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Women with low bone density reported less pain after taking pine bark extract

A randomized clinical trial involving 67 women with osteopenia or stable osteoporosis found that three months of Pycnogenol® supplementation improved self-reported bodily pain and vitality scores compared with placebo. However, overall disease-specific quality of life did not significantly improve, and the six-month findings were insufficient to establish long-term benefits or safety.

15 Oct 2026

Nearly one in three women with autoimmune diseases waited at least four years for a diagnosis, survey finds

An international study of 6,607 adults with autoimmune diseases found that female participants reported longer diagnostic delays, more clinician visits, and higher rates of perceived psychiatric and psychosomatic misdiagnoses than males. The findings suggest sex-related differences in diagnostic experiences, although the researchers cautioned that patient-reported misdiagnoses were not independently verified and the causes of these disparities remain uncertain.

15 Oct 2026

New trial aims to test whether a blood test can detect breast cancer earlier than mammograms

Researchers at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, have launched a clinical trial to evaluate whether a blood test can help detect breast cancer earlier than mammograms alone.

15 Oct 2026

Lactation drug cabergoline may reduce breast cancer risk in mothers

An international team of scientists has found that a lactation drug could reduce the risk of breast cancer in mothers after childbirth.

15 Oct 2026

Global study exposes gaps in global endometriosis care guidelines

Adolescents, gender-diverse people and those with lived experience are underrepresented in endometriosis guidelines worldwide, a University of Queensland study has found.

14 Oct 2026

Coffee drinkers had fewer repeat blood clots in a Norwegian study

A Norwegian study involving 2,071 patients found that those who reported drinking 1 to 2 cups of coffee daily before their first venous thromboembolism had a 51% lower estimated risk of recurrence than non-drinkers. The association was strongest among patients whose initial blood clot was provoked, although the observational study could not establish that coffee consumption prevents recurrence.

14 Oct 2026

A study of 2.3 million California children raises questions about lithium in water

Researchers analyzed healthcare records from more than 2.3 million children in California and found that those living in counties with higher lithium concentrations in water sources had 60% higher adjusted odds of a Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) diagnosis. A separate New York analysis supported an association at a lower lithium threshol

14 Oct 2026

Losing weight is one thing. Keeping your muscle is another, experts say

The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand concludes that sustained calorie restriction drives weight loss, while adequate protein intake and resistance training help preserve lean mass. Reviewing intermittent fasting, ketogenic diets, and other dietary approaches, the authors emphasize individualized nutrition plans, body composition, and sustainable weight management rather than rapid weight loss alone.

14 Oct 2026

New immune profiling tool identifies antibodies that trigger preterm births

A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, but for about 1 in 10 pregnant women labor begins too soon. Premature or preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn deaths worldwide.

14 Oct 2026

Finnish study finds poor oral health increases jawbone necrosis risks in breast cancer patients

Antiresorptive drugs, which reduce bone breakdown, are an important part of treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the bones. However, their use can be associated with osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ), a condition in which bone tissue in the jaw dies.

14 Oct 2026

New research links postmenopausal ovarian tissue remodeling to elevated cancer vulnerability

In a new, paradigm-shifting study in ovaries from 28 women, scientists at Northwestern University and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging found in the decades well past menopause, the ovary remains biologically active and continues to remodel with age, showing increased inflammation and changes in tissue structure. The study also found a molecular link between ovarian aging and cancer.

14 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

Coffee, citrus and genetics: What scientists found inside human breast milk

In a bioRxiv preprint, researchers analyzed 458 metabolites in breast milk samples from 349 mothers to investigate how maternal diet, genetics, clinical characteristics, and milk-cell gene expression relate to milk composition. Maternal diet explained the greatest share of metabolite variation among the measured maternal factors, while specific genetic variants and gene-expression patterns were associated with individual metabolites, although the study did not establish effects on infant health.

14 Oct 2026

Your diet may have more to do with your sense of smell than you think

Researchers analyzed dietary patterns and odor identification in 6,690 adults in Italy, finding that healthier plant-rich diets, particularly those emphasizing fruits and vegetables, were associated with better olfactory function and lower odds of hyposmia. Diets emphasizing less healthy plant foods showed the opposite association, although the cross-sectional study could not establish whether diet influences smell or impaired smell affects food choices.

14 Oct 2026

Cigarette smoke exposure alters ovarian and testicular function in mice

New research has shed light on how exposure to cigarette smoke could affect reproductive health in both men and women, identifying changes in biological processes involved in ovarian function and sperm production.

13 Oct 2026

Pregnancy reshapes the maternal brain through remarkable neurological changes

For generations, women have been told that the forgetfulness, emotional shifts, sensory changes, and altered sense of self that accompany pregnancy and new motherhood are simply "mommy brain."

13 Oct 2026

Scientists studied diet and lung cancer in 95,612 adults. One eating pattern stood out

A prospective study of 95,612 U.S. adults found that those with the highest sulfur microbial diet scores had a 23% higher adjusted lung cancer incidence hazard and a 19% higher lung cancer-related mortality hazard than those with the lowest scores. However, the associations weakened after accounting for overall dietary quality and competing causes of death, and the findings do not establish a causal relationship.

13 Oct 2026

Doctors avoided two common words when talking about weight with patients

Researchers analyzed 123 recorded primary care consultations involving adults with type 2 diabetes and elevated BMI, finding that weight was discussed in just 39% of visits. Clinicians avoided potentially stigmatizing terms such as "overweight" and "obesity," while weight-related conversations occurred more frequently among patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists.

13 Oct 2026

Maternal opioid use in pregnancy linked to childhood hospitalizations

Children whose mothers received opioid prescriptions during pregnancy have a higher rate of hospital admission in childhood than unexposed children, including unexposed siblings, according to a new study published October 13th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Dong Keon Yon of Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, South Korea, and colleagues.

13 Oct 2026

Extended Medicaid coverage increases postpartum care for high-risk women

Extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months after childbirth increased postpartum health care utilization among women with pregnancy complications such as diabetes and hypertension, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

13 Oct 2026