Epidemiology News and Research

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Large trials show statins rarely cause reported side effects

Cardiovascular disease results in around 20 million deaths worldwide and causes around a quarter of all deaths in the UK.

5 Feb 2026

Ulcerative proctitis not linked to increased rectal cancer risk

People with ulcerative proctitis, a milder and more limited form of ulcerative colitis, are not at higher risk of developing rectal cancer than the general population.

5 Feb 2026

Influenza D virus and canine coronavirus pose human risks

Two emerging pathogens with animal origins - influenza D virus and canine coronavirus - have so far been quietly flying under the radar, but researchers warn conditions are ripe for the viruses to spread more widely among humans.

5 Feb 2026

New survey reveals widespread myths about Hands-Only CPR

New consumer survey findings from the American Heart Association show that nearly six in every ten American adults still incorrectly believe only those with special training should perform Hands-Only CPR.

4 Feb 2026

High intake of ultraprocessed foods increases risk of both all-cause and cancer-specific death

Cancer survivors who consumed higher amounts of ultraprocessed foods as part of their diet had a significantly increased risk of both all-cause and cancer-specific death.

4 Feb 2026

Lack of pediatric data restricts use of life-saving antibiotics

Life-saving antibiotics that could treat severe infections in babies and children aren't accessible due to a lack of data around safety and dosage, new research shows.

3 Feb 2026

Early pregnancy reshapes breast aging and lowers cancer risk

A new study by cell biologists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, suggests that an early first pregnancy may protect against breast cancer decades later by preventing age-related changes in breast cells that are linked to tumor formation.

3 Feb 2026

Ohio faces Lyme disease risk comparable to endemic regions

The risk for being bitten by a tick infected with bacteria that cause Lyme disease is as high in Ohio as it is for those living in Northeast states that have dealt with Lyme disease for over 50 years, according to a new study.

3 Feb 2026

Diabetes drug use linked to fewer gout treatments

Natalie McCormick, PhD, of the Rheumatology and Allergy Clinical Epidemiology Research (RACER) Center within the Division of Rheumatology in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine, is the lead author of a paper published in Diabetes Care, "Gout-Related Medication Use After Initiating Sodium–Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors in Patients With Gout and Type 2 Diabetes: Population-Based Target Trial Emulation Studies."

2 Feb 2026

New diagnostic framework addresses challenges of rapidly-mutating RNA viruses

The rapid evolutionary dynamics of RNA viruses, driven by high mutation rates and the consequent formation of complex quasispecies populations, present a formidable obstacle to conventional molecular diagnostic approaches.

30 Jan 2026

Study uncovers genes and proteins likely to play a causal role in Type 2 diabetes

An international study co-led by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Helmholtz Munich in Germany has uncovered hundreds of genes and proteins likely to play a causal role in Type 2 diabetes, many of which would have been missed by studies relying on blood samples alone.

29 Jan 2026

Neighborhood disadvantage accelerates biological aging through emotional distress

While scientists have long known that living in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with biological symptoms of accelerated aging, emotional distress accounts for a significant portion of these effects, researchers found in a recent study.

29 Jan 2026

Emerging animal viruses may pose overlooked threats to future human outbreaks

29 Jan 2026

Richer social environments linked to better cognitive health in aging adults

Research by an interdisciplinary team from McGill University and Université Laval provides new insights into the links between social factors and cognitive health among aging adults.

27 Jan 2026

Blood-based epigenetic signatures enable early risk assessment in prediabetes

Prediabetes is an extremely heterogeneous metabolic disorder. Scientists from several partner institutes of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have now used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify epigenetic markers that indicate an elevated risk of complications.

24 Jan 2026

More urban trees associated with fewer heart disease cases

A multi-institutional study led by the University of California, Davis, finds that living in urban areas with a higher percentage of visible trees is associated with a 4% decrease in cardiovascular disease.

21 Jan 2026

Tracing the decline in American heart disease mortality

Following a five-year upward trend likely impacted by the COVID pandemic, the number of heart disease and stroke deaths has declined, yet, heart disease and stroke still kill more people in the U.S. each year than any other cause, according to data reported in the 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of U.S. and Global Data From the American Heart Association.

21 Jan 2026

Mcgill researchers find unexpected chemical contaminants in human milk samples

An interdisciplinary team including researchers at McGill University has found a range of unexpected chemical contaminants in human milk samples from Canada and South Africa.

20 Jan 2026

Orchestrating a global response to the mosquito threat

Mosquitoes are more than just a summer nuisance; they pose a significant global health challenge, killing over 700,000 people every year. Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya were once considered distant threats, but climate change and rapid urbanisation are enabling mosquitoes to spread to new areas, including parts of Europe.

20 Jan 2026