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Cutting sugary drinks helps reduce childhood obesity, study finds

While the adult obesity rate appears to be slowing in the United States, childhood obesity remains historically high, affecting nearly 1 in 5 school-aged children.

9 Oct 2026

Masked high blood pressure linked to higher risk of falls in older adults

Masked high blood pressure in adults older than age 78 is associated with a 70% higher risk of falls compared to high blood pressure readings in the office and at home among peers, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026.

9 Oct 2026

Global wildfire incidents declined during pandemic lockdowns, study finds

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought human activity to a standstill around the world in the first half of 2020, wildfire incidents also declined by more than 12%.

9 Oct 2026

New immune aging map helps decode future chronic disease risks

While birthday candles measure the number of years someone has lived, they don't always tell the full story about someone's health.

9 Oct 2026

Late-night snacking may affect liver health

New research led by Oregon Health & Science University suggests you should think twice about indulging in a late-night snack if you'd like to preserve liver health.

9 Oct 2026

Study explains why autism is more common in boys

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital and collaborating institutions have identified new genetic candidates that help explain why autism is diagnosed about four times more often in boys than in girls.

9 Oct 2026

Marketing tactics used by pharma companies influence physician prescribing habits

A new Cochrane review led by a team of international researchers including from U of T, has found that marketing strategies used by pharmaceutical companies such as payments for consulting and advisory board membership and free meals offered to physicians, can negatively influence prescribing habits.

9 Oct 2026

Real time molecular movie unlocks secrets of penicillin biosynthesis

Researchers from the University of Oxford and international collaborators have revealed previously unseen rapid chemical stages in the formation of β-lactam antibiotics like penicillin, offering insights that can support future antibiotic development.

9 Oct 2026

Study explains why cancer immunity declines faster in males

Lutz Menzel, PhD, formerly of the Department of Radiation Oncology within the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, and Tim Padera, PhD, currently of the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, are the lead and senior authors of a paper published in Nature Aging, "Lymph node contraction links sex-biased naive CD8 T cell decline to compromised antigen recognition during middle age."

9 Oct 2026

Nearly one-third of new nurse practitioners trained at for-profit schools

For-profit schools appear to be playing an outsized role in training the nation's expanding nurse practitioner workforce, according to a study that found nearly one-third of newly licensed nurse practitioners in four states were educated at for-profit programs in 2024, up from just 2.4% in 2010.

9 Oct 2026

Certain gut bacteria may intensify inflammatory responses to vaccines

A person's microbiome may help determine whether they develop a fever after receiving a vaccination, according to a new study.

8 Oct 2026

DNA Typewriter tracks cell divisions and developmental decisions in mice

Scientists have succeeded in reconstructing the family tree of cells in a developing mouse embryo. They recorded cells' relationships, starting when the fertilized egg first split in two and ending after the body with organs took shape.

8 Oct 2026

Rare dendritic cells may promote immune tolerance in metastatic cancer

This study was co-led by Steven Blum, MD. Gary Reynolds, MD, PhD, Samuel Klempner, MD, and Alexandra-Chloé Villani, PhD, jointly supervised the work at the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research within the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute and the Mass General Brigham Center for Immunology & Inflammatory Diseases (CIID).

8 Oct 2026

Precise phenotyping improves genetic prediction of sensorineural hearing loss

A team of hearing specialists at Vanderbilt Health analyzed thousands of data samples in the institution’s BioVU biobank to understand genetic susceptibility of sensorineural hearing loss, which is caused by damage to the inner ear.

8 Oct 2026

Nicotinamide riboside fails to slow progression of early Parkinson’s disease

A major clinical trial involving 410 people with early Parkinson's disease has found no clinical benefit from nicotinamide riboside (NR), a compound that increases cellular levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). The findings are published in JAMA.

8 Oct 2026

Food insecurity disproportionately affects LGBTQ+ adults in Massachusetts

More than half of LGBTQ+ adults in Massachusetts experienced food insecurity in 2024, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

8 Oct 2026

New long-acting HIV treatment offers hope for drug-resistant infections

A new long-acting HIV treatment could expand options for people who have trouble taking daily pills and whose virus is resistant to some commonly used HIV drugs, according to a new UC San Francisco study.

8 Oct 2026

U.S. hospital closures outpace openings in rural and urban communities

More hospitals across the U.S. are closing than opening, and urban hospitals are closing at the same rate as rural ones, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

8 Oct 2026

Consuming fat before carbohydrates reduces post-meal blood glucose

In treating diabetes, post-meal elevation of glucose levels is an important therapeutic target. Existing clinical studies indicate that eating vegetables, protein, or fat before carbohydrates can moderate a post-meal rise in blood glucose, pointing to the potential of meal-sequencing as a simple and sustainable dietary strategy.

8 Oct 2026

Expert consensus statement outlines shared medical appointments to improve chronic disease care

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has published an expert consensus statement identifying best practices for delivering lifestyle interventions through shared medical appointments (SMAs), a care model that combines individualized medical care with group support.

8 Oct 2026