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Less snacking, more satisfaction: Some foods boost levels of an Ozempic-like hormone

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Less snacking, more satisfaction: Some foods boost levels of an Ozempic-like hormone

A fiber found in barley, called beta-glucan, may improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure and increase satiation between meals, research shows.

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A fiber found in barley, called beta-glucan, may improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure and increase satiation between meals, research shows.

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For several months now, I’ve been studying how the new medications, Ozempic and Wegovy, cause dramatic weight loss.

Both medications contain a compound, semaglutide, that squelches hunger like a fly swatter smashes a mosquito. People who take the medication say they no longer have constant cravings for food, so they eat less frequently. The drug seems to quiet what some people call “food noise,” the constant internal chatter telling them to eat.

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While reading study after study about Wevgovy and Ozempic, I learned that the drug mimics a hormone that our bodies naturally make when we’re eating food. It’s called GLP-1. This made me wonder: Could we increase levels of this hormone by changing our diet?

Turns out, the answer is yes – you can increase your body’s production of GLP-1 with your diet, says Frank Duca, who studies metabolic diseases at the University of Arizona. One of the key foods that triggers its release is a food most Americans struggle to eat enough of, even though it comes with a cornucopia of health benefits. Yup, I’m talking about fiber.

Whenever my family finds out that I’m studying obesity or diabetes, they say, ‘Oh, what’s the wonder drug? What do I need to take? What do I need to do?’” Duca explains. “And I say, ‘Eat more fiber.’ “

But here’s the hitch. Not all fiber works the same way. Duca and other researchers are beginning to show that particular types of fibers are more potent at triggering GLP-1 release and at regulating hunger than others. “We’re seeing now that companies are adding fiber to foods, but a lot of the time, they don’t add the kind of fiber that’s super beneficial for you,” Duca says.

How GLP-1 helps flip hunger into satisfaction

To understand why fiber is so important for producing GLP-1, let’s look at what happens when you don’t eat much fiber. Let’s say you wake up in the morning feeling hungry and you eat two slices of white bread and a fried egg. As the digested food moves into the small intestine, many of the nutrients, such as the carbohydrates, fats and amino acids, trigger an avalanche of activity in your blood and brain.

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“The food activates cells in your intestine, which then release a ton of hormones,” says Sinju Sundaresan, who’s a gut physiologist at Midwestern University. About 20 of these hormones, including GLP-1, are known as satiation hormones.

“They tell your body to start absorption, and to suppress your hunger signals,” Sundaresan says. So you slow down eating and eventually stop because you feel satisfied.

At this point, GLP-1 kicks into action. It stimulates the release of insulin and slows down how quickly the bread and egg moves from your stomach into the intestine. So you don’t use up the fuel all at once, says Gary Schwartz, who studies the neuroscience of eating and appetite at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

GLP-1 also likely activates neural circuitry inside the brain by turning on nerves inside the lining of your gut. “These neurons collect information from the gut, and then signal all the way to the brain stem, where you find another signaling pathway for GLP-1,” Schwartz explains.

But GLP-1’s actions are extremely fast. “Once the hormone hits the blood, it begins to be degraded,” says integrated physiologist Darleen Sandoval, at the University of Colorado, who has studied GLP-1 for more than a decade. “By the time GLP-1 gets to the heart and the rest of the circulation, there’s very little of it left,” she says.

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And so an hour or two after eating this no-fiber breakfast, GLP-1 levels in your blood plummet. And when lunch rolls around, you’re hungry again.

This is where GLP-1 differs substantially from semaglutide, the active ingredient in weight-loss drugs. GLP-1 sticks around in the blood for only a few minutes, but semaglutide persists for days. And this stability allows the drug to go into the brain, where it squelches appetite and cravings directly, says Sandoval. That’s why people on these drugs lose so much weight. “In mice or rats, we can give naturally occurring GLP-1 directly into the animals’ brains, and it stops them from eating,” Sandoval says.

But, back to our breakfast scenarios: What if, instead of eating white bread, you had two slices of high-fiber rye bread, with about 8 to 10 grams of fiber in them? Turns out, adding that hefty portion of fiber adds another opportunity for your intestine to release GLP-1, many hours after the meal.

Satiation hormones last longer after eating fiber

Our bodies don’t have the capacity to break down fiber. So it moves through our small intestines largely unchanged, and eventually – approximately 4 to 10 hours after a meal – reaches our colons.

