International Classification of Diseases News and Research

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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

Scientists may have underestimated how much genes contribute to Alzheimer's risk

A large multi-ancestry genetic analysis identified 127 genomic loci associated with Alzheimer's disease, including 48 previously unreported loci, and implicated microglial and neuronal gene-expression patterns in disease susceptibility. The researchers estimated that common genetic variants account for 16% of Alzheimer's disease liability in European-ancestry populations, substantially higher than previous estimates, while demonstrating improved polygenic risk prediction that remained less reliable in non-European populations.

2 Nov 2026

Beer, wine or spirits: A large study finds different mortality patterns for each

Researchers analyzed data from 340,924 UK Biobank participants and found that high total alcohol consumption was associated with greater all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality, while moderate consumption was linked to increased cancer mortality. Beer/cider and spirits showed associations with higher mortality across several outcomes, whereas low-to-moderate wine consumption was linked to lower mortality for certain outcomes, though the observational study cannot establish causation.

25 Oct 2026

A study of 62.5 million people reveals what broad ethnic labels miss about rare diseases

Researchers analyzing health records from 62.5 million people in England found that the prevalence of 406 rare diseases varied substantially between ethnic communities, with important differences concealed by broad ethnic classifications. Recorded COVID-19 infections were also more common among people with the studied rare diseases (32.8% versus 29.0%), although differences in age, disease composition, and testing practices may have influenced these findings.

19 Oct 2026

AI study of 101,000 patients links brown fat to heart and mental health

In a retrospective analysis of PET-CT records from 101,243 patients, researchers found that detectable brown fat was associated with lower prevalence of cardiometabolic and psychiatric conditions, while greater activity, particularly in the axillary region, was linked to more favourable metabolic outcomes. Medication screening identified losartan, which increased brown fat thermogenic activity in laboratory experiments and energy expenditure in mice, although its effects on human brown fat remain unproven.

15 Oct 2026

Conventional diagnostic tools overlook gaming disorder in female players

Playing more and more, struggling to cut back, or continuing to game despite its negative impact on everyday life can all be signs of gaming disorder.

12 Oct 2026

What people ate at the start of a 20-year study was linked to their heart failure odds

Researchers linked higher baseline diet quality to lower odds of developing heart failure over 20 years among 2,159 Greek adults initially free of cardiovascular disease. Healthy-food consumption showed the most consistent association, but the observational study cannot establish that dietary changes prevent heart failure.

11 Oct 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

Tirzepatide vs semaglutide for asthma: the difference was smaller than researchers expected

In a US multicenter electronic health record study, researchers compared tirzepatide with semaglutide in adults with asthma and type 2 diabetes, matching 8,176 patients in each treatment group. Asthma exacerbation risk was similar between treatments, while tirzepatide was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving a short-acting beta-agonist prescription.

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

GLP-1 drugs appear psychiatrically safe, but one finding still raises questions

A systematic review of 11 observational studies representing more than 4.9 million patients found that GLP-1 receptor agonists were generally associated with neutral or potentially protective psychiatric outcomes, although one obesity-focused cohort reported increased risks of depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior. Direct evidence for antidepressant effects remains limited, with only one cross-sectional study using validated mood scales and no randomized trials in the final synthesis, meaning causality cannot be established

6 Sep 2026

People with diabetes may have another reason to protect their cardiovascular health

Better cardiovascular health, measured using Life’s Essential 8, was associated with a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment among people with diabetes after accounting for genetic susceptibility. Associations with dementia varied by genetic risk, while higher LE8 scores were also linked to greater gray matter volume and lower white matter hyperintensity volume.

30 Aug 2026

The US switch in shingles vaccines revealed an unexpected heart health pattern

In a natural experiment involving 72,920 propensity-matched US adults aged 60 years and older, recombinant shingles vaccination was associated with a 9% lower cardiovascular disease burden over seven years compared with the live attenuated vaccine. Lower burdens of ischemic heart disease and heart failure were seen in both sexes, while ischemic stroke was significantly lower only among men, supporting further clinical trials and mechanistic studies

27 Aug 2026

A childhood shaped by sugar rationing was linked to mental health more than 50 years later

UK Biobank researchers examined whether sugar rationing during pregnancy and the first two years of life was associated with adult sweet-food preferences, sugar intake, brain structure, anxiety, and depression.

23 Aug 2026

What a 38-year study suggests about red meat, white meat, and mortality

Lower intake of red and processed meat was associated with small reductions in all-cause, heart disease, cancer, and stroke mortality in a cohort of nearly one million US adults followed for decades. White-meat-only diets showed additional benefits in some subgroups, while vegetarian diets produced few consistent associations and were limited by small participant numbers and a single baseline dietary assessment.

18 Aug 2026

A 30-year study found a surprising link between alcohol, survival and heart attack risk

In a 30-year study of 973 middle-aged Swedish male automotive workers, alcohol consumption was associated with lower all-cause mortality and longer estimated time to death, while beer consumption was linked to a higher likelihood of myocardial infarction. No significant association was found between alcohol consumption and stroke, and the authors cautioned that socioeconomic differences, self-reported intake, and other unmeasured factors may have influenced the findings.

14 Aug 2026

What 38,000 trauma and incident records reveal about e-scooter safety

E-scooter riders admitted with moderate-to-severe trauma showed a distinct injury profile, with proportionally more traumatic brain, vascular, and internal organ injuries than motorcyclists and fewer fractures. Rental-scooter data also linked greater reported injury severity with younger age and female sex, while collision rates varied with area-level deprivation.

10 Aug 2026

Living near a dry cleaner may come with an unexpected Parkinson’s disease link

A nationwide case-control study of older U.S. Medicare beneficiaries found that living closer to a dry-cleaning establishment was associated with higher odds of incident Parkinson’s disease, with the strongest association among people living within 0.1 mile.

7 Aug 2026

Study maps how birth order tracks disease risk across 10 million siblings

Researchers analyzing claims from more than 10 million siblings linked first-born status to higher odds of several neurodevelopmental and allergic diagnoses, while second-born status tracked with substance abuse and gastrointestinal conditions. The observational study identified 150 significant birth-order associations across the phenome, but claims data and residual confounding prevent causal conclusions.

4 Aug 2026

Ten-million-person study links semaglutide to lower COVID-19 mortality

Researchers analyzing claims from more than 10.1 million commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage enrollees found that semaglutide use was associated with a 49% lower adjusted hazard of COVID-19-related death. The observational findings corroborate earlier SELECT trial results but do not establish causation, making further prospective research essential.

30 Jul 2026