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Researchers debunk the existence of the childhood "adiposity rebound" phenomenon

In new research to be presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) and published in The Journal of Nutrition, a 42-year old theory as to why children's body mass index (BMI) decreases post-infancy before then rising continuously from age six years –'the adiposity rebound' is refuted using new analyses – rather than decreasing body fat, the real reason is proposed as increasing muscle mass.

17 Apr 2026

Psychedelic use is associated with major life changes across 10 domains

Researchers created a new questionnaire to measure major life changes linked to psychedelic use and found that most surveyed adults reporting naturalistic psychedelic use said psychedelics had influenced at least one major change in their lives. These changes most often involved goals, values, and spirituality, were usually rated positively, and were more commonly reported by people with more frequent use.

16 Apr 2026

Study finds popular AI chatbots often give problematic health advice

Researchers audited five popular public-facing AI chatbots across 250 health prompts and found that 49.6% of responses were problematic, with especially weak performance on open-ended questions and in nutrition and athletic performance. The study also found poor citation quality, difficult readability, and very few refusals to answer, raising concerns about the reliability of chatbots for everyday health information.

16 Apr 2026

Researchers prove magnetic seizures are comparable to ECT in clinical response

A landmark international clinical trial led by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and University of California San Diego School of Medicine, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, has found that magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is as effective as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)-the current gold-standard treatment for severe, treatment-resistant depression-with significantly fewer cognitive side effects. The study is the first large-scale, randomized clinical trial to directly compare MST with ECT, marking an important step toward a new treatment option for patients.

16 Apr 2026

BMI increases in early childhood may reflect muscle growth, not fat

A new study published in The Journal of Nutrition, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Society for Nutrition, offers new insights into a decades-old puzzle in childhood obesity. The study found that while body mass index (BMI) starts to rise in early childhood during a stage known as adiposity rebound, when BMI increases after an initial decline, the waist-to-height ratio, a measure that better reflects body fat, continues to drop. This suggests that the BMI increase at this age mainly reflects growth in lean tissues such as muscle and bone, rather than extra body fat.

16 Apr 2026

Study links ultra-processed food intake to poorer thigh muscle quality

A Radiology study of 615 adults at risk for knee osteoarthritis found that higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with greater fat infiltration in thigh muscles on MRI, a marker of poorer muscle quality. The association remained after adjustment for BMI, was stronger in models using abdominal circumference, and did not differ significantly by sex.

15 Apr 2026

Older adults show high willingness for Alzheimer’s blood tests

Northwestern University psychologist Andrea Russell sees older adults with early cognitive impairment riddled with anxiety. Some worry a missed word or forgotten appointment could signal Alzheimer's disease.

15 Apr 2026

Ultra-processed foods linked to higher obesity risk in adolescents

Adolescents who consume more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have significantly higher odds of being overweight or obese, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Mekuriaw Nibret Aweke of the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, and colleagues.

15 Apr 2026

Popular chatbots often provide inaccurate and incomplete medical information

A substantial amount of medical information provided by 5 popular chatbots is inaccurate and incomplete, with half of the answers to clear evidence based questions "somewhat" or "highly" problematic, show the results of a study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

15 Apr 2026

New research reveals how parasites break out of host cells

Parasites are a major global health problem, underlying many human diseases worldwide. For example, Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for malaria, plays a well-established; however, its complex life cycle is not yet fully understood.

15 Apr 2026

Study finds AI can match clinicians in interview assessment

Clinical interviewing is one of the most important skills physicians develop during their training. It forms the foundation for accurate diagnosis and effective patient care.

15 Apr 2026

Liver cancer burden rising globally amid shift to metabolic risks

Primary liver cancer continues to pose a major global health challenge, ranking as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

15 Apr 2026

New CRISPR tool selectively cuts tumor DNA while sparing healthy cells

Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells.

15 Apr 2026

Calorie labels on menus may benefit people with binge eating disorders

Food calorie labels on menus in cafes and restaurants can be helpful for people with binge eating disorders, even aiding their recovery, finds new research from UCL and King's College London.

15 Apr 2026

New biochip detects tiny genetic markers in 20 minutes

A team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed a new biochip that, when paired with Artificial Intelligence (AI), can detect quickly and accurately extremely small amounts of microRNAs, which are tiny genetic markers linked to diseases such as heart disease.

15 Apr 2026