News

A newly defined liver disease linked to alcohol consumption and obesity is surging, drawing significant concern among health experts and federal officials as common risk factors increasingly collide.

The Division of Nutritional Science & Obesity Medicine is thrilled to announce that Dr. Brian N. Finck of Washington University in St. Louis has been awarded $5,831,250 by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH/NIDDK). For the next five years, the funds will support WashU’s Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC). This remarkable achievement allows NORC to continue advancing research related to obesity, nutrition-related diseases, major public […]

Dr. Samuel Klein, Division Chief of Nutritional Science & Obesity Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses his recent study with KMOX radio. Recruitment for clinical trials are active, and individuals interested in participating are encouraged to apply. Email nutritionresearch@wustl.edu or call 314-273-1879 for more information.

Dr. Hao-Wei Chang joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Nutritional Science and Obesity Medicine as an Instructor as of April 2026. The quest to understand what we should eat to remain healthy has been a long-standing search, even before the dawn of civilization. Today, despite numerous advancements, we still face significant challenges, […]

Samuel Klein, MD, the William H. Danforth Professor of Medicine and Nutritional Science at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the Endocrine Society’s Outstanding Clinical Investigator Award.  The annual award recognizes an accomplished scientist who has made substantial contributions to the understanding of the progression and treatment of endocrine and metabolic […]

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that combining regular exercise with a 10% loss of body weight more than doubles sensitivity to insulin, compared with a 10% weight loss without exercise. Enhanced sensitivity to insulin has important health benefits and likely decreases the risk of Type 2 diabetes and […]

Obesity is a chronic disease affecting more than 40% of American adults. Losing even a little bit of excess weight can have very important clinical benefits, but knowing where to start can be challenging for many people. Washington University weight-loss specialist Samuel Klein, MD shares how the basics of your body’s energy balance – calories […]

Results are not that successful,” said Dr. Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

If your waist measures 35 or more inches as a woman or 40 or more inches as a man, you may have a dangerous amount of abdominal fat—also known as visceral fat.

Controlling for factors like body size and muscle mass, researchers found that there are basically four phases of metabolic rates, and that a slowdown in adults doesn’t occur until after age 60.