Glucose Metabolism News and Research

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Could a hormone from our bones reveal early signs of insulin resistance?

Research reveals a link between osteocalcin and insulin resistance in obese children, suggesting early metabolic changes before glucose tolerance impairment.

21 Oct 2026

New PET imaging approach detects nearly all kidney cancer lesions

A new PET imaging approach detected 97.9% of lesions in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), potentially giving clinicians a more complete picture of the location and extent of a patient's disease, according to research presented today at the 39th Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM'26).

20 Oct 2026

Could eating whey protein before meals help reduce blood sugar spikes?

A narrative review of 57 randomized trials found that milk and dairy products have inconsistent effects on long-term blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Whey protein consumed before meals more consistently reduced short-term blood sugar spikes, but further research is needed to establish whether these benefits persist over time.

19 Oct 2026

People who walk more each day tend to score better on several brain tests

Researchers analyzed 14 years of physical activity and blood pressure records from 3,093 US adults and found that higher daily step counts were associated with better performance on tests of attention, cognitive control, and reward-related decision-making. Higher systolic blood pressure was associated with poorer delay-discounting performance, but accounted for only 4.8% of its association with physical activity, while the single cognitive assessment prevented conclusions about causation or cognitive decline.

14 Oct 2026

A study links a blood protein to memory and brain changes in Down syndrome

Researchers studying 88 adults with Down syndrome and 43 controls estimated that serum β-synuclein increased approximately two decades before expected Alzheimer’s symptoms, preceding changes in other blood biomarkers. Higher levels correlated with poorer memory and brain changes, but the cross-sectional study could not distinguish whether the earliest increase reflected Alzheimer’s-related synaptic dysfunction, trisomy 21-related neurobiology, or both.

11 Oct 2026

Polymeric nanomedicine strategies improve solid tumor immunotherapy outcomes

Solid tumors are not merely collections of malignant cells but complex ecosystems comprising tumor cells, stromal cells, and the extracellular matrix (ECM).

9 Oct 2026

Body fat distribution may influence hunger hormones more than daily diet

Body fat distribution may reveal more about hunger hormones than recent diet.

9 Oct 2026

Study finds β-synuclein as early blood-based biomarker of Alzheimer's in Down syndrome patients

Decades before the first symptoms of Alzheimer's disease appear, some changes associated with the disease may begin to leave a trace in the blood.

7 Oct 2026

Review highlights how altered metabolism drives kidney cancer growth

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most common subtype of kidney cancer, is increasingly understood as a malignancy shaped by profound changes in cellular metabolism.

24 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

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

Study links protein interaction to senescent cell survival

Senescent cells - cells that have stopped dividing but remain metabolically active - can accumulate with age and contribute to chronic inflammation and tissue dysfunction

1 Sep 2026

Artificial sweetener xylitol associated with higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events

A study to be presented at ESC Congress 2026 will show that high blood levels of the artificial sweetener, xylitol, were associated with increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.

26 Aug 2026

What decades of wine research can, and cannot, tell us about health

A narrative review found that moderate wine intake has repeatedly been associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with proposed mechanisms involving ethanol and grape-derived polyphenols, but the evidence remains largely observational and cannot establish causation. The authors argue that drinking pattern, beverage type, age, cancer risk, and risk-modeling choices all influence how the J-shaped association should be interpreted and how alcohol guidelines are developed.

25 Aug 2026

Study provides a more nuanced picture of biological mechanisms linked to autism

How does autism manifest in the brain? Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital have investigated this question in a new study involving 60 adults.

21 Aug 2026

Sprinters and non-athletes had similar gut diversity, but one key difference emerged

College sprint athletes showed a distinct gut microbial community structure, including higher abundance of Segatella copri and Bifidobacterium adolescentis, compared with non-athletic students. Their microbiomes also showed predicted enrichment of carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism pathways, while exploratory analyses linked several dietary factors with the signature bacteria.

20 Aug 2026

Whole grains, legumes and vegetables stand out in a major review of diabetes diets

Healthy plant-based diets rich in whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are associated with better glycemic control and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The review finds that food quality and processing matter more than simply avoiding animal foods, while unhealthy plant-based patterns and higher red and processed meat intake are associated with greater metabolic risk.

18 Aug 2026

Your social life may leave a mark on how fast you age

Positive social experiences were associated with longer survival, while childhood adversity predicted shorter survival in a 1,309-person longitudinal cohort followed for nearly 15 years. Epigenetic aging, particularly GrimAge2, emerged as the strongest potential pathway linking social experiences with mortality risk.

12 Aug 2026

Thinning cancer cells' sugar coating could expose tumors to immune attack

Like spies evading detection through being masters of disguise, many cancer cells are adorned with a copious coat of sugar-derived molecules that throws the proverbial hounds of our immune systems off the scent.

7 Aug 2026

Type 2 diabetes linked to more severe menopause symptoms

The type of menopause symptoms, as well as their severity, can differ greatly among women. A number of earlier studies have suggested various reasons for those differences.

5 Aug 2026