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What your gut microbes may have to do with how your brain ages

This review examines how diet-driven changes in the gut microbiota and microbial metabolites may influence cognitive aging through immune, metabolic, neural, endocrine, and barrier-related pathways. It highlights SCFAs, tryptophan-derived metabolites, and bile acids as key signaling mediators while emphasizing that much of the mechanistic evidence remains preclinical and human evidence is largely associative.

3 Sep 2026

Semaglutide extended lifespan in older female mice, but that was not the only finding

Late-life semaglutide treatment slowed age-related physiological decline, attenuated multiple molecular hallmarks of aging, and extended median lifespan from 742 to 834 days in aged female mice. The drug reproduced many effects of calorie restriction while providing additional benefits in exploratory behavior, spatial memory, and glucose control, suggesting that some effects extend beyond reduced calorie intake alone.

3 Sep 2026

Coffee, tea and dementia risk: Why the amount you drink could matter

A targeted perspective synthesizes epidemiological and mechanistic evidence examining how caffeine consumption during midlife may influence dementia risk later in life. The authors highlight potential roles for dose, age, CYP1A2 genotype, adenosine signaling and cultural drinking practices, while stressing that current observational evidence cannot establish causality.

3 Sep 2026

The four-day week has plenty of fans. Now researchers are testing what it really changes

The Sussex 4-Day Week study is a 14-week UK protocol designed to investigate how reduced working hours affect physical and mental health, wellbeing, sleep, work performance, and potential biological and psychological mechanisms. Researchers aim to combine questionnaires with actigraphy, inflammatory biomarkers, interoception testing, and brain imaging in at least 150 adults, with data collection expected to continue until 2027.

3 Sep 2026

Eight-year study reveals how molecular aging scripts differ individually

Aging does not appear to follow the same molecular script for everyone, according to an eight-year study of 335 women.

3 Sep 2026

Biodegradable 'nanobone' material helps body regrow jawbone

For children born with cleft lip and palate, repairing gaps in the jawbone often means waiting until they are 10 to 12 years old before undergoing invasive bone graft surgery.

3 Sep 2026

Study links popular weight-loss drugs to increased male hair loss

Men already at risk genetically for the most common form of hair loss have a 7 percent added risk of losing their hair if they use drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound for type 2 diabetes and obesity, a new study shows.

3 Sep 2026

Brain-protecting immune cells may actually drive Alzheimer's disease

Immune cells that normally protect the body from damage by attacking foreign or infected cells are found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders at much higher levels than in healthy brains.

3 Sep 2026

New optical imaging reveals metabolic activity of individual immune cells

A routine blood sample contains a diverse collection of immune cells that can reveal important clues about health and disease.

2 Sep 2026

Immigrants face longer ICU stays after stroke in Canada

Among people who have a stroke in Canada, immigrants were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at similar rates as long-term residents or people who were born in Canada, but they were more likely to have longer stays in the ICU, according to a study published September 2, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Sep 2026

High-dose folic acid appears safe from formaldehyde toxicity

Folic acid – an essential vitamin added to flour and cereals and prescribed at high doses for cancer patients and people with blood disorders – does not elevate toxic formaldehyde in the body, according to a new Cornell University study on mice and human cancer patients who consumed high doses.

2 Sep 2026

New app aims to boost prostate cancer screening among Black men

A newly funded study at the University of Oklahoma aims to increase prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening among Black men in Oklahoma, who die from prostate cancer at rates two to four times higher than other racial groups.

2 Sep 2026

Maternal illness may reshape fetal brain development through epigenetics

Neurodevelopmental conditions, which include autism spectrum disorders, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and more, impact around ten percent of the American population.

2 Sep 2026

Bright light therapy boosts activity and sleep in older adults

Bright light therapy lamps can improve sleep, activity levels and circadian rhythms of older adults in urban areas who have diminished exposure to natural light, a new study from the University of Surrey reports.

2 Sep 2026

Shared biological pathways may explain chronic fatigue across diseases

A shared biological secret that helps explain chronic exhaustion in conditions including long Covid and PTSD has been discovered by researchers at the University of East Anglia and Oxford BioDynamics.

2 Sep 2026

Menopause may start changing the gut years before periods stop

A longitudinal study of 964 women found that blood markers of gut epithelial barrier dysfunction and microbial product translocation began to rise around 2 to 2.5 years before the final menstrual period and remained elevated after menopause. The findings suggest that changes in gut barrier integrity may form part of the biological transition through menopause and could help explain links between menopause, inflammation, and later health outcomes.

2 Sep 2026