Here, inside the large intestine, the fiber meets a whole crew of microbes that can digest the fiber. Bacteria in your large intestine can break down certain dietary fibers into smaller molecules. And these smaller molecules can trigger the release of not only GLP-1, but also another key hormone that decreases your appetite, called PYY (peptide YY). These smaller molecules also can suppress appetite on their own, and have been linked to lower body weight and better glucose regulation.

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Since this extra boost of GLP-1 and PYY occurs hours after you eat, it can tamp down cravings between meals and even the overall desire to eat the next meal. “PPY regulates satiety – that is how long you wait between meals,” says the University of Arizona’s Frank Duca. “The release of PYY, in addition to the GLP-1, can increase the length of time between meals,” he says.

These hormones may even influence how much you eat at the next meal. “This is what’s called a second meal effect,” says Edward Deehan, a nutritional microbiologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “If you eat a lot of fiber at one meal, by the time it’s in your colon, it’s around the time of your next meal. So you may have improved insulin responses and improved satiety or a feeling of fullness,” Deehan says.

But, not all fiber is equal: To get this extra boost of satiation hormones, you need to eat fiber that bacteria can digest. These fibers are called fermentable because bacteria literally ferment them, in a similar way that yeast ferments barley into beer.

Scientists, such as Duca, have just started trying to figure out which fermentable fibers may be best at suppressing appetite and inducing weight-loss. “So the agricultural community in the U.S. could prioritize the growing of grains with these fibers,” he explains.

In one preliminary study with mice, Duca and his colleagues found that a fiber in barley, called beta-glucan, induced the most weight loss in obese animals. “At face value and, at least in our settings, it was only beta-glucan that was effective,he says.

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How To Add Barley To Your Diet

Cooking barley is super easy. Some recipes call for soaking the grain before boiling. But it’s not necessary. Simply add one cup of barley and three cups of water to a pot.

For pearled barley, continue boiling for about 30 minutes. For hulled barley, boil for about 40 minutes. Strain the water and you’re ready!

You can throw barley into soups or on salads and boiled barley is a great fiber-rich substitute for white rice. You can also buy barley flour and use it for baking breads, muffins and pancakes.

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Beta-glucan is also found in oats and rye. And indeed, studies with people have found that beta-glucan fiber may improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure and increase satiation between meals.

Other fermentable fibers include dextrin in wheat, oligosaccharides in beans, peas and lentils, and pectin in apples, pears and green bananas.

If your diet currently doesn’t include much fiber, Duca says, don’t worry too much about which fiber you start adding. “Just being aware of how much fiber you’re eating and increasing it, that’s a huge step to improving your health,” he says. “Then once you get into the habit of eating more fiber, you can be more specific about adding more beta glucan and barley.”

But beware of processed foods that claim to have fiber added to them, Duca says. “Companies are hearing that they need to increase the fiber in their foods, but then a lot of times, they’re adding fiber that isn’t super beneficial for you,” he says. “It’s the type of fiber that just passes right through you, without triggering the release of any hormones.”

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This story was edited by Jane Greenhalgh

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Read the Trump Administration Letter About Harvard Contracts

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Read the Trump Administration Letter About Harvard Contracts

GSA

U.S. General Services Administration

May 27, 2025

Dear Agency Senior Procurement Executive:

Re: Review for Termination or Transition of Harvard University Contracts

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is assisting all federal agencies in a review for termination or transition of their federal government contracts with Harvard University and affiliates. This review aligns with the Administration’s directive that all federal contracted services steadfastly uphold and advance agency strategic priorities.
As you know, being a counterparty with the federal government comes with the deep responsibility and commitment to abide by all federal laws and ensure the safeguarding of taxpayer money. As fiduciaries to the taxpayer, the government has a duty to ensure that procurement dollars are directed to vendors and contractors who promote and champion principles of nondiscrimination and the national interest.

As relevant here, GSA understands that Harvard continues to engage in race discrimination, including in its admissions process and in other areas of student life. The statistical evidence of Harvard’s racial discrimination in their admissions – as revealed in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard – is shocking, to say the least. For applicants in the top academic decile, admissions rates varied significantly by race. In this decile, admissions rates were: 56% for African Americans; 31% for Hispanics; 15% for Whites; 13% for Asians. The Supreme Court, in its decision on the case, rebuked Harvard’s long-standing policy and practice of discriminating on the basis of race. Harvard has shown no indication of reforming their admissions process – to the contrary, Harvard now has to offer a remedial math course, which has been described as “middle school math”, for incoming freshmen. These are the direct results of employing discriminatory factors, instead of merit, in admission decisions.

