ROSEMONT, Ill., Dec. 11, 2017 — Eating yogurt on a regular basis may help reduce measures of chronic inflammation in women and support a healthy digestive system, researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (UW-Madison) report in the British Journal of Nutrition.

A majority of patients who undergo bariatric surgery for the first time maintain significant weight loss through seven years of follow-up, according to a study published Dec. 6 in JAMA Surgery.

Most people exercise with the intention of losing fat, not modifying it. However, a single workout may be able to improve fat tissue’s function and limit the amount of fatty acids that leak through the tissue and travel to other parts of the body, according to The New York Times.

Blood pressure of less than 130/80 mm Hg has been associated with improved outcomes in hypertensive patients who previously suffered a stroke, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Commonly prescribed analgesic drugs, including opiates and certain antidepressants, could be doing more harm than good, according to a study published in PLOS One this week. Not only can these addictive pain medications cause sedation, disordered breathing and accidental overdoses, but they reflect poorly on a patient’s cardiometabolic profile and increase risks of developing obesity and hypertension.

Hot flashes—especially those accompanied by night sweats—could be not only a routine symptom of menopause but also a precursor to diabetes, according to a study published this week in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

PLAINSBORO, N.J., Dec. 5, 2017 — Novo Nordisk today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its New Drug Application (NDA) for OZEMPIC® (semaglutide) injection 0.5 mg or 1 mg, a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Higher body mass index (BMI) in middle age could be a warning sign of dementia decades down the road, scientists reported this week, but weight loss leading up to a formal diagnosis could mask symptoms and confound patients.