By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) – Though many experts recommend choosing a diet plan that seems appealing, a small new study in the U.S. suggests the results are likely to be the same as being assigned a diet at random. “It definitely is counterintuitive to what a lot of people think,” said lead author Dr. William S. Yancy Jr. of the Durham VA Medical Center in North Carolina. Long term, the diet plans he studied were similarly effective, but it seemed like giving patients a choice might help them stick to the plan, he said.

Researchers say their mouse study of salt content in high-fat diets highlights the effect noncaloric nutrients can have on weight gain.

By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) – Women who take part in exercise, diet programs or a combination of the two during pregnancy can prevent excessive weight gain, according to a fresh review of past research. The review incorporates dozens of new studies to update a previous review that did not find enough evidence to support the use of diet and exercise during pregnancy. After including the new studies, the new review found “high-quality evidence” to show diet, exercise or both can reduce the risk of excessive weight gain during pregnancy, write the researchers in The Cochrane Library.