Since then, troubling revelations have come to light regarding Harvard and its affiliates’ potential discriminatory hiring practices and possible violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Harvard is suspected of engaging in a pattern or practice of disparate treatment in hiring, promotion, compensation, and other personnel related actions.

Additionally, discriminatory practices have been exposed at the Harvard Law Review, where internal documents that have been made public detail the pervasive and explicit racial discrimination in the publication’s article selection and editor appointment process.

GSA is also aware of recent events at Harvard University involving anti-Semitic action that suggest the institution has a disturbing lack of concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students. Harvard’s ongoing inaction in the face of repeated and severe harassment and targeting of its students has at times grounded day-to-day campus operations to a halt, deprived Jewish students of learning and research opportunities to which they are entitled, and profoundly alarmed the general public.

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Japanese bonds rally on hopes of less supply

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Japanese bonds rally on hopes of less supply

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Japanese longer-dated bonds rallied on Tuesday after the government took the rare step of canvassing primary dealers and other market participants for their views on issuance, raising speculation it may scale back supply.

The move by the Japanese finance ministry appeared designed to restore calm to a bond market that has been racked by volatility in recent weeks, with borrowing costs rising to record highs last week.

The yield on the 30-year Japanese government bond, which hit 3.2 per cent last week, fell 0.18 percentage points to 2.85 per cent on Tuesday. The 10-year yield dropped 0.05 percentage points to 1.46 per cent. Yields move inversely to prices.

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The questionnaire was sent to a wide range of primary brokers, according to two people familiar with the situation, and sought comments on the current market situation.

They said it appeared designed to confirm that demand for super long-dated bonds was structurally low, as a precursor to a potential government decision to pull back on issuance.

Japanese yields have risen precipitously in recent months. A weak bond auction this month added to fears over low demand for longer-dated sovereign debt.

Although last week’s jump in long-dated bonds came as part of a global sell-off, several factors have added to the selling pressure in Japan. 

The Bank of Japan last year began tapering the massive bond-buying programme it undertook as part of the country’s long battle against deflation. But as the central bank has scaled back purchases, there has not been a strong rise in demand from other traditional buyers, in particular Japanese life insurers.

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The “buyers’ strike”, as some traders have described it, became clear last week when an auction of 20-year JGBs was met with the lowest level of demand in a decade. Concerns have also risen about Japan’s gross national debt, which stands at more than 200 per cent of GDP.

Analysts noted, though, that an unusually packed cluster of auctions in long-dated JGBs had also created a short-term supply glut.

MUFG analysts noted that the finance ministry’s decision to send the questionnaire “may well reflect increased concerns over yields following the poor 20-year auction last week and ahead of a 40-year bond auction tomorrow”.

US government bonds also rallied on Tuesday, with the 30-year Treasury yield down 0.06 percentage points to 4.98 per cent.

“The questionnaire looks like it is part of a strategy by the Japanese authorities to prepare the market for a temporary scaling back of super long JGB issuance,” said a person familiar with the questionnaire.

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“In other countries you might just get a clear announcement from the government: Japan prefers to generate a consensus, and present itself as acting on the strength of broad-based market opinion,” the person added.

“Markets are taking some relief from the [finance ministry’s] implicit messaging that supply of the super long end could be trimmed,” said Benjamin Shatil, a senior economist at JPMorgan.

“But the sticking point here remains the demand side of the equation. With persistent inflation, tightening domestic liquidity, and a BoJ committed to normalisation, the longer-term outlook remains one of higher Japanese yields.”

The finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Harvard's president speaks out against Trump. And, an analysis of DEI job losses

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Harvard's president speaks out against Trump. And, an analysis of DEI job losses

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

Today’s top stories

In a video interview with Morning Edition‘s Steve Inskeep, Harvard President Alan Garber said institutions need to double down on their “commitment to the good of the nation” and be firm in what they stand for, which he believes is education and the pursuit of truth. The university sued once when the administration cut off billions of dollars of research grants and contracts. The latest suit came last week when the administration banned Harvard from hosting international students. A judge temporarily blocked the administration’s latest action, allowing foreign students the ability to stay for now.

