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Psychological factors determine maternal readiness to care for newborns

The first days after childbirth are a time of profound change – not only physically, but emotionally as well. Although the rooming-in model, in which mothers and newborns stay together around the clock, is standard practice in maternity wards, not every woman feels ready to care for her baby independently from the very first hours after delivery.

20 Aug 2026

Rapid test breakthrough could transform iron treatment worldwide

WEHI researchers have developed a blood test that can detect iron deficiency in minutes, overcoming key limitations of existing point-of-care diagnostics and potentially transforming how the condition is diagnosed and treated worldwide.

20 Aug 2026

More coffee, higher testosterone? This study found a more complicated picture

Higher habitual coffee intake was associated with a leaner body composition, lower circulating branched-chain amino acids, and distinct cardiometabolic patterns in 2,264 middle-aged Finnish adults. Hormonal associations differed by sex, with broader testosterone- and SHBG-related patterns in men and more limited SHBG-related changes in women.

20 Aug 2026

A single blood test could offer a glimpse of disease risk years in advance

Machine learning-derived cellular aging clocks mapped more than 7,000 plasma proteins to over 40 cell types, revealing marked differences in how individual cell populations age. These blood-based signatures were associated with future risks of Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, lung cancer, type 2 diabetes, and mortality across follow-up extending to 15 years.

19 Aug 2026

Immediate access puts test results in patients’ hands, but the next challenge is making sense of them

A nationally representative US study found that 68.6% of adults with access to medical records viewed immediately released test results before hearing from a healthcare practitioner. Among these viewers, only 34.9% rated their understanding as very good, with comprehension varying by region, digital literacy, patient-centered communication, and experiences of medical care discrimination.

19 Aug 2026

A decades-long study raises questions about sugary drinks and stomach cancer

A large prospective U.S. study followed more than 111,000 adults to examine whether sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverage intake was associated with gastric cancer incidence. Researchers identified 278 gastric cancer cases over 3.2 million person-years and found that associations differed according to beverage type and level of consumption.

19 Aug 2026

Why pregnancy vaccination looks very different in Germany than it did 19 years ago

A 19-year German claims analysis of more than 2.8 million pregnancies found that recorded maternal vaccination increased substantially after national recommendations for influenza and pertussis immunization were introduced. Influenza vaccination reached 19.4% and pertussis vaccination about 37% in 2020-2022, while COVID-19 vaccination was not captured in the databas

19 Aug 2026

Global study reveals rising chronic kidney disease burden in women

Chronic kidney disease is now the seventh leading cause of death among noncommunicable diseases globally, affecting 11–13% of the adult population.

19 Aug 2026

High antioxidant diet linked to lower risk of cervical cancer in women

In research published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, a diet high in antioxidants was linked with a lower risk of cervical cancer in women.

19 Aug 2026

Prenatal strength training may help reduce the risk of gestational diabetes

Various forms of physical exercise may help prevent diabetes during pregnancy (or gestational diabetes), but data are limited. In a randomized clinical trial published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica including 209 pregnant women, participants who followed a strength training program from gestational weeks 12–14 until week 36 or delivery had lower rates of gestational diabetes.

19 Aug 2026

What 3,600 adults with diabetes revealed about lifestyle and heart health

In 3,612 British adults with type 2 diabetes, greater adherence to the Mediterranean Lifestyle Index was associated with lower risks of major adverse cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death, and all-cause mortality over more than a decade of follow-up. Dietary patterns, physical activity, rest, and social habits all contributed to the observed associations, although the observational study cannot establish causality.

19 Aug 2026

Moderate fruit juice intake could help close vitamin C gaps in UK diets

UK dietary modeling found that fruit juice contributed substantially to vitamin C intake, although around four in five participants already met the national Reference Nutrient Intake. The simulations examined whether changing fruit juice consumption among existing consumers or introducing moderate intake among non-consumers could improve vitamin C adequacy while limiting additional free sugars.

19 Aug 2026

Women with type 2 diabetes saw striking changes after 24 weeks of this eating pattern

A 24-week randomized trial found that a lacto-vegetarian diet combined with 14-hour time-restricted eating improved glycemic control, insulin resistance, body weight, and lipid measures in Indian women with type 2 diabetes. The combined, nutritionist-supported intervention was generally well tolerated, but its individual dietary and fasting effects cannot be separated and longer-term studies are needed.

18 Aug 2026

Women dominate health workforce but gaps remain, study finds

Women have driven the expansion of the global health workforce over the past three decades, yet substantial workforce shortages remain, according to a new study published in The Lancet Public Health.

18 Aug 2026

Multiple long-term conditions raise pregnancy risks, study finds

Women who begin pregnancy with two or more pre-existing, long-term physical or mental health conditions have 20% higher risk of miscarriage, 69% higher risk of severe nausea and vomiting, and around four times the risk of anxiety and depression, compared with those with no long-term conditions.

18 Aug 2026

Health visitor support helps mothers stay smoke-free after childbirth

Women who receive health visitor support alongside smoking relapse prevention advice are more likely to remain smoke-free after childbirth, according to University of East Anglia (UEA) research.

18 Aug 2026

Alliance highlights the importance of clinical research on World Breast Cancer Research Day

This World Breast Cancer Research Day, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology is highlighting the importance of clinical research in advancing better treatments and improving early detection to ultimately help prevent and cure breast cancer.

18 Aug 2026

The Health Suite among first in UK to offer blood test that screens for more than 50 cancers

A Leicester GP clinic has become one of the first private healthcare providers in the UK to offer the Galleri test - the multi-cancer early detection blood test trailed by the NHS in the largest study of its kind in the world.

18 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

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