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Sugar sweetened drinks may give rise to nearly two million diabetes cases over ten years in the US and 80,000 in the UK, estimates a study published in the BMJ.

Have you ever found yourself preferring to eat with one spoon rather than another? Or maybe you've found yourself pondering which is the best set of cutlery to buy for your home, by judging how good it 'looks', or rather, how good it 'feels' in the hand? While the design (think shape, material, ergonomics) of the cutlery is what we all think that we are judging, maybe what drives our preference for one eating utensil over another is an often overlooked but substantial characteristic: Its weight.

A diet and exercise regime for high-risk obese pregnant women, whilst effective in promoting a healthy lifestyle, does not prevent gestational diabetes, finds a study led by King's College London. The findings, published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, suggest that programmes promoting healthy behaviours are unlikely to be effective in preventing gestational diabetes in obese women; instead, resources should be directed towards better screening and treatment, including the use of a more stringent threshold for diagnosis.

A study co-authored by Oxford researchers says spikes in food prices during the last global recession can be linked with the increase in malnutrition among children in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in 2009. The researchers examined the proportion of children who experienced 'wasting', a widely used measure of malnutrition that shows a child has a lower than expected weight given their height (based on World Health Organization standards).

Dr Richard Coulton, based at QMUL's School of English and Drama, reflects on the discovery of Britain's oldest tea. Dr Coulton is one of three authors of a forthcoming book, Empire of Tea: The Asian Leaf that Conquered the World. Last week we released a news story about our discovery of Britain's oldest tea leaves alongside colleagues at the Natural History Museum in London.

Drinking water or unsweetened tea or coffee in place of one sugary drink per day can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to research published today in the journal Diabetologia . Our study adds further important evidence to the recommendation from the World Health Organization to limit the intake of free sugars in our diet Nita Forouhi The study indicates that for each 5% increase of a person's total energy intake provided by sweet drinks including soft drinks, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes may increase by as much as 18%.

Scientists have identified chemical markers in urine associated with body mass, providing insights into how obesity causes disease. Being overweight or obese is associated with higher risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, but the mechanisms connecting body fat and disease are not well understood.

Study shows there are six different types of obese people Treating individuals according to which 'type' could be more effective Targeted strategies would also mean a more efficient use of NHS services One size does not fit all when it comes to tackling obesity, according to a new study by the University of Sheffield.

Scientists have discovered a previously unknown mechanism behind how the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene promotes obesity.  Their findings may have important implications for future therapeutic strategies to combat obesity. Using mice, the researchers from the University of Oxford and MRC Harwell assessed how FTO affects the development of fat cells in response to nutritional excess.

Weight discrimination is linked to significantly lower quality of life, and accounts for approximately 40% of the negative psychological effects associated with obesity, finds new UCL research funded by Cancer Research UK. The study, which analysed data from 5,056 UK adults, found that those who felt discriminated against on the basis of their weight had a 70% increase in symptoms of depression, a 14% drop in quality of life and 12% lower life satisfaction relative to those who did not perceive weight discrimination.

Cancer survivors make healthier diet and lifestyle choices than the general population, according to a new study. Researchers found that most cancer survivors in Scotland eat more fruit and vegetables and stop smoking, but are less likely to be physically active than the general Scottish population.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Researchers call for more targeted weight loss programmes to tackle obesity Researchers are calling on the Government to introduce more weight loss programmes targeted at low-income women and children in deprived areas after research shows they have at least short term benefits in tackling obesity.

Postmenopausal women who are metabolically unhealthy have a higher risk of breast cancer compared with metabolically healthy women, a study has found. Metabolic health refers to how the body processes nutrients such as glucose, and can be measured according to the levels of the hormone insulin. Obesity is strongly associated with poor metabolic health, but the new study found that poor metabolic health was a risk factor for breast cancer in both overweight and normal-weight postmenopausal women.

Researchers at Lancaster Univerisity are using X-rays to help farmers increase yields and cut water pollution following an unexpected discovery in a pea and bean crop. Plant and Soil Scientists hope to combine two new technologies to provide a rapid "same day" measurement of soil phosphorus availability, enabling farmers and growers to make more informed decisions about fertiliser application.

Malnutrition is a major cause of stunted growth in children, but new UCL research on mothers and children in Egypt suggests that the problem is not just about quantity of food but also quality. Obesity and malnutrition are often thought of as problems at opposite ends of the nutrition spectrum, but the study found that 6.7% of Egyptian mothers were obese and had stunted children.

Home > News > News releases > New insights into the origins of agriculture could help shape the future of food Expanding population is putting increasing demands on food production Study could lead to new crops becoming our staple foods in the future Agricultural decisions made by our ancestors more than 10,000 years ago could hold the key to food security in the future, according to new research by the University of Sheffield.

Our structure (research) Impact of our research Postgraduate research 05 Dec 2014 Economists working in academia are being advised to think twice before publishing in high impact journals. That's according to new research led by Professor Dan Rigby, of The University of Manchester, and published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, which examined whether careers were most enhanced by publishing in high impact journals.

Leptin, a hormone that regulates the amount of fat stored in the body, also drives the increase in blood pressure that occurs with weight gain, according to researchers from Monash University and the University of Cambridge. Being obese or overweight is a major risk factor for the development of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Participants in the study were unable to correctly identify what a healthy weight, overweight or obese person looked like The majority of people - including GPs – are unable to visually identify whether a person is a healthy weight, overweight or obese according to research by psychologists at the University of Liverpool.

Displaying the calorie content of meals in canteens and restaurants could significantly reduce weight-gain in customers, a new study shows. Researchers conducting the first long-term study of the effects of labeling meals in a university's students' residence canteen over the course of two 36-week academic years found students had reduced weight gain by an average of 3.5kg.