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New accreditation framework improves drug and alcohol care for veterans

Embedding veteran identification within existing accreditation processes under the AOD National Quality Framework – a national policy mechanism that requires treatment providers to be accredited against an approved quality standard – offers a practical means of strengthening and improving responsiveness to veterans' needs.

23 Sep 2026

Cancer-related DNA changes may appear in blood years before diagnosis

Researchers found that genome-wide plasma cfDNA methylation profiles collected before diagnosis contained early molecular signatures associated with future prostate and breast cancer, with prostate silencer methylation providing the stronger risk stratification. Breast enhancer signals were weaker and varied by subtype and disease stage, indicating that cfDNA methylation may have greater value for risk assessment and surveillance than as a standalone diagnostic test.

23 Sep 2026

Ketamine-related bladder problems reported among young teenagers

Non-prescribed ketamine use may start at the age of 13, suggest data from a UK clinic dedicated to the treatment of bladder problems associated with misuse of the drug and published in a clinical letter in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

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

Childhood trauma linked to risky health behaviors in late adolescence

Experiencing childhood trauma appears to increase a young person's likelihood of smoking, substance use and developing unhealthy eating habits by contributing to behavioral problems during adolescence, such as impulsivity and poor self-control.

22 Sep 2026

Prenatal cannabis exposure linked to subtle brain and behavioral differences in children

A large ABCD study of 10,838 children found that prenatal cannabis exposure was associated with small differences in resting-state brain connectivity, higher behavioral and emotional problem scores, and lower performance on several cognitive measures in late childhood. PCE-related connectivity patterns partly overlapped with those linked to psychopathology and cognition, although the cross-sectional observational design cannot establish causality or mediation.

22 Sep 2026

PEth blood test detects hazardous alcohol use missed by screening

Primary care professionals screen patients for harmful alcohol use by using questionnaires such as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and by asking patients about their typical weekly alcohol consumption.

21 Sep 2026

High cognitive impairment rates among homeless people demand radical policy change

Cognitive impairment is a prevalent but often unaddressed factor in chronic homelessness, and it must be addressed to help reduce homelessness, argues the author of a commentary published in CMAJ

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

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 wanting alcohol may matter more than liking it

Researchers found that self-reported wanting was more strongly associated with drinking motives than liking, with the strongest links seen for coping motives and higher alcohol-use severity. The cross-sectional study of 446 adults also linked greater wanting, coping motives, and higher AUDIT scores with stronger intentions to quit or reduce drinking, but it could not establish cause or direction.

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

New white paper calls for integrating oral and general healthcare

Oral health can no longer be treated separately from general health, according to a new white paper from the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the European Association of Dental Public Health (EADPH) which calls for closer collaboration between dental, medical, public-health and social-care professionals.

18 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

College BORG drinking associated with blackouts and other alcohol-related harms

A newly popular college drinking trend, the blackout rage gallon (BORG), fosters binge drinking and can lead to a host of alcohol-related harms, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, published at Rutgers University.

15 Sep 2026

A study of more than 21,000 adults found an unusual link between psilocybin and diet

Using data from more than 21,800 adults in two UK birth cohorts, researchers found that lifetime psilocybin and LSD use was associated with stronger pro-environmental attitudes and a greater likelihood of following a vegetarian diet, with psilocybin showing the clearer dietary pattern. Mediation analyses suggested that environmental attitudes statistically accounted for the psilocybin-vegetarianism association and part of the association with lower red meat consumption, but the observational design cannot establish causation.

15 Sep 2026

Eye scans detect signs of atrial fibrillation years before diagnosis

People with atrial fibrillation have signs of the condition in the retinas of their eyes that can be detected as early as four years before diagnosis, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) and Moorfields researchers.

14 Sep 2026

More data, more answers? A 1.9 million-person health study shows why scale has limits

Researchers analyzed phenotypic and linked health-record data from more than 1.9 million adults in Our Future Health, comparing demographic characteristics, disease patterns, clinical associations, and rare-condition case counts with national data and other major cohorts. The cohort's size provides unusually large samples for many common and less common conditions, although its demographic composition and current data sources require careful consideration when interpreting population-level estimates.

14 Sep 2026

A study of ayahuasca users found a mental health pattern researchers cannot yet explain

In a cross-sectional study of 808 Brazilian adults planning to attend ayahuasca ceremonies, greater prior experience with the brew was associated with lower depression, anxiety, and stress scores, as well as higher spiritual well-being and stronger metaphysical beliefs. Because the study was observational and relied on self-reported data, it cannot show that ayahuasca caused these differences.

13 Sep 2026

Coffee after colorectal cancer? Decaf and caffeine show different links with mortality

In a prospective analysis of 1,098 people with colorectal cancer, researchers found no significant association between total or caffeinated coffee intake and all-cause or colorectal cancer-specific mortality in the cohort overall. Decaffeinated coffee was associated with lower all-cause mortality, while the highest quartile of caffeine intake was associated with lower all-cause and colorectal cancer-specific mortality, although the observational study cannot establish causation.

10 Sep 2026

Alcohol News and Research

New accreditation framework improves drug and alcohol care for veterans

Cancer-related DNA changes may appear in blood years before diagnosis

Ketamine-related bladder problems reported among young teenagers

Cancer incidence rises faster among people with type 2 diabetes

Childhood trauma linked to risky health behaviors in late adolescence

Prenatal cannabis exposure linked to subtle brain and behavioral differences in children

PEth blood test detects hazardous alcohol use missed by screening

High cognitive impairment rates among homeless people demand radical policy change

Maldives meets UN target for reducing premature chronic disease deaths

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

Why wanting alcohol may matter more than liking it

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

New white paper calls for integrating oral and general healthcare

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

College BORG drinking associated with blackouts and other alcohol-related harms

A study of more than 21,000 adults found an unusual link between psilocybin and diet

Eye scans detect signs of atrial fibrillation years before diagnosis

More data, more answers? A 1.9 million-person health study shows why scale has limits

A study of ayahuasca users found a mental health pattern researchers cannot yet explain

Coffee after colorectal cancer? Decaf and caffeine show different links with mortality

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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