Harvard University president Alan Garber (left) sits for an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep in Boston on May 26.

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  • 🎧 The Harvard lawsuit and Garber argue that the administration is going after something bigger than international students. Garber says he doesn’t fully know the administration’s motives. However, Garber says he knows some conservatives want to reshape higher education over issues like diversity, equity and inclusion. Garber says he wants to encourage free debate on campus and that having international students helps contribute to the university’s environment.
  • ➡️ Here’s a look, by the numbers, at the impact of international students at Harvard and across the U.S., including where most of them come from.

Corporate America is distancing itself from DEI. This move showcases a significant shift from five years ago, when the racial reckoning triggered by George Floyd’s murder sent companies racing to staff up. NPR reports on the extent of job losses in this field.

  • 🎧 More than 2,600 jobs in DEI have been eliminated in the last couple of years, NPR’s Maria Aspan reports on Up First. That is over 10% of the DEI jobs that existed at the start of 2023. Aspan talked with Candace Byrdsong Williams, who was laid off last summer and hasn’t been able to find a new job. Aspan says that though Williams is only one person, there are thousands of people who have been living through this very changing and politized job market.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group backed by the U.S. and Israel, is starting to bring limited quantities of food to Gaza, where hunger is widespread and extreme. However, the group is facing suspicion and growing criticism from the UN and other aid groups. Jake Wood, the executive director, resigned on Sunday, saying he could not abandon principles of humanity, impartiality and independence.

  • 🎧 Instead of distributing food to sites in Gaza where people are starving, the new group will operate in only four new zones with Israeli soldiers guarding the perimeters, NPR’s Daniel Estrin reports. The private contractors will give out boxes of food to families once a week. A private U.S. company run by a former CIA officer is involved in the group, which won’t say where its funding comes from.

Deep dive

An illustration of two young children in a desert camp seen in a silhouette of a man looking down layered with another silhouette of a different man and a woman looking at room with an open window.

ears after their son left the U.S. to join ISIS, a Minnesota couple learned they had two young grandsons trapped in a Syrian desert camp. They were determined to rescue them.

Dion MBD for NPR

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Years after their son left the U.S. to join ISIS, a Minnesota couple learned they had two young grandsons trapped in a Syrian desert camp. They’re among an estimated 22 U.S. citizens still in the sprawling, primitive camps, including about 17 American children, according to the State Department. The two Minnesota boys were there until May 2024, when they were flown in a military cargo plane to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to start a new life in the American Midwest. Read the full story here by NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer.

Picture show

The view of the Andes from Cerro San Cristobal above Santiago, Chile.

The view of the Andes from Cerro San Cristobal above Santiago, Chile.

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Autumn has arrived in South America, and it’s perfect hiking conditions in Santiago, Chile, the capital, where steep hills rise above the city. At the center is Cerro San Cristóbal, with breathtaking views of wildflowers, pine forests and the Andes Mountains. NPR’s Brian Mann made the trek, where he ventured through forested hills of volcanic rock and groves of cactus. Check out photos from his journey and listen as he shares his experience from the trail here.

3 things to know before you go

Hummingbirds gather around a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water, in a backyard in the San Fernando Valley section of the city of Los Angeles, July 17, 2014. Hummingbirds are among the smallest birds in the world with most species measuring between 7.513 cm (35 in). When hovering in mid-air the tiny avians flap their wings between 40 and 80 times per second. AFP PHOTO / Robyn Beck (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Hummingbirds gather around a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water, in a backyard in the San Fernando Valley section of the city of Los Angeles, July 17, 2014.

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  1. A new study in Global Change Biology details the evolutionary change of Anna’s Hummingbirds in the western U.S., finding their beaks have grown longer and more tapered to get the most from common backyard feeders.
  2. In 2016, Tulika Prasad’s non-verbal, autistic son had an outburst at a grocery store. A stranger, also a parent of a child with autism, understood what was happening. The unsung hero helped her with her groceries and offered empathy instead of showing pity.
  3. Filmmaker Marcel Ophuls, who was known as one of the great documentarians of his era, died Saturday at age 97. He commanded his audience’s attention with four-hour-plus documentaries like The Sorrow and The Pity.

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.

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