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Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert glucose, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Insulin allows cells to use glucose for fuel and is secreted by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. The release of insulin from the pancreas is stimulated by increased blood glucose, vagal nerve stimulation, and other factors. Insulin is obtained from various animals and available in a variety of preparations. Commercial insulin preparations differ in a number of ways, including differences in the animal species from which they are obtained; their purity, concentration, and solubility; and the time of onset and duration of their biologic action. An oral hypoglycemic agent is not a form of insulin therapy.

A child's gut microbiome may offer early clues to type 1 diabetes risk

Researchers tracking 887 children at high genetic risk of type 1 diabetes identified three distinct patterns of gut microbiome maturation during early childhood. One pattern was associated with substantially higher risk of islet autoantibody seroconversion or type 1 diabetes, while host genetic background altered the risk associated with another pattern.

23 Sep 2026

A chemical used in BPA-free products may have a connection to diabetes control

In adults with type 2 diabetes receiving oral glucose-lowering therapy, higher plasma BPS concentrations were associated with higher HbA1c after accounting for demographic factors, medication adherence, and diet, whereas BPA was not associated with HbA1c. The BPS association was modest and no longer statistically significant after further adjustment for BPA, BMI, and physical fitness, supporting the need for larger studies to determine whether reducing exposure could improve glycemic control.

23 Sep 2026

Higher ultra-processed food intake linked to multiple health risks

A higher ultra processed food (UPF) intake is linked to a heightened risk of several major chronic health issues, such as digestive diseases, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome/diabetes, as well as death, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal Family Medicine and Community Health.

22 Sep 2026

Cancer incidence rises faster among people with type 2 diabetes

A nationwide study being presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) has found that people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have a higher risk of developing cancer, with cancer incidence rising more among people with T2D than those without diabetes over the past 25 years, largely driven by obesity-related cancers.

22 Sep 2026

Low spinal bone density may predict faster brain aging

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that lower bone mineral density in the spine was associated with faster cognitive decline and accelerated age-related white matter injury, according to a new study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

22 Sep 2026

WashU expert analyzes FTC settlements with major pharmacy benefit managers

The Federal Trade Commission's settlements with two of the nation's largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) could change how the companies do business, but they may not do enough to lower prescription drug costs for patients and employers, according to a health law expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

22 Sep 2026

City of Hope develops adaptive plug-and-play CAR T technology to attack tumors

Researchers from City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the country, have developed a new "plug-and-play" technology that adds engineered molecules to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells after treatment, allowing scientists to better control the cells and redirect them to attack different types of cancer.

22 Sep 2026

Children who ate healthier plant foods had slightly lower blood pressure later

Researchers followed 3,990 Dutch children for an average of 1.6 years and found that higher healthful plant-based diet scores were associated with modestly lower blood pressure and total cholesterol. Children with higher unhealthful plant-based diet scores had lower estimated food costs and distinct metabolite profiles, while healthful scores showed no clear cost association.

22 Sep 2026

Chronic DNA damage response may contribute to biological aging

A new review was published in Volume 18 of Aging on August 31, 2026, titled "The guardian paradox: DNA damage response overactivation as an integrative driver of aging – a tumor suppressor–negative regulator framework."

21 Sep 2026

Experimental RNA therapy enhances weight loss while preserving lean muscle

GLP-1 drugs have revolutionized obesity treatment, but they can lead people to lose muscle mass along with fat. And when patients stop treatment, they often regain their weight - primarily as fat.

21 Sep 2026

Several cups of coffee a day showed no clear diabetes link over 10 years

Researchers followed 1,158 adults in Italy for 10 years, comparing those who drank at least two to three cups of coffee daily with those who drank none. They found no statistically significant difference in new cases of impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes, but the small non-consumer group limits how confidently the study can rule out a difference in risk.

21 Sep 2026

Maldives meets UN target for reducing premature chronic disease deaths

The Maldives has become the only country in the World Health Organization's South East Asia region to meet the UN target for reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancers and diabetes.

21 Sep 2026

Stalled gut microbiome development triples risk for type 1 diabetes in children

Type 1 diabetes affects more than 9 million people worldwide, including 1.8 million children and adolescents.

21 Sep 2026

Sugary drinks stood out in this stomach cancer study, but diet drinks did not

In two large US prospective cohorts, consuming more than one sugar-sweetened beverage a day was associated with higher gastric cancer incidence compared with consuming less than one serving a month. Artificially sweetened beverages were not associated with gastric cancer incidence, and the authors called for further studies to confirm the findings and clarify possible biological mechanisms.

21 Sep 2026

Why might a higher BMI at 20 be linked to lower breast cancer risk later in life?

A large UK cohort study found that higher BMI at age 20 was associated with lower postmenopausal breast cancer risk, while higher BMI in later adulthood was linked to increased risk. Lower VAS percentage mammographic density appeared to explain part of the early-adulthood association, while fibroglandular volume showed a different relationship with life-course adiposity.

20 Sep 2026

CGM study finds sexual activity to be safe for people with type 1 diabetes

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) shows, with the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, sexual intercourse is safe for people living with type 1 diabetes.

18 Sep 2026

Type 1 diabetes runners can safely complete marathons with careful glucose management

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28th – Oct 2nd) shows, with the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices people with type 1 diabetes can complete a marathon safely and achieve finishing times similar to runners without diabetes.

18 Sep 2026

Shatavari may affect more than hormones, and the gut could help explain why

A review in Nutrients examined how bioactive compounds in Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) may influence cognitive health through the microbiota-gut-brain axis, estrogen-related signaling, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitter regulation. Evidence from computational, cellular, animal, and limited human studies suggests several plausible biological pathways, but key questions remain about bioavailability, brain exposure, dosing, and clinical efficacy.

16 Sep 2026

Fermented dairy was linked to lower mortality, but the pattern shifted at higher intakes

Analysis of 37,366 US adults found that fermented dairy consumption was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with consumers showing adjusted hazards 18% and 20% lower, respectively, than non-consumers. Dose-response analyses indicated that the inverse association was concentrated at intakes below about 150 grams per day, while the observational study could not establish causality.

16 Sep 2026

Scientists tested how much whole grain makes a difference. The answer was not simply “more”

A meta-analysis of 87 randomized trials found that increasing whole-grain intake was associated with improvements in several cardiometabolic risk factors, although many individual changes were small or clinically unimportant. Dose-response analyses suggested that the magnitude of the effects varied by outcome and intake level, with limited evidence at very high intakes.

16 Sep 2026