Medical Bulletin 13/July/2026 - Video

Study Suggests Intermittent Fasting Is Simpler Than Calorie Counting for Weight Loss

What if losing weight didn’t require counting every calorie? A new study suggests intermittent fasting may make weight loss feel easier to stick with.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide found that intermittent fasting helped people lose weight just as effectively as traditional calorie restriction, while requiring less mental effort to control eating. The findings, published in Clinical Nutrition, suggest fasting could be a practical option for people who struggle with constant calorie counting.

The 18-month clinical trial involved more than 200 adults with obesity, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: intermittent fasting, continuous calorie restriction, or standard care.

Participants in the intermittent fasting group consumed 30% of their daily calorie needs between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. on three non-consecutive days each week, followed by a 20-hour fast. On the remaining days, they ate their usual diet. Those in the calorie-restriction group consumed about 70% of their normal daily calorie intake, while the standard care group received healthy eating advice without specific calorie limits.

After six months, both the intermittent fasting and calorie-restriction groups lost an average of about 7 kilograms, compared with only 2 kilograms in the standard care group.

However, researchers found an important difference in participants’ experiences. People following intermittent fasting reported they did not feel the need to constantly count calories, monitor food intake, or resist overeating. In contrast, those on continuous calorie restriction said maintaining weight loss required ongoing effort and self-control. Researchers estimated this increased mental effort accounted for about 15% of the weight loss seen with calorie restriction.

The researchers say intermittent fasting may work through different psychological and behavioral mechanisms, making it easier for some people to maintain long-term. They recommend further studies to identify who may benefit most from this approach to weight management.

REFERENCE: Xiao Tong Teong, Kai Liu, Andrew D. Vincent, Bo Liu, Gary A. Wittert, Amy T. Hutchison, Leonie K. Heilbronn. Exploring the impact of intermittent fasting plus time-restricted eating versus calorie restriction on eating behavior, mood, sleep, quality of life in adults with obesity. Clinical Nutrition, 2026; 62: 106686 DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2026.106686

Researchers Link Maternal Nutrition to Changes in Breast Milk Immune Signals

Can what a breastfeeding mother eats shape her baby's immune system? A new study suggests the answer may be yes—though the effect appears to be subtle.

A study published in PLOS ONE has found that a mother's diet may slightly influence certain immune-related components in breast milk, potentially affecting how an infant's immune system develops. However, researchers say the impact appears limited and more research is needed.

Scientists from the University of the Sunshine Coast studied 101 healthy mothers who were exclusively breastfeeding their full-term infants at 3–4 months after delivery. They assessed the inflammatory potential of each mother's diet using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and measured 13 inflammatory markers in breast milk samples.

Overall, the mothers consumed predominantly anti-inflammatory diets, with dietary fiber, beta-carotene, and vitamin E contributing most to their diet quality. Their eating patterns generally matched Australian dietary recommendations for breastfeeding women, although some consumed less energy than recommended.

Among the 13 immune markers analyzed, three chemokines—interferon gamma-induced protein-10 (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and interleukin-8 (IL-8)—were detected in more than 96% of breast milk samples and were present at the highest concentrations.

Researchers found that only MCP-1 showed a significant relationship with diet. Mothers with more anti-inflammatory diets tended to have slightly higher levels of this immune signaling protein, while no meaningful associations were observed for the other inflammatory markers.

Because the study involved only healthy Australian women with largely anti-inflammatory diets and relied on a single 24-hour dietary recall, the findings cannot establish cause and effect or be generalized to all populations. The researchers say larger and more diverse studies are needed to better understand how maternal diet may influence breast milk immunity and infant health.

REFERENCE: Slegers CB. (2026). Assessment of maternal diet inflammatory status and inflammatory markers in human breast milk. PLOS ONE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0352248.

Researchers Find Yeast-Based Supplement Strengthens Cancer-Fighting Immune Cells

Could a simple yeast-based food supplement help the immune system fight cancer? New research suggests it might one day become part of the answer.

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD) have found that a yeast-based dietary supplement can strengthen the body's cancer-fighting immune cells in obese mice. The findings, published in Cell Reports, suggest the supplement could become a safe and natural way to support cancer immunity.

The study focused on yeast beta-glucan, a naturally occurring fiber already available as a food supplement. Scientists wanted to see whether it could "train" immune cells in the bone marrow to mount stronger and longer-lasting responses against cancer.

For the study, mice were fed either a standard or high-fat diet supplemented with yeast beta-glucan for 4 to 12 weeks. Researchers then exposed the animals to colorectal, breast, and skin cancer cells to evaluate how well their immune systems responded.

The results showed that the supplement reprogrammed early-stage immune cells in the bone marrow, helping them develop into more effective cancer-fighting cells. Importantly, it also reversed immune dysfunction caused by obesity, which often weakens the body's ability to fight tumors.

Researchers found that these protective immune effects persisted even after weight loss, addressing a long-standing challenge because obesity-related immune defects often remain despite losing weight.

The team says this is the first study to show that consuming yeast beta-glucan through food can trigger this type of "trained immunity." Previous studies required injections to achieve similar effects.

While the findings are currently limited to animal studies, the researchers say the supplement could eventually complement existing cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, while also improving vaccine responses and resistance to infections in people with weakened immune systems.

REFERENCE: Ledwith, A. E., et al. (2026). Yeast β-glucan supplementation supports immunometabolic anti-tumor responses and reverses obesity-induced dysfunction via trained hematopoiesis. Cell Reports. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117648.