In 2024, Belén Torres and a team from Spain reviewed six clinical trials from 2012–2022 involving overweight or obese adults. They studied how probiotics, like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains, affect body weight, BMI, and fat mass without dieting, using data from PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases.

In 2025, Jiping Chen and Jiawei Yao from Shandong University and Guangdong Vocational Academy of Art reviewed how the ketogenic diet (KD)—low-carb, high-fat—helps manage metabolic syndrome (MetS), a mix of high blood pressure, high sugar, big waist, high triglycerides (TG), and low good cholesterol (HDL). They looked at how KD boosts ketone bodies like β-hydroxybutyrate (β-BHB) to burn fat, improve insulin use, fix lipid levels, and cut swelling.

In 2025, A. Al Tamim and a team from King Saud University studied Wistar rats on a high-fat diet to mimic obesity. They gave groups standard chow or high-fat diet, with or without daily Sidr or Talh honey at 500-1,000 mg/kg for 12 weeks, checking weight, blood sugar, hormones, and brain inflammation in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus.

In 2015, Jose Antonio and a team from Nova Southeastern University studied 48 healthy, trained adults (men and women). They split them into two groups: one ate a normal protein diet (1.04 g/lb/day), the other a high protein diet (1.54 g/lb/day) from foods like beef protein, while both did the same heavy weight training program for 8 weeks.

In 2025, Matthew J. Breit and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus did a secondary look at a 12-month trial with 36 adults trying to lose weight. They compared two groups: one cut calories every day, the other did 4:3 intermittent fasting (normal eating 4 days, low calories 3 days). They tracked eating habits, hunger feelings, and hormones like ghrelin (hunger signal) and leptin (fullness signal) at start, 3 months, and 12 months using surveys and blood tests.

In 2025, Samuel J. Dicken and a team from University College London ran a trial with 55 adults. They split people into two groups: one ate minimally processed foods like overnight oats or homemade spaghetti Bolognese for eight weeks, then switched to ultra-processed foods like breakfast bars or ready meals after a break.

In 2025, Bruna Bombassaro and team from the University of Campinas reviewed how dietary factors like caffeine, capsaicin, cinnamon, curcumin, resveratrol, and fatty acids (EPA, DHA, oleic acid) activate brown and beige adipose tissues (BAT) to burn calories via thermogenesis.

A 2025 meta-analysis in Frontiers in Nutrition examined multiple trials comparing ketogenic diets (very low-carb, high-fat) with standard diets in cancer patients. The ketogenic group experienced significantly reduced fat mass and visceral fat, lower blood glucose and insulin, and improvements in LDL, total cholesterol, as well as fatigue and insomnia.

A mouse study presented at ENDO 2025 by University of Michigan researchers found that tirzepatide (marketed as Mounjaro/Zepbound) caused ~20% weight loss in obese mice and dramatically slowed breast tumor growth, linking fat loss directly to improved cancer outcomes.

A July 2025 study from researchers in Japan found that certain gut bacteria may block weight loss—even when you eat well. People who ate a healthy diet but failed to lose weight had higher levels of Collinsella, a microbe linked to obesity and fat storage.

A 2025 animal study in Frontiers in Nutrition by Wang et al. found that giving high-fat–fed rats betaine (1.5% in drinking water) for 8 weeks led to less body fat, improved blood lipids (lower triglycerides, higher HDL), and better glucose tolerance—all without cutting calories.

A year-long, double-blind trial published in Nutrients by Yaikwawong et al. (2025) tested 1,500 mg/day of ethanol-extracted curcumin in patients with MASLD. After 12 months, those taking curcumin had significantly lower liver fat, reduced inflammation, less oxidative stress, and improved body measurements—BMI, waist, and body fat percentage all decreased.

A systematic review and meta-analysis from the University of New South Wales (2021) examined 58 studies with 3,000 beginner participants and found that pure strength training alone led to around 1.4% total body fat loss—almost identical to what you’d see from cardio.

A 2023 review by Torres‑Gonzalez & Bradley at Mass General Brigham found that milk isn’t just saturated fat—its unique structure (like milk polar lipids and odd‑chain fatty acids) speeds up cholesterol digestion, lowers inflammation, supports healthy gut bacteria, and shields against metabolic stress.

In 2025, Cannavaro, Leva, Caturano, Berra, Bonfrate & Conte (Université Clermont Auvergne & CNRS) reviewed research on using amino acid supplements during weight loss. Their Nutrients paper finds that certain amino acids—especially leucine, HMB, and collagen peptides—help protect lean mass when you’re slimming down.