Hormone News and Research

RSS

A hormone is a chemical released by one or more cells that affects cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. It is essentially a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one cell to another.

Irregular sleep patterns linked to higher mortality risk

Researchers in Korea followed over 9,600 adults for 15 years and found that both short and long sleep durations, especially when irregular, were linked to higher risk of death. The study highlights that 7–8 hours of regular sleep may be optimal for longevity.

18 Aug 2025

Trial finds no cardiovascular benefit and higher safety risks with spironolactone in dialysis patients

A large international study has found that spironolactone, a medication for high blood pressure and heart failure, does not reduce the risk of heart-related death or hospitalizations in people with kidney failure receiving dialysis, despite earlier smaller studies suggesting benefit.

17 Aug 2025

Study finds vegetarians less likely to develop several common and rare cancers

A large North American cohort study found that vegetarian diets were linked to lower risks of several cancers, including colorectal, stomach, breast, prostate, and lymphoproliferative cancers. No evidence suggested that vegetarian eating increased cancer risk for any site.

14 Aug 2025

Diagnostic mimicry and management of rare pure form of ovarian cancer

A new case report was published in Volume 12 of Oncoscience on July 28, 2025, titled "A rare case of pure non-gestational ovarian choriocarcinoma: Diagnostic mimicry and management strategies."

14 Aug 2025

Pandemic left measurable changes in teen brains, hormones, and immunity

Adolescents assessed after COVID-19 lockdowns showed lower daily cortisol, higher inflammation, and reduced prefrontal cortex activity compared to matched pre-pandemic peers, suggesting widespread stress-related biological changes. These alterations mirror patterns seen after prolonged early-life stress, raising concerns about long-term health risks.

13 Aug 2025

Love hormone oxytocin found to be critical for the formation of friendships

A new UC Berkeley study shows that the so-called love hormone, oxytocin, is also critical for the formation of friendships.

12 Aug 2025

Study explores how oxytocin influences brain activity to shape social behavior

Oxytocin promotes social behaviors and helps maintain relationships. But clinical trials in patients with autism show variability in how consistently oxytocin improves these behaviors.

12 Aug 2025

Brain’s energy control map offers blueprint for next-gen weight loss therapies

Scientists map how the brain integrates hormonal and neural signals from the body to control appetite, energy use, and reward pathways, revealing targets for next-generation anti-obesity drugs. This review highlights the interplay between neuroendocrine circuits, neuroplasticity, and pharmacotherapy for durable, non-aversive weight loss.

11 Aug 2025

RSPO2 gene identified as key driver in metastatic prostate cancer

A new research paper was published in Volume 16 of Oncotarget on July 25, 2025, titled "Dissecting the functional differences and clinical features of R-spondin family members in metastatic prostate cancer."

11 Aug 2025

Researchers uncover dozens of traits driven by maternal versus paternal genes

Researchers developed a high-accuracy method to infer whether genetic variants come from the mother or father without needing parental genomes, analysing 286,666 UK Biobank participants. They uncovered over 30 parent-of-origin effects on traits from growth and metabolism to diabetes, many showing opposite effects depending on parental source.

7 Aug 2025

AI-powered sweat sensor predicts anxiety before symptoms appear

Researchers have developed Stressomic, a wearable microfluidic biosensor that sequentially measures cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in sweat at six-minute intervals. The device distinguishes physical from psychological stress and predicts anxiety levels using machine learning.

7 Aug 2025

Personalizing endometrial cancer prevention through diet and lifestyle

This review synthesizes emerging evidence on modifiable risk factors for endometrial cancer (EC)-the sixth most common female malignancy globally-with rising incidence despite diagnostic advances.

7 Aug 2025

Updated multidisciplinary European guidelines redefine MASLD diagnosis and treatment

The 2024 European clinical practice guidelines introduce a pivotal terminology shift, replacing NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) with MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease) and NASH with MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis).

7 Aug 2025

KAIST researchers link placental inflammation to childhood allergies

It is already well-known that when a mother experiences inflammation during pregnancy, her child is more likely to develop allergic diseases.

7 Aug 2025

Gut microbiota and short chain fatty acids influence bone health in postmenopausal osteoporosis

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is framed as a systemic bone disease driven by estrogen withdrawal, but emerging evidence positions gut dysbiosis and its fermentation products—short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)—as equally influential regulators of skeletal fate.

6 Aug 2025

Starfish compound overcomes drug resistance in prostate cancer models

Researchers identified that triterpene glycosides from the starfish Solaster pacificus can kill drug-resistant prostate cancer cells in vitro by bypassing common resistance pathways. CuC1 showed synergy with existing chemotherapies, though with only moderate selectivity for cancer cells.

5 Aug 2025

Natural brain rhythms control stress hormone levels and alertness

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led research has found stress-controlling brain cells switch on and off in a steady rhythm about once every hour – even when nothing stressful is happening.

4 Aug 2025

Leptin could offer alternative to insulin for managing type 1 diabetes complication

More than a decade ago, researchers found that an acute complication of type 1 diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), can be resolved with the hormone leptin, even in the absence of insulin.

4 Aug 2025

HIV trial points to semaglutide as a new anti-aging contender

Once-weekly semaglutide significantly slowed epigenetic aging in adults with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, as measured by multiple DNA methylation clocks in a randomized controlled trial. These exploratory findings suggest GLP-1 receptor agonists could impact biological aging but require further validation in broader populations.

4 Aug 2025

Living in rural areas early in life may increase risk of type 1 diabetes

New research to be presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (15-19 September) suggests that living in a rural environment in the first five years of life could increase the risk of developing type 1 diabetes compared with living in urban environments.

4 Aug 2025