Here are the top medical news for the day:
Feeling Low? Your Ultra-Processed Food Habit Might Be to Blame
A recent study published in Food Science & Nutrition has highlighted a strong association between ultra-processed food consumption and elevated levels of food addiction and negative mood states. The research concluded that individuals with higher ultra-processed food intake also exhibited significantly higher scores for food addiction and mood disturbances, pointing to the need for public health strategies addressing psychosocial factors in dietary behavior.
The study involved 3,997 adults aged 18–65 who completed an online survey between September 2024 and January 2025. Participants self-reported their demographic data, anthropometrics, and food intake habits. Ultra-processed food intake was measured using the Screening Questionnaire of Highly Processed Food Consumption, while food addiction and hedonic hunger were assessed using the Yale Food Addiction Scale and Power of Food Scale, respectively. Emotional states were gauged using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21.
Results showed that younger, female, single, and unemployed individuals were more likely to consume higher amounts of ultra-processed food. These individuals also had significantly higher food addiction and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 scores.
The study found that 86.7% of participants met the criteria for food addiction—a figure the researchers advised interpreting with caution due to potential sampling and measurement biases. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed that ultra-processed food intake was inversely related to age and gender, and positively related to food addiction and mood symptoms.
The researchers emphasize the importance of targeting emotional and psychological factors through interventions and awareness campaigns to curb ultra-processed food consumption and foster healthier eating behaviors.
References: Mengi Çelik Ö, Güler Ü, Ekici EM. Factors Affecting Ultra‐Processed Food Consumption: Hedonic Hunger, Food Addiction, and Mood. Food Science & Nutrition, 2025,
DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.70248, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fsn3.70248
Scientists Uncover How Fat Molecules Silence Cancer-Fighting Cells in Ovarian Cancer
New research led by Irish scientists has uncovered how lipid-rich fluid in the abdomen, known as ascites, plays a central role in weakening the body's immune response in advanced ovarian cancer. The findings offer new insights into immune suppression in ovarian cancer and open promising avenues for future immunotherapy approaches. Findings are published in science immunology.
Over 70% of patients with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage, often presenting with large volumes of ascites. This ascites fluid not only supports the spread of cancer throughout the abdominal cavity but also significantly impairs the body's immune defences.
By analysing the contents of ascites fluid from ovarian cancer patients, the team identified a group of fat molecules called phospholipids as key drivers of this immune dysfunction.
Dr Karen Slattery, Research Fellow in the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, is the first author of the research article. She said: "We found that these lipids interfere with NK cell metabolism and suppress their ability to kill cancer cells. Crucially, we also discovered that blocking the uptake of these phospholipids into NK cells using a specific receptor blocker can restore their anti-tumour activity, which offers a compelling new target for therapeutic intervention."
"This work adds a critical piece to the puzzle of why ovarian cancer is so aggressive and has such poor outcomes. While the immune system is naturally equipped to detect and destroy cancer cells, this function is switched off in many individuals with ovarian cancer, and we now know that this is in part due to the fat-rich environment created by ascites."
References: https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/top-stories/featured/fat-rich-fluid-fuels-immune-failure-in-ovarian-cancer/
Women’s Fat-Burning Advantage May Protect Against Diabetes: Study Finds
A new study published in Nature Metabolism by researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet suggests that women may be biologically better protected against metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, thanks to a more efficient fat-burning process known as lipolysis. Despite generally having higher body fat percentages than men, women appear less prone to developing obesity-related illnesses—a difference the study attributes to how their fat cells break down stored lipids during stress or exercise.
The research focused on the behavior of abdominal subcutaneous fat cells, examining how they respond to catecholamines—hormones that stimulate fat breakdown. While women’s fat cells were found to be less sensitive to these hormones initially, once lipolysis was activated, the rate at which fat was processed was significantly faster compared to male fat cells.
This more dynamic fat metabolism may explain why women, despite higher fat mass, are less likely than men to suffer from insulin resistance and other metabolic complications.
The researchers believe this sex-based difference in fat metabolism becomes particularly important during physical activity or fasting, when the body relies more heavily on stored energy. These findings could lead to the development of targeted therapies, especially for men who are more susceptible to metabolic disorders.
"The breakdown of lipids through lipolysis is essential for energy balance and it is believed that doing it effectively may prevent type 2 diabetes and other metabolic complications of overweight and obesity," says Professor Peter Arner, of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
"Indeed, lipolysis is more effective in women than in men, which could be one reason why women are less likely to develop metabolic complications than men, despite having more body fat." Arner noted.
Overall, the study highlights the need to consider gender differences in fat metabolism when designing interventions for obesity and diabetes prevention.
Reference: European Association for the Study of Obesity
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