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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

Measles outbreaks may reveal more than gaps in vaccination

A commentary in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics argues that measles outbreaks can serve as a sensitive indicator of weaknesses in vaccination coverage, surveillance, health equity, community trust, and broader immunization systems. The authors contend that pursuing measles eradication could also strengthen routine immunization, laboratory capacity, outbreak preparedness, and health-system resilience.

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

Older adults with higher polyphenol intake were less likely to have mild cognitive impairment

In a cross-sectional study of 92 older Italian memory-clinic patients, higher habitual intake of total dietary (poly)phenols and several specific subclasses was associated with a lower likelihood of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Total (poly)phenol intake was not associated with cognitive test performance or circulating inflammatory biomarkers, and the authors cautioned that the small observational study cannot establish causality.

20 Sep 2026

Mifepristone offers effective emergency contraception with fewer side effects

Emergency contraception containing mifepristone prevents more pregnancies with fewer side effects than some other common emergency contraceptive pills such as levonorgestrel, according to a new Cochrane review involving 87 trials.

20 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

CGM study finds sexual activity to be safe for people with type 1 diabetes

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) shows, with the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, sexual intercourse is safe for people living with type 1 diabetes.

18 Sep 2026

Type 1 diabetes runners can safely complete marathons with careful glucose management

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28th – Oct 2nd) shows, with the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices people with type 1 diabetes can complete a marathon safely and achieve finishing times similar to runners without diabetes.

18 Sep 2026

Study reveals how red blood cells adapt to low oxygen

They account for nearly 83% of all cells in the human body, yet red blood cells are often portrayed as little more than bags of hemoglobin ferrying oxygen from the lungs to the heart and beyond.

18 Sep 2026

CPS-involved students face higher rates of school absenteeism

Across the country, kids are settling into new school year routines. Parents buy backpacks, teachers arrange desks and lesson plans, and friends reconnect.

18 Sep 2026

Mosquito excrement offers new way to detect circulating viruses

When public health researchers want to know whether diseases such as COVID-19 or polio are circulating in a community, they can look for genetic evidence in wastewater.

18 Sep 2026

Y chromosome loss creates hidden cancer vulnerability in men

A study initiated by a University of Arizona Cancer Center physician-scientist Dr. Dan Theodorescu revealed that the loss of the Y chromosome in men's body tissue could pave the way for cancer to develop in that tissue.

18 Sep 2026

SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF8 drives macrophage infection and lung inflammation

In the sickest COVID-19 patients, the SARS-CoV-2 virus doesn't just cause severe damage by directly infecting airway cells.

18 Sep 2026

B cells may play a role in triggering immunotherapy-related colitis

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a previously unknown role for B cells, which are adaptive immune cells, in triggering and sustaining colitis occurring as a side effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors, a widely used form of cancer immunotherapy.

18 Sep 2026

Salivary cortisol patterns predict cognitive decline in older adults

An irregular pattern and consistently higher levels of a stress hormone called cortisol found in the saliva were associated with cognitive decline later in life - Blacks specifically had lower overall cortisol levels and less change in their levels during the day than whites - according to newly published research.

18 Sep 2026

Global Virus Network monitors spreading avian influenza in Australian mammals

The Global Virus Network (GVN) is closely monitoring detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as bird flu, in several mammal species in Australia as the virus continues to spread among birds and mammals worldwide.

18 Sep 2026

Study identifies brain mechanism behind pregnancy-related food cravings

Why do food cravings become so strong during pregnancy? Researchers at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in collaboration with colleagues, have identified a brain mechanism that may help explain how pregnancy changes the motivation to seek certain highly palatable foods.

18 Sep 2026