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Parents know fruit and vegetables are healthy, but many underestimate how much children need

A qualitative study involving 15 Swedish parents found that although most recognized the health benefits of fruit and vegetables, many underestimated recommended daily intake and considered serving vegetables at dinner sufficient. Researchers identified four overlapping parental roles influencing children's eating habits and suggested that clearer guidance on quantities, serving frequency, and practical feeding approaches could help families improve consumption.

15 Oct 2026

Home delivery boosts fresh produce prescription redemption among older adults

People who eat fresh food are healthier than those who don't. That simple fact is the basis of food prescription programs that make fruits, vegetables and other foods free for people who are food insecure.

15 Oct 2026

Women with low bone density reported less pain after taking pine bark extract

A randomized clinical trial involving 67 women with osteopenia or stable osteoporosis found that three months of Pycnogenol® supplementation improved self-reported bodily pain and vitality scores compared with placebo. However, overall disease-specific quality of life did not significantly improve, and the six-month findings were insufficient to establish long-term benefits or safety.

15 Oct 2026

Scientists expand global climate scenarios to include public health

About a decade ago, a group of climate scientists described five scenarios for the future. Called the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), these scenarios suggest how socioeconomic development could evolve in worlds with differing challenges to climate adaptation and mitigation.

15 Oct 2026

Researchers identify molecular pathway that improves ultrasound-based bone defect healing

Researchers from Capital Medical University, Beijing, China, have identified a CaN/NFATC3/Id3/E2A/Bmp4 signaling pathway that helps explain how low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) promotes bone regeneration.

15 Oct 2026

New AI project models human behavior to track epidemic spread

A consortium led by the University de Zaragoza, with the participation of Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), has been selected in the 2026 Health Research Call by the "la Caixa" Foundation—one of the most competitive biomedical research funding calls in Spain and Portugal.

15 Oct 2026

New study reveals how Candida auris evades antifungal drugs

New research has revealed an unexpected new mechanism through which the killer fungus Candida auris is resisting antifungal drug treatment.

15 Oct 2026

Global study exposes gaps in global endometriosis care guidelines

Adolescents, gender-diverse people and those with lived experience are underrepresented in endometriosis guidelines worldwide, a University of Queensland study has found.

14 Oct 2026

Bulk adverse event reporting may delay medical device safety warnings

Permitting medical device manufacturers to submit bulk summary reports of adverse events to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), rather than reporting individual cases, often fails to promptly detect potential safety signals, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

14 Oct 2026

Scientists reviewed studies covering 1.17 million children and found a major research gap

Researchers identified 104 pregnancy and birth cohorts representing more than 1.17 million children across 41 countries, documenting the availability of data on early-life nutrition and neurodevelopment. Approximately 99% of participants in the income-stratified analysis came from high- or upper-middle-income countries, while differences in data collection and assessment methods complicate future international comparisons.

14 Oct 2026

Mosquito saliva study opens new doors for blocking Zika, Dengue, and West Nile infections

Mosquitoes do more than simply transmit the viruses they carry: their saliva may actively help these viruses establish infection in the body from the very moment of the bite.

14 Oct 2026

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Healthcare sustainability data can identify emissions hotspots and improve operational decision-making across healthcare and life sciences.

From Nocomed 14 Oct 2026

Nature-based activities may offer lasting relief from loneliness

About one in three Americans and one in six people worldwide feel lonely on a regular basis, a troubling reality that has prompted some public health officials to declare an "epidemic of loneliness."

13 Oct 2026

Doctors avoided two common words when talking about weight with patients

Researchers analyzed 123 recorded primary care consultations involving adults with type 2 diabetes and elevated BMI, finding that weight was discussed in just 39% of visits. Clinicians avoided potentially stigmatizing terms such as "overweight" and "obesity," while weight-related conversations occurred more frequently among patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists.

13 Oct 2026

Extended Medicaid coverage increases postpartum care for high-risk women

Extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months after childbirth increased postpartum health care utilization among women with pregnancy complications such as diabetes and hypertension, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

13 Oct 2026

Major trial seeks to test semaglutide on adults with alcohol and opioid use disorder

The Center for Addiction Science, Policy and Research (CASPR) and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services are preparing to launch a major $13.3 million randomized controlled trial to test whether weekly semaglutide, as an additional support to existing care, can reduce alcohol and opioid use and reduce criminal-justice involvement while improving employment, health, and housing outcomes among people at elevated risk of criminal-justice involvement.

13 Oct 2026

Beyond ‘bad’ cholesterol: new clues to the risk of heart disease

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, shed new light on the remaining risk of heart disease, even after the known risk factor of ‘bad’ cholesterol is brought down to a healthy level.

13 Oct 2026

Women with autoimmune diseases more likely to receive psychiatric misdiagnoses

Females with autoimmune diseases are significantly more likely than males to have their autoimmune disease misdiagnosed as a psychiatric or psychosomatic condition, according to a study of more than 6,600 patients.

12 Oct 2026

Study finds a surprising downside to having favourite foods

In a study of 279 adults, researchers found that initially reinforcing existing food preferences reduced learning flexibility when associations between foods and outcomes changed. Participants learned positive associations more readily than negative ones, while associations involving disliked foods were more adaptable than those involving liked foods.

12 Oct 2026

Three months of yoga before surgery revealed a surprising difference in stress hormones

In a non-randomized study of 40 adults with severe obesity awaiting bariatric surgery, researchers found significantly lower plasma noradrenaline levels in yoga participants than in controls after adjusting for baseline measurements. The researchers detected no significant DNA methylation changes in three inflammatory genes and found no clear psychological or metabolic benefits.

12 Oct 2026