Latest News
World Health Assembly re-commits to global nutrition targets and marketing regulations
Countries at the 78th World Health Assembly have agreed on two resolutions:
1. to extend the comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and child nutrition to 2030; and
2. to regulate the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes.
GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight loss may also help control asthma
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute in the United Kingdom recently examined how GLP-1 agonist drugs impact asthma in people with obesity. People taking GLP-1 medications had better-controlled asthma overall, though there was no difference in lung function.
Poor diets fuelling health crisis in the North, report reveals
A new report reveals the North of England has some of the poorest diets in the country. The analysis shows people in the north generally have a lower intake of nutrients and spend less on household food per week. The North also has higher levels of adult obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and greater mortality rates from preventable cancer, and preventable cardiovascular and liver diseases.
Common sweeteners may be accelerating puberty, finds study
New study finds children who consume artificial and natural sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and glycyrrhizin may face an increased risk of early puberty, especially if they carry specific genetic markers. This large-scale Taiwanese study links sweeteners to hormonal changes and gut bacteria imbalances that can speed up puberty, with effects differing between different sexes.
House of Lords publishes Food, Diet and Obesity Committee Report
Prevention and treatment of obesity will be the focus of a new inquiry by Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee. Read the enquiry, submit evidence or share your views by following the links below.
New study finds obesity rises with caloric intake, not couch time
In an article recently published in PNAS, Duke University researchers point to higher caloric intake as the primary driver of obesity worldwide, suggesting that diet rather than lack of movement plays the bigger role in the global obesity crisis. While many experts have suggested that rising obesity rates are due to declining physical activity as societies become more industrialized, the findings show that people in wealthier countries expend just as much or even more energy daily.