This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Do plant-based milks match the nutritional levels of cow milk?
A recent study showed that plant-based milks do not match the nutritional value of traditional milk contrary to as marketed. They lack the same proportion of protein. Only 72% of plant-based milks were fortified with vitamin D and calcium to match the nutrition of traditional dairy. Experts recommend new consumers carefully consider the options to avoid nutrition gaps.
Health

What are the side effects of sucking in your stomach?
Stomach gripping or sucking it in repeatedly to look thinner can cause several health issues. It can lead to breathing issues due to the contraction of the diaphragm in the opposite direction, neck and back pain as the gripping affects the core muscles, and pelvic floor problems as it weakens soft tissues from a constant stretched state, ultimately leading to urine leakage.
Cleveland Clinic

Plant-based diets could help reduce cholesterol levels
A large study reveals that switching to vegetarian diets could help decrease the levels of cholesterol and fats in the blood. Compared to an omnivorous diet, a plant-based diet was associated with reductions in cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B by 7%, 10%, and 14%, respectively, suggesting that plant-based diets can lower stroke and heart attack risks.
Health Day

Dietary fibre could help avoid gestational diabetes
Pregnant women who took 24 g of dietary fibre powder every day after 20 weeks gestation had lower rates of gestational diabetes than pregnant women in the control group (11.2% vs 23.7%), as per a study. Additionally, the rates of preterm birth were lower in the women taking fibre (12.3% vs 9.4%). Post-prandial sugar levels were also lower in the women taking fibre.
Twitter @RS_Preprints

A swallowable gastric balloon to deal with obesity
The new treatment combines a surgery-less gastric balloon placement and a common anto-obesity drug, liraglutide. It is built on a swallowable vegan capsule filled with liquid after reaching the stomach through a 20-minute outpatient procedure. It stays for 15 to 17 weeks and is excreted naturally. The drug will be added once daily to improve weight loss.
Tribune India

How obesity affects the risk of digestive cancers?
Another cohort study revealed that BMI measures suggesting overweight and obesity in wary and middle adulthood were associated with a higher risk of developing colorectal and non-colorectal gastrointestinal cancers. Moreover, increasing or maintaining BMI measures indicating obesity or overweight were also linked to an increased risk of digestive cancers.
Twitter @JAMANetworkOpen

WHO advises not to take non-sugar sweeteners for weight loss
Replacing natural, free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, stevia, saccharin, and others does not aid in controlling body weight in the long term. Instead, people should reduce the intake of free sugars by consuming unsweetened beverages and foods or whole fruit. This recommendation applies to all individuals except for those with diabetes.
World Health Organization

Wegovy is not a silver bullet for obesity, says WHO
The agency is currently revising the guidelines for managing obese children and adolescents to address the rising global obesity rates. The WHO experts said the communication around the weight loss drugs like Wegovy, Xenical, and Mounjaro being marketed as a solution to obesity was wrong as they should be a part of a comprehensive approach to obesity, but not a silver bullet.
The Print

Can PCOS affect the future generation of men's health?
Sons of women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome are at double the risk of developing obesity, as per a study. They also had high levels of bad cholesterol, which raises the chances of insulin resistance and, in turn, type 2 diabetes in the future. These findings were also confirmed in studies on mice, highlighting the hidden risks of PCOS.
Karolinska Institutet

Another weight loss drug shows promising results in trials
Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma reported that their obesity treatment caused 14.9% weight loss in a mid-stage clinical trial. It also met the primary goal in 46 weeks. The firms plan to start the last stage trial after a discussion with regulators. Meanwhile, Lilly's Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy caused 22.5% and 15 to 17% weight loss in the late-stage trials.
Twitter @Reuters