EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This month, we’re focusing on nutrition and the powerful role it plays in our lives. Here, we’ll share the latest research on how nutrients affect the body and brain, how scientists investigate diet and health, what these findings may mean for building healthier habits, and more.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Nov-2026 22:17 ET (10-Nov-2026 03:17 GMT/UTC)

23-Jun-2026

Research spotlight: How the body clock influences calories burned after meals

Brigham and Women's Hospital
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Han-Chow Koh, PhD, and Frank A.J.L. Scheer, PhD, of the Medical Chronobiology Program at the Division of Sleep and Circadian Medicine in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine, are the co-lead and senior author, respectively, of a paper published in Metabolism, “Constant-routine protocol reveals an endogenous circadian rhythm in diet-induced thermogenesis with a peak in the biological morning.”

Journal: Metabolism

23-Jun-2026

‘Food noise’ discussion on social media helps define the term

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

While food noise has become a more common term in recent years, there’s no consensus on an official definition. Researchers from Penn State studied how the phenomenon is discussed on TikTok and how people experience it in order to better define the concept and guide future interventions to help manage it.

Journal: Nutrition and Diabetes
Funder: Health Resources and Services Administration, Brazilian Fulbright Commission

23-Jun-2026

Low-protein, amino acid-supplemented ‘longevity diet’ linked to longer healthy lifespan, lower fat mass and frailty risk, and better metabolic health

University of Southern California
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A plant- and fish-based, low-protein diet paired with small amounts of an amino acid commonly found in eggs, meat and dairy increased healthy lifespan and decreased frailty and fat mass in mice, according to a new USC study published June 23, 2026 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Journal: Cell Metabolism
Funder: USC Edna Jones Chair Fund

23-Jun-2026

Can food influence gene activity? Scientists discover a biological “pencil” that improves health through nutrition

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new international clinical intervention study published in Clinical Nutrition (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2026.106701) reveals the molecular and transcriptomic mechanisms through which a dietary intervention may beneficially influence gene expression. The study, led by Prof. Iris Shai and Dr. Hila Zelicha Peer from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in collaboration with researchers from Leipzig University, the Leipzig Center of Metabolism (LieCeM), and Harvard University, provides new evidence that specific plant-derived nutrients may function as an “Epigenetic Pencil” – shaping cellular health through nutrition.

Journal: Clinical Nutrition
Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Israel Ministry of Health, Israel Ministry of Science and Technology, California Walnuts Commission

22-Jun-2026

A study in Drosophila reveals how the immune system adjusts development in response to excess sugar

Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The study, conducted on the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, shows that macrophages detect nutritional stress caused by a high-sugar diet and send a signal to the endocrine system to delay development.

This mechanism delays metamorphosis, giving the larvae time to grow and reach a functional, well-proportioned adult stage.

Published in Current Biology, the study opens up new questions about how nutrition, immunity, and hormones coordinate during development.

Journal: Current Biology

22-Jun-2026

Beyond nutrition: Role of dietary fiber metabolites in the development of dendritic cells

Tokyo University of Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), produced by gut microbiota through the fermentation of dietary fiber, play an important role in regulating immune responses. A new study investigated the role of butyrate, an SCFA, in the development and differentiation of dendritic cells. The findings revealed that butyrate primarily acts by inhibiting histone deacetylases, leading to increased histone acetylation around genes involved in dendritic cell development and differentiation.

Journal: Allergology International
Funder: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Research Fellowship for Young Scientists, Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, Scholarship for Doctoral Students in Immunology from the Japanese Society for Immunology, Tokyo University of Science Grant for President’s Research Promotion, Tojuro Iijima Foundation for Food Science and Technology, Research Grant from the Mishima Kaiun Memorial Foundation, Joint Research Grant from the Research Center for Radiation Disaster Medical Science, Research Grant from the Takeda Science Foundation, Foundation for Dietary Scientific Research

22-Jun-2026

Does drinking juice, soda during childhood increase the risk of high blood pressure?

American Heart Association
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Drinking fruit juice and sugar-sweetened beverages from childhood through adulthood may be linked to an increased risk of developing high blood pressure as an adult, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.

Journal: Circulation