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What a 38-year study suggests about red meat, white meat, and mortality

Lower intake of red and processed meat was associated with small reductions in all-cause, heart disease, cancer, and stroke mortality in a cohort of nearly one million US adults followed for decades. White-meat-only diets showed additional benefits in some subgroups, while vegetarian diets produced few consistent associations and were limited by small participant numbers and a single baseline dietary assessment.

18 Aug 2026

A four-week spice experiment challenges expectations about post-meal benefits

Culinary doses of herbs and spices did not significantly alter postprandial endothelial function, glycemia, or lipemia after four weeks of corresponding spice-containing diets in adults at cardiometabolic risk. The findings suggest that acute spice-related effects may be less apparent with longer-term exposure, although the study may have been underpowered to detect modest benefits.

17 Aug 2026

Blocking caspase-1 appears to reduce the risk of developing lung tumors

Every year, lung cancer kills more than 100,000 people in the United States. Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, but other environmental exposures can also contribute to the disease.

14 Aug 2026

Tobacco quit services remain scarce across low-and middle-income countries

Only 13 low-and middle-income countries offer smokers the full support needed to help them quit, leaving around 1.3 billion people without access to effective care, according to a new study.

13 Aug 2026

Smokers lack awareness of smoking-related cardiovascular risks

An international study has found that despite two decades of global tobacco control efforts, the message still is not getting through to enough smokers that smoking and second-hand smoke cause heart attack and stroke.

13 Aug 2026

Ultra-processed foods linked to higher prostate cancer risk in men

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) account for nearly 60% of adults' and 70% of children's energy intake in the United States.

12 Aug 2026

Adolescents using nicotine face higher risks of mental health problems

Adolescents who use nicotine are more likely to report symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems than their peers who do not use nicotine.

11 Aug 2026

Nicotine gum may make smokeless tobacco withdrawal easier to manage

A randomized trial found that 2 mg nicotine gum controlled craving, anxiety, and sleep problems more effectively than behavioral counselling during smokeless tobacco cessation. Although abstinence rates were numerically higher with nicotine gum, the differences were not statistically significant, highlighting the need for larger studies.

6 Aug 2026

New study explores cholesterol-driven survival mechanisms in pancreatic cancer

A University of Oklahoma researcher has received a five-year, $2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to investigate how pancreatic cancer uses cholesterol to survive chemotherapy.

6 Aug 2026

Global surveys reveal little progress in tobacco risk awareness over two decades

Across 46 countries, adults who smoked showed high awareness that tobacco causes lung cancer but substantially lower knowledge of cardiovascular and secondhand smoke harms. Knowledge changed little overall across two decades, supporting stronger health warnings, mass media campaigns and enforced smoke-free policies.

5 Aug 2026

Breast cancer co-opts the immune system to attract nerves that fuel tumor growth

New research from the University of Oklahoma demonstrates how an aggressive form of breast cancer co-opts the body's own immune system to attract nerves that fuel tumor growth.

4 Aug 2026

New discovery advances sustainable production of plant-based medicines

Two plants that cause neurotoxicity and paralysis in the tiniest doses are also known to counter pain, malaria, cancer and pests.

31 Jul 2026

Cigarette smoke extract primes airway cells for greater nanoplastic damage

Researchers found that cigarette smoke extract weakened epithelial barriers and increased the proportion of human airway cells that were polystyrene nanoparticle-positive. Sequential treatment caused greater metabolic disruption and increased mucus-producing cells, suggesting heightened epithelial vulnerability, although the findings are limited to in vitro models.

30 Jul 2026