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Refined starch activates immune pathways after low-carb weight loss

After substantial weight loss on a very-low-carbohydrate diet, participants who switched to a diet rich in refined starch showed greater activation of circulating immune and metabolic pathways than those who continued the low-carbohydrate diet or consumed a high-carbohydrate diet rich in added sugar. Mouse experiments suggested that activation of the complement immune pathway may help explain the inflammatory response associated with starch intake.

10 Sep 2026

Women use creatine differently from men, survey reveals

A cross-sectional survey of 2,094 current or recent creatine users found that women were more concentrated in shorter-duration use groups than men and reported different supplementation goals, information sources, and knowledge patterns. Women were less likely to cite athletic performance and more likely to cite healthy aging as a goal, while researchers cautioned that the survey design cannot explain why these differences exist.

10 Sep 2026

You may not need 10,000 steps if some of them are taken at a faster pace

A prospective UK Biobank study of 103,684 adults found that higher peak 30-minute stepping cadence was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality across several daily step-count levels. The findings indicate that both total daily steps and the intensity of the most active stepping minutes may matter for mortality risk, particularly for people who find higher step totals difficult to achieve.

10 Sep 2026

Five minutes of coffee aroma was linked to shifts in mood and brain activity

Short-term coffee aroma exposure was followed by reductions in several negative mood measures and an increase in an EEG-derived relaxation index in 20 healthy young adults. Heart rate and HRV did not change significantly, and the uncontrolled study cannot establish that coffee aroma caused the observed responses.

10 Sep 2026

Popular AMH blood test fails to predict natural fertility

Increasing numbers of Australian women are using a blood test to assess their fertility, but new research suggests it may not provide the answers many are looking for.

10 Sep 2026

New AI tool predicts breast cancer risk using repeated 3D mammograms

An artificial intelligence model that analyzes women's past and recent annual 3D mammograms is more effective at predicting five-year risk of developing breast cancer than a tool that uses only the most recent, single 3D mammogram, as well as an AI model that analyzes 2D mammograms, a new study shows.

10 Sep 2026

The link between fish and pregnancy hypertension may start before conception

In a nationwide Japanese cohort of more than 86,000 women, higher fish intake before pregnancy was associated with lower odds of early-onset hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, while fish intake during pregnancy showed different associations with late-onset disease, particularly among women who had not previously given birth. Total dietary omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA intake showed much less consistent associations, suggesting that the relationship with fish consumption may not be explained by total PUFA intake alone.

9 Sep 2026

Study links methylglyoxal stress to immunotherapy resistance in triple-negative cancer

The metabolism of cancer cells may play a key role in their ability to evade the immune system. This is demonstrated by a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Liège, which reveals how methylglyoxal stress – a by-product of tumor metabolism – promotes immunosuppression and the formation of metastases, and may contribute to resistance to immunotherapy and the progression of triple-negative cancer.

9 Sep 2026

Early pregnancy emotions may predict childhood developmental delay risks

Pregnancy is often one of the biggest emotional and physical transitions in a woman's life. Alongside the well-known physical changes, many women also experience shifts in mood and mental health during pregnancy and after giving birth, with anxiety and depression being quite common.

9 Sep 2026

Why a shorter eating window may not mean better metabolic health

In a nationally representative cross-sectional study of 16,973 Korean adults, researchers identified three distinct eating patterns based on the timing and distribution of daily energy intake. Eating later within a shorter daily window was associated with higher odds of metabolic syndrome, elevated blood pressure, triglycerides, and fasting glucose, while frequent grazing showed a mixed metabolic profile.

8 Sep 2026

Stevia tastes sweet, but does your body react as if sugar is coming?

In a randomized, double-blind crossover study, researchers tested stevia alone and with glucose in adults with normal weight, overweight, or type 2 diabetes to assess acute effects on blood glucose, insulin, gut hormones, appetite, and subsequent food intake. Stevia produced no significant changes in the measured glycemic or hormonal responses compared with water and did not significantly modify responses to glucose, while appetite and subsequent energy intake were also generally unchanged.

8 Sep 2026

Prenatal paracetamol exposure linked to smaller ovaries in daughters

Researchers in Denmark have found that girls whose mothers took paracetamol during pregnancy had smaller ovaries, fewer ovarian follicles (the structures that contain immature eggs), smaller uteruses and lower levels of reproductive hormones at three months old.

8 Sep 2026

Menopause documented far less often in electronic health records

Menopause is frequently missing from women's electronic health records, according to a University of Colorado Anschutz study of nearly 396,000 women participating in the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program.

8 Sep 2026

Rice, seafood and water may help explain striking differences in metal exposure across US communities

Researchers compared urinary trace-metal profiles across 666 adults from six ethnic groups in three US cohorts, with up to 19 elements measured and paired serum measurements available for the Asian Indian MASALA cohort. Distinct metal patterns emerged across populations, with the findings suggesting that diet, drinking-water sources, regional hydrogeology, urban-rural conditions, smoking, and physiological handling may all contribute to differences in exposure profiles.

8 Sep 2026

Study identifies 14 egg-layer gene variants linked to female infertility

Researchers determine 14 variants in the egg's protective layer associated with female infertility which can affect assisted reproductive technology outcomes.

8 Sep 2026

Hormone therapy during menopause transition associated with lower heart disease risk

A study led by Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Pittsburgh provides pivotal insights into one of the most debated questions in women's health: how does hormone therapy for menopause symptoms affect cardiovascular disease risk when used in peri- or early postmenopause?

8 Sep 2026

Working shifts may change more than your sleep schedule

A cross-sectional analysis of 1,814 Japanese workers found that shift work was associated with lower raw seafood intake and shorter sleep patterns in both sexes, while female shift workers also consumed less milk and dairy products. Total energy intake was similar between work groups, but male shift workers were more likely to consider preference and convenience when choosing foods, highlighting potentially important differences in dietary quality and lifestyle rather than calorie intake.

8 Sep 2026

A common drink pattern was linked to less sleep and more fatigue in soldiers

A cross-sectional study of 1,155 active-duty Spanish Army personnel identified three distinct co-consumption profiles based on the frequency of caffeinated beverage, energy drink, and sugar-sweetened beverage use. Compared with the lower-frequency profile, the higher-frequency profile was associated with about 14 minutes less sleep per night, lower sleep efficiency, and greater habitual physical fatigue, although the study cannot establish causality or quantify caffeine or sugar exposure.

8 Sep 2026

Why do older adults often feel better emotionally? Mindfulness may be part of the answer

In a cross-sectional U.S. sample of 129 adults, older age was associated with greater positive and lower negative emotional well-being, alongside greater dispositional mindfulness and lower neuroticism. Lower neuroticism statistically accounted for age differences in both positive and negative well-being, while mindfulness statistically accounted for differences in negative well-being only, although the study cannot establish causality.

8 Sep 2026

Could one amino acid help explain why men tend to live shorter lives?

A UK Biobank cohort and Mendelian randomization study involving 272,475 participants linked higher circulating tyrosine with greater all-cause mortality and genetically predicted higher tyrosine with shorter lifespan. After accounting for phenylalanine, the relationship with shorter lifespan was clearest in men, while findings in women were less consistent, suggesting a potential sex-specific role for tyrosine in longevity.

7 Sep 2026