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German researchers aim to completely degrade breast cancer protein

Simply switching off a protein that helps breast cancer cells to grow? That is not enough for researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

21 Sep 2026

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

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

AI spots at-risk pregnancies for earlier, more personalized prenatal care

Artificial intelligence (AI) may help identify women and babies at risk of serious health problems earlier in pregnancy, according to a new study analyzing data from more than half a million pregnancies across Sweden, Chile, and Singapore.

18 Sep 2026

Breast density clue for cancer risk

Women with a higher Body Mass Index in early adulthood may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer after the menopause because of lasting changes in the structure of their breast tissue, according to researchers at The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

18 Sep 2026

Sex-specific biological clocks reveal how aging differs across the body in women and men

Researchers developed 38 sex-specific biological aging clocks across 15 organ systems, finding differences between females and males in genetic architecture, molecular signatures, disease associations, and mortality patterns. Brain aging clocks were linked to progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease in both sexes and to sex-dependent cognitive trajectories among solanezumab-treated A4 participants, while the authors stressed that sex-pooled and sex-interaction models remain complementary approaches.

17 Sep 2026

Being active may not tell the whole story when it comes to weight gain

A five-year study of 2,606 young and early-midlife Finnish municipal employees examined how leisure-time physical activity and sedentary behavior were associated with gaining at least 10% of baseline body weight. About 24% of women and 12% of men experienced major weight gain, with the analysis pointing to the importance of considering activity and sedentary time together.

17 Sep 2026

Can maternal diet prevent infant food allergy? A large trial puts eggs and peanuts to the test

A large Australian randomized trial of 2,137 pregnant women tested whether substantially increasing egg and peanut consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding could prevent food allergy in infants with a strong family history of allergic disease. Higher maternal intake did not significantly reduce IgE-mediated egg or peanut allergy at 1 year, although the lower-than-expected allergy rate limited statistical power and the results could not exclude a clinically important benefit.

17 Sep 2026

Maternal depressive symptoms linked to higher infant mortality risk

Infants born to mothers with depressive symptoms immediately after delivery had a substantially higher risk of dying before their first birthday, according to researchers involved in a Rutgers-led study of more than 414,000 births in New Jersey.

17 Sep 2026

ACC Latin America 2026 studies highlight sex and regional disparities in heart attack care

disparities in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) management and outcomes across Latin America, focusing on women as a higher risk, yet underrepresented, patient group.

17 Sep 2026

Study identifies key factors in breast cancer survivors' sexual recovery

Sexual wellbeing can often be overlooked during a woman's recovery from breast cancer with many continuing to experience significant sexual and intimacy challenges long after treatment ends.

17 Sep 2026

Women with hyperemesis gravidarum report major gaps in care

Medical assistance can help women suffering from severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, but insufficient recognition of Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) means that many are not getting the help they need to overcome this severe and debilitating form of morning sickness.

17 Sep 2026

High estrogen alters brain circuit causing temporary memory impairment during pregnancy

Many women usually say the same thing during pregnancy: they walk into a room and forget why, misplace their keys or struggle to follow a conversation.

17 Sep 2026

Experts call for eating-disorder screening before GLP-1 treatment

An international multidisciplinary panel developed consensus-based recommendations for GLP-1 receptor agonist use in people with eating disorders, calling for screening, individualized monitoring, patient education, and further research into safety and potential therapeutic effects. The experts cautioned that current evidence remains limited and inconsistent, particularly outside binge eating disorder, and identified major gaps in understanding the risk of new or recurrent eating disorders during treatment.

16 Sep 2026

Study finds gender differences in active medical treatment

New research from the University of St Andrews has found that women are less like than men with the same medical condition to be offered active management such as surgery, a stent or a strong painkiller.

16 Sep 2026