical research: Time to think differently about diabetes
New guidelines for the surgical treatment of type 2 diabetes bolster hopes of finding a cure, writes Francesco Rubino, but long-standing preconceptions must be put aside.
- Francesco Rubino
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World View |
Origins of the obesity pandemic can be analysed
Statistical and biological methods are available to probe why the prevalence of obesity has risen more in some countries than in others, says John Frank.
- John Frank