New analysis provides a first step towards enabling consumers, retailers, and policymakers to make informed decisions on the environmental impacts of multi-ingredient food and drink products. Recent surveys indicate that over half of UK consumers want to make their diets more sustainable, and ... READ MORE
News for Obesity, Diet and Lifestyle
OUH dietitian accepted onto NIHR pre-doctoral fellowship
An Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) dietitian specialising in adult cystic fibrosis has been awarded a national pre-doctoral fellowship, following career support from the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Joanna Snowball (pictured), who works in the Oxford Adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF) ... READ MORE
COVID-19 vaccine protects people of all body weights from hospitalisation and death
Two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are effective against severe disease for people who are underweight, overweight, or who have obesity, new research by University of Oxford researchers has found. Obesity was flagged as a risk factor for severe COVID-19 early in the global pandemic. The UK’s ... READ MORE
BRC researchers lead new project to help people into remission from type 2 diabetes
NIHR Oxford BRC academics are to lead a new £2.2 million project aimed at giving more people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes the chance of going into remission. Professors Susan Jebb and Paul Aveyard, from the BRC’s Obesity, Diet and Lifestyle Theme, will be joining forces with Diabetes UK ... READ MORE
Professor Susan Jebb appointed as Chair of the Food Standards Agency
Professor Susan Jebb, the Oxford BRC’s Theme Lead for Obesity, Diet and Lifestyle, has been appointed as the new Chair of the Food Standards Agency. Prof Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health in Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, said: "I am ... READ MORE
Foods linked to greater risk of cardiovascular disease and death in middle-age identified
Two common dietary patterns identified in British adults may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death in middle-age, according to a study by Oxford University researchers. The research, which was supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, was ... READ MORE
Study highlights role of BMI in increased COVID-19 risks
A study by University of Oxford researchers has found that the risk of admission to hospital, admission to ICU or death from COVID-19 increases progressively above a ‘normal’ BMI of 23, even without other comorbidities. The research team, who are supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research ... READ MORE
Risk of severe COVID-19 from asthma and other respiratory diseases may be only modestly increased, new analysis suggests
An analysis of 8.3 million health care records in England shows that people with asthma have only a small increased risk of developing severe Covid-19. The study, led by University of Oxford researchers, examined routine patient data collected between January and April 2020 to generate risk ... READ MORE
NIHR health talks feature during Oxford IF festival
The Oxford BRC has joined with other parts of the local National Institute of Health Research infrastructure to organise a series of online talks as part of this year’s Oxford IF science and ideas festival. The talks, by leading Oxford researchers, cover a wide range of topics, from diabetes to ... READ MORE
Top accolade for gestational diabetes app
A smartphone application for women with gestational diabetes, developed at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) and the University of Oxford, has won a national award. GDm-Health won the MedTech, Device or Hardware Innovation Award at the HSJ Partnership Awards on Thursday (27th February). The ... READ MORE
Amount of sugar sold in soft drinks drops by 29% in the UK
There was a 29% reduction in the total amount of sugar sold in soft drinks in the UK between 2015-2018, despite an increase in sales of soft drinks by volume of 7%, according to new research supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC. The research, published in BMC Medicine, shows that individual soft ... READ MORE
Doctors should offer structured weight loss programmes as treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Doctors should offer structured weight loss programmes to patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), new research led by the University of Oxford has found. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that weight loss programmes improved measures of liver disease in ... READ MORE
Online shopping interventions may help customers buy healthier foods
Altering the default order in which foods are shown on screen, or offering substitutes lower in saturated fat could help customers make healthier choices when shopping for food online, according to a study supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. The authors, from the University ... READ MORE
Event showcases BRC work tackling chronic diseases
Around 170 people attended a BRC event on Tuesday (26 March) that provided an opportunity to network and to hear about the breadth of research taking place in Oxford to combat chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and dementia. The Chronic Disease Cluster, ... READ MORE
Low calorie meal replacements are a cost-effective routine treatment for obesity in the NHS
Replacing all regular meals with a low calorie diet of soups, shakes and bars, together with behavioural support, is cost-effective as a routine treatment for obesity, according to researchers from the University of Oxford. Published today in the journal Obesity, the study is the first to ... READ MORE
Referrals to total diet replacement programmes are effective for treating obesity
Replacing food with a diet of soups, shakes and bars starting at 810 calories per day alongside regular sessions with a counsellor is a safe and clinically effective way to treat obesity in primary care, a study by University of Oxford researchers has found. Total diet replacement programmes are ... READ MORE
Supermarket interventions could play role in public health strategies, study finds
Oxford researchers have found that interventions carried out in in grocery stores - such as manipulating price or availability or suggesting swaps – have an impact on purchasing and could play a role in public health strategies to improve the nutritional quality of people’s diets. The study, ... READ MORE
Gestational diabetes app study show positive results
A 21-month study into the safety and effectiveness of a smartphone application for women with gestational diabetes, developed with support from NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, has shown positive results. The randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the GDm-Health app, a digital therapeutic ... READ MORE
Oxford medical researchers win prestigious national awards
Leading health researchers in Oxford have been recognised in a prestigious national competition. Eight professors have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of their “outstanding contribution to clinical and applied health and social care ... READ MORE
Oxford mothers-to-be learn about gestational diabetes research
Oxford researchers have attended two events in Oxford to let pregnant women know how to have a healthy pregnancy and to ask them to get involved in giving their views on future research. The researchers from the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust ... READ MORE