Diet & Nutrition

Bifidobacterium and Prebiotics Restored Mouse Feeding Changes After Early HFHS Diet

July 2, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Nature Communications found that early-life high-fat/high-sugar diet exposure left sex-specific adult feeding and hypothalamic changes, and microbiota-targeted interventions partly restored those effects. Key Findings Early-life HFHS exposure: Mice exposed to a high-fat/high-sugar diet only in early life showed persistent adult feeding changes despite normalized body weight. Sex-specific vulnerability: Females …

Prolonged Fasting Raised Inflammation Despite Lower Amyloid Beta Proteins

June 29, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2025 human proteomics study in Molecular Metabolism found that about 10 days of medically supervised water-only fasting caused weight loss and lower circulating amyloid beta proteins, but also increased inflammatory and platelet-activation markers. Key Findings 20 volunteers: The main cohort included 20 middle-aged adults with mean age 52.2 years and mean BMI 28.8 …

Hypothalamic SF1 Neurons Help Drive Exercise Endurance Gains

June 28, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Neuron found that exercise activates ventromedial hypothalamic SF1 neurons, and that this brain response is required for normal endurance gains after training. Key Findings VMH SF1 neurons: Exercise increased activity-linked Bdnf expression in steroidogenic factor-1 neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus. Training plasticity: Repeated exercise increased both intrinsic excitability and …

Chicory and Green Tea Sleep Supplement Did Not Beat Placebo in Insomnia Pilot

June 26, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 pilot trial in PLOS One found that a 7-day chicory-and-green-tea herbal supplement did not improve sleep, quality of life, or objective sleep architecture more than placebo in adults with insomnia. Key Findings Small crossover pilot: The crossover pilot enrolled 10 adults aged 50 years or older with insomnia; 9 were women and …

Ketogenic Diet Review Reported Glioblastoma Survival Signals Without Phase III Proof

June 18, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in Neurological Sciences found that ketogenic diet (KD), a very-low-carbohydrate diet designed to raise ketone fuel use, looked feasible and generally safe as an add-on strategy in glioblastoma (GBM), but the survival signal still needs phase III randomized proof. Key Findings The review included 41 human studies of …

Fasting Activated ADIOL-Kynurenine Pathway to Improve Worm Healthspan

June 14, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Aging Cell found that fasting and caloric restriction activated ADIOL, a steroid hormone, through an NHR-91-kynurenic acid pathway that improved several healthspan measures in worms without extending lifespan. Key Findings ADIOL was the central hormone: 5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol (ADIOL) linked nutrient restriction to healthier function in C. elegans worms. NHR-91 was required: …

Sweetness Expectations Changed Midbrain Reward Signals

June 8, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Journal of Neuroscience found that when people expected sugar, an artificially sweetened drink became more pleasant and produced a stronger midbrain response, even though perceived sweetness was similar. Key Findings Expectation changed the reward readout: The researchers selected participants who reported similar perceptual experiences of sugar and non-nutritive sweetener. 27 …

SMART Text Messages Improved Self-Management in Schizophrenia Metabolic Health Pilot

June 7, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 uncontrolled pilot study in BJPsych Open found that SMART, a personalized text-message program for metabolic health in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, improved patient activation, diabetes self-management confidence, health literacy, and recovery scores over 12 weeks, while objective cardiometabolic markers did not significantly change. Key Findings SMART reached a schizophrenia-risk group: Researchers …

CB1 Receptor Autophagy Did Not Explain p62 Mouse Obesity Phenotype

June 3, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports found that cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) undergoes autophagy-linked degradation in mouse cortical neurons, but p62 deficiency did not make CB1R the main driver of obesity and low activity in p62 knockout mice. Key Findings CB1R accumulated up to 10-fold: Blocking autophagic flux with Bafilomycin A1 in …

Oral Acetate Case Series Found Metabolic Improvements in Psychotropic Weight Gain

May 25, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 case-series study in Translational Psychiatry tested delayed-release oral acetate from apple cider vinegar capsules in 11 young adults taking psychotropic medications and found high adherence, no product-related adverse events, microbiome shifts, and metabolic improvement in 6 participants, but the uncontrolled design means the findings need placebo-controlled testing. Key Findings 11 completers: The …

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