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Users feel forced to trust online health sites despite misgivings

People accessing health advice online can feel they have no choice but to put their trust in websites they visit despite having misgivings, suggests a University of Southampton study.

6 Nov 2026

Eating sugary foods more than twice a week was linked to 28% higher breast cancer risk

In a prospective study of 71,264 Korean women followed for an average of 9.2 years, researchers identified 713 breast cancer cases and examined how different dietary sugar sources related to cancer risk. Women consuming high-sugar foods more than twice weekly had a 28% higher breast cancer risk than those consuming them no more than once a month, while total sugar intake and fruit consumption showed no significant association.

2 Nov 2026

Children's brain reward responses may explain ultra-processed food-related weight gain

Children who eat more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) show stronger responses in the brain's reward network when viewing images of appetizing foods-and these brain responses are linked to increases in body fat one year later.

23 Oct 2026

Medicare is more broken than we thought

By Oct. 1, at least 2 million seniors will have received alarming notices: Their health plans — which they get through Medicare Advantage, the version of Medicare run by private health insurance companies — will disappear at the end of the year.

23 Oct 2026

Nearly three in four popular comfort foods have something in common, researchers find

A US study examining 300 distinct comfort foods identified chips, ice cream, pizza, chocolate, and cookies as the most frequently nominated choices among adults. Researchers found that nearly three-quarters of the foods met hyperpalatability criteria, while approximately 43% were entirely ultra-processed under a strict classification, with relatively small nutritional differences across demographic groups.

22 Oct 2026

Nearly 3 in 4 US comfort foods share a surprising nutritional feature

Research on comfort foods in the US shows a dominance of ultra-processed items, raising concerns about nutrition and health implications of comfort eating.

6 Oct 2026

BMJ investigation exposes unhealthy food products at major UK school catering exhibition

As the government prepares to introduce updated school food standards, an investigation by The BMJ finds that more than a third of the firms exhibiting at the UK's biggest school food show sell products high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS).

19 Aug 2026

Father's diet before conception impacts baby's body composition

A father's diet can affect his children's health and body composition before they are even conceived. A study of 43 triads of fathers, mothers, and newborns treated in the public healthcare system of Ribeirão Preto in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, demonstrated this.

28 Jul 2026

Sociological shifts change expectations and behaviors of modern patients

Whereas patients in the past were expected to be patient, grateful, passive and docile - many of today's patients are assertive, demanding, impatient and insistent. So, what has happened?

29 May 2026

Scientists will probe whether processing itself makes ultra-processed foods harmful

A randomized controlled trial protocol will test whether the cardiometabolic risks linked to ultra-processed foods stem from industrial processing, poor nutrient composition, or both. Using four controlled diets, researchers will separate the effects of UPF content from saturated fat, added sugar, and sodium on LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, and blood pressure.

26 Apr 2026

Man steps forward to donate kidney to unknown teen

Tim Fitzpatrick was at home on Long Island when he saw a local news story about a 13-year-old boy in need of a kidney transplant.

11 Apr 2026

Doctors warn of a deadly complication from measles outbreaks

The first sign came when Deepanwita Dasgupta was 5 and started stumbling more while playing at her home in Bangalore in southern India.

13 Mar 2026

Can eating almonds reduce inflammation in obesity?

Adding almonds to the diet of adults with obesity enhances inflammatory cytokine profiles and diet quality, highlighting a simple anti-inflammatory strategy.

12 Mar 2026

Greater food variety at buffets may lead to overeating

At Super Bowl parties, weddings, Independence Day cookouts and Thanksgiving dinners, people celebrate with large spreads of food.

27 Feb 2026

Research suggests bamboo-based foods could support metabolic health

This systematic review synthesizes human, in vitro, and food-processing studies on bamboo consumption, finding limited but suggestive evidence for metabolic, digestive, and antioxidant benefits when products are properly prepared. It also highlights safety considerations, including potential goitrogenic effects from inadequately processed shoots, and calls for higher-quality human trials.

18 Jan 2026

Combination therapy shows promise to treat a rare, catastrophic pediatric brain cancer

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists identified a promising combination approach to treat a rare, but catastrophic pediatric brain cancer called atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT).

16 Dec 2025

Swapping high-carb snacks for tree nuts cuts food cravings in young adults at metabolic risk

Daily replacement of typical high-carbohydrate snacks with mixed tree nuts for 16 weeks reduced cravings for sweets and fast foods in young adults with early metabolic syndrome risk. This dietary swap improved overall diet quality, measured by the Healthy Eating Index, without increasing body weight or altering short-term glycaemic markers.

14 Dec 2025

National study maps where food additives come from in children’s and adults’ diets

By analysing nationally representative diet data, researchers show that food additives rarely occur alone, with children and teenagers experiencing the highest exposure to complex additive mixtures largely driven by ultra-processed foods.

9 Dec 2025

Cognitive blocks drive the brain's advantage over AI

Artificial intelligence may write award-winning essays and diagnose disease with remarkable accuracy, but biological brains still hold the upper hand in at least one crucial domain: flexibility.

27 Nov 2025

Study explores lasting effects of maternal diet on food choices

A University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson researcher will explore how maternal diet influences offspring food choices later in life thanks to a National Institutes of Health's New Innovator award, a five-year, $1.5 million "high-risk, high-reward" grant given to early-career scientists advancing ambitious hypotheses with intriguing potential.

11 Nov 2025