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New method for multiancestry polygenic prediction holds promise for reducing health care disparities

A team led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the National Cancer Institute has developed a new algorithm for genetic risk-scoring for major diseases across diverse ancestry populations that holds promise for reducing health care disparities.

25 Sep 2023

Is BMI the optimal adiposity marker to assess mortality risk?

Researchers evaluated adiposity markers to determine the marker with the most consistent association mortality.

25 Sep 2023

Rare genetic variants involved in male-pattern hair loss identified

A receding hairline, a total loss of hair from the crown, and ultimately, the classical horseshoe-shaped pattern of baldness: Previous research into male pattern hair loss, also termed androgenetic alopecia, has implicated multiple common genetic variants.

22 Sep 2023

Researchers identifiy the genetic background of dilated cardiomyopathy

Researchers have made a significant finding in determining the genetic background of dilated cardiomyopathy in Dobermanns.

22 Sep 2023

Is morning exercise the key to dodging diabetes?

Harvard researchers find that morning and afternoon physical activity significantly lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but evening activity shows no such benefit. The study also emphasizes that intensity matters more than consistency in reducing diabetes risk.

21 Sep 2023

Can a plant-based diet lower your risk of Parkinson's disease?

A recent study in the journal Movement Disorders examined the association between plant-based diets and Parkinson's disease (PD) risk, using data from 126,283 UK Biobank participants. The research found that those in the highest quartile for healthful plant-based diet indices (hPDI) had a 22% lower risk of PD, while unhealthful plant-based diets (uPDI) correlated with a 38% higher risk.

19 Sep 2023

Eating your greens could trump genetics in fighting fatty liver disease, new study suggests

A recent longitudinal study using data from the U.K. Biobank explores the interplay between plant-based diets and genetic predisposition in affecting the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The study finds that a higher consumption of healthful plant-based foods can mitigate the risk of NAFLD, even in individuals with genetic susceptibility, while unhealthful plant-based foods increase the risk.

19 Sep 2023

How important is inflammation and body weight in the origin of depression?

A new paper in BMC Medicine examines the role of inflammation and body mass index (BMI) in the etiology of treatment-resistant depression.

18 Sep 2023

Estimating life expectancy based on the age of type 2 diabetes diagnosis

The association between the age of diabetes diagnosis and life expectancy.

13 Sep 2023

The science behind lifestyle's role in preventing depression

A recent paper looks at the effect of a range of lifestyle factors in relation to brain structure, immune function, metabolic pathways, and genetic mechanisms that are responsible for depression.

13 Sep 2023

Shorter telomere length of leucocytes may signal heightened dementia risk

Shorter telomeres on the ends of white blood cell chromosomes may signal a heightened dementia risk, suggest the results of a large long term study, published online in the journal General Psychiatry.

12 Sep 2023

Sedentary behavior linked to increased risk of dementia in adults over 60

Adults aged 60 and older who spend more time engaging in sedentary behaviors like sitting while watching TV or driving may be at increased risk of developing dementia, according to a new study by USC and University of Arizona researchers.

12 Sep 2023

Untangling a puzzle at the heart of multimorbidity

Multimorbidity describes the state of having more than one disease. Anthony Webster sought to untangle a puzzle at the heart of multimorbidity: does having had disease make a patient more likely to have another disease, independent of broad risk factors, such as age, smoking status, or weight?

12 Sep 2023

Study reveals key reproductive factors that may increase lung cancer risk in women

A study presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer revealed that key reproductive factors such as early menopause, shortened reproductive span, and early age at first birth are associated with elevated risks of lung cancer in women.

12 Sep 2023

Smoking can accelerate the process of aging, study shows

A study of nearly 500,000 people has shown that smoking shortens the end fragments of chromosomes in the white blood cells of our immune systems.

12 Sep 2023

Can a healthy lifestyle keep depression at bay?

A groundbreaking study reveals that maintaining a healthy lifestyle—including good sleep, social connection, and regular exercise—can significantly reduce the risk of depression, regardless of genetic predisposition. The research emphasizes that lifestyle choices may have a greater impact on depression risk than genetics, offering actionable avenues for prevention.

11 Sep 2023

Largest-ever study looks into the genetics of random "round-the-clock" blood glucose levels

Groundbreaking research published today in Nature Genetics describes the largest-ever study into the genetics of random "round-the-clock" blood glucose levels.

8 Sep 2023

Machine learning helps identify metabolic biomarkers that could predict cancer risk

A novel study from the University of South Australia has identified a range of metabolic biomarkers that could help predict the risk of cancer.

4 Sep 2023

Smoking linked to increased risk of depression, bipolar disorder

Most of us know that smoking is unhealthy. Cigarette packets display shocking picture warnings of diseased lungs and rotting teeth. And we often hear in the media about how smoking can cause all sorts of cancer.

30 Aug 2023

Can vitamins really fight cancer? New study uncovers surprising links between micronutrients and cancer risk

The study uses Mendelian randomization to examine the relationship between 14 micronutrients and 22 cancer outcomes, finding significant associations between higher magnesium and vitamin B12 levels and increased risks of breast and colorectal cancers, respectively.

27 Aug 2023