EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

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.

Nutritional imbalance detected on school canteen menus

University of the Basque Country
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Microfluidics & BIOMICS Cluster, the Neuropsychopharmacology group and Biobizkaia have collaborated to assess school canteen meals. They concluded that the food served to the children does not fully comply with nutritional recommendations, and saw, among other things, that the food left uneaten by the children on their plates is hugely significant in terms of both nutrition and sustainability. Differences between public schools and charter schools were also detected.

Journal: Public Health Nutrition

18-Sep-2025

The last evening meal and insulin sensitivity, keys in glucose regulation

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Artificial intelligence tools will produce personalized diabetes treatments in the near future

Journal: Nutrients

17-Sep-2025

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

University of California - Berkeley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Accumulating evidence suggests that many animals ingest alcohol as part of their normal diet. UC Berkeley biologists assayed the ethanol content of fruit eaten in the wild by chimpanzees, our closest living relative, and calculated that chimps likely consume 14 grams of ethanol daily. Adjusting for body size, that's about two standard cocktails. Alcohol from fermentation may be part of a healthy primate diet. Was it also part of the diet of human ancestors?

Journal: Science Advances

17-Sep-2025

Study finds cocoa extract supplement reduced key marker of inflammation and aging

Mass General Brigham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mass General Brigham-led clinical trial that tested the effects of cocoa flavanols detected signs of anti-inflammatory potential and heart-protective effects

Journal: Age and Ageing
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health, Mars Edge, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (now Haleon)

17-Sep-2025

Young girls may be less responsive to food fullness cues than young boys

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Young boys and girls eat different amounts if provided with a snack before a meal, with girls consuming more, according to a new study led by researchers in the Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences.

Journal: Appetite

17-Sep-2025

Three-sensor overeating detection could reshape obesity treatment

Northwestern University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Northwestern University scientists have developed a groundbreaking lifestyle medicine program that uses three wearable sensors — a necklace, a wristband and a body camera — to capture real-world eating behavior in unprecedented detail and with respect for privacy.

Journal: npj Digital Medicine
Funder: NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

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

Latest News Releases

Nutritional imbalance detected on school canteen menus

The last evening meal and insulin sensitivity, keys in glucose regulation

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Study finds cocoa extract supplement reduced key marker of inflammation and aging

Young girls may be less responsive to food fullness cues than young boys

Three-sensor overeating detection could reshape obesity treatment

How grapevine cells adapt to sugar starvation at the molecular level