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Leaving home may worsen diet quality in young adults, Australian study finds

Australian longitudinal data suggest that leaving the parental home is associated with a small decline in overall diet quality and a short-term rise in discretionary food intake during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The study also found that diet quality tended to worsen most among those moving in with a partner, while the discretionary-food gap narrowed over time.

23 Mar 2026

New NYU study identifies lower heat risk thresholds for vulnerable older adults

Nationally, heat-related mortality has risen by nearly 17 % per year since 2016. As a result, New York City now issues heat alerts and opens cooling centers when the heat index is forecast to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for at least two consecutive days or a heat index of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for any length of time.

23 Mar 2026

Higher meat intake may slow cognitive decline in older adults with APOE ε4

In older Swedish adults, higher meat intake was associated with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk among people carrying APOE ε3/ε4 or ε4/ε4, but not among other genotype groups. A higher processed-to-total meat ratio was linked to worse dementia outcomes, while unprocessed red meat and poultry showed no substantial difference.

22 Mar 2026

U.S. study links ultra-processed foods to lower odds of fertility

A cross-sectional NHANES study of 2,582 U.S. women found that higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with lower odds of being classified as fertile based on self-reported infertility history. Greater Mediterranean diet adherence was linked to higher odds of fertility in adjusted models, but that association was no longer significant after accounting for obesity.

22 Mar 2026

GLP-1 drugs cut heart and kidney risks in type 1 diabetes study

In a large target trial emulation of 174,678 people with type 1 diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonist initiation was associated with lower risks of major cardiovascular events and end-stage kidney disease over five years. The study also found no increased risk of hospitalization for diabetic ketoacidosis or severe hypoglycemia, supporting further randomized trials of GLP-1RAs as adjunctive therapy in type 1 diabetes.

22 Mar 2026

Balancing sitting and movement may lower the risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

During pregnancy, women can reduce their risk of developing a hypertensive disorder by nearly 30% by limiting sedentary time to no more than eight hours a day and increasing light, everyday physical activity to at least seven hours a day, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions 2026.

19 Mar 2026

Blood-based test helps personalize breast cancer care for older patients

For women age 70 and over with a common form of breast cancer, determining "the right size" of treatment can be challenging, in part because clinicians have limited tools to guide individualized treatment decisions.

19 Mar 2026

How long should you take GLP-1 drugs? Study links longer use to lower heart risk

Continuous use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in adults with type 2 diabetes was associated with a lower risk of major cardiovascular events compared with sulfonylureas, with benefits increasing over time. Discontinuation or interruption was associated with a progressive loss of this protective effect, with risks approaching those of comparator therapy.

19 Mar 2026

A healthier thymus predicts longer life and lower cancer and heart disease risk in adults

Imaging-based analysis of over 27,000 adults shows that better thymic health is strongly associated with lower all-cause mortality, reduced lung cancer risk, and improved cardiovascular outcomes. The findings suggest the thymus remains biologically relevant in adulthood, linking immune aging, inflammation, and chronic disease risk, although causality cannot be established.

19 Mar 2026

Young women face rising mortality rates from high blood pressure

Nearly 1 in 2 Americans has high blood pressure—sometimes called the "silent killer" because it harms the heart and blood vessels—but many people don't know they have it.

19 Mar 2026

Lawmakers seek to protect crisis pregnancy centers as abortion clinic numbers shrink

Conservative lawmakers in multiple states are pushing legislation drafted by an anti-abortion advocacy group to increase protections for crisis pregnancy centers, organizations that provide some health-related services but also work to dissuade women from having abortions.

19 Mar 2026

Menopause may raise women’s Alzheimer risk earlier than doctors once thought

This review argues that women’s higher Alzheimer disease risk may be shaped in part by midlife neuroendocrine aging, especially the menopause transition, rather than by longevity alone. It highlights early menopause, bilateral oophorectomy, vasomotor symptoms, and midlife cognitive changes as underinvestigated but potentially important risk markers, while calling for sex-specific, biomarker-driven prevention strategies.

18 Mar 2026

New mechanism drives adverse tumor remodeling during breast cancer progression

A research group led by Professor Cecilia Sahlgren at Åbo Akademi University (Finland) and the InFLAMES Research Flagship has identified a new mechanism directing the adverse remodeling of tumor tissue during breast cancer progression.

18 Mar 2026

Early menopause linked to higher lifetime heart disease risk

Women who enter natural menopause before age 40 face about a 40% higher lifetime risk of developing coronary heart disease than women who experience menopause later, according to a large Northwestern Medicine study that is the first to calculate lifetime heart risk associated with premature menopause.

18 Mar 2026

Study finds a clear link between ultraprocessed food and heart disease risk

A prospective analysis of 6,531 adults in the multiethnic MESA cohort found that higher ultraprocessed food intake was associated with a graded increase in incident ASCVD risk, with each additional daily serving linked to about a 5% higher risk. The association was stronger in Black participants, while no significant interaction was seen by sex or income.

18 Mar 2026

Gut-derived blood markers may help predict who develops coronary heart disease

Researchers used five prospective cohorts from the US and China to identify circulating gut microbiota-related metabolites linked to future coronary heart disease, then tested the findings through discovery, in silico validation, and targeted quantitative validation. The study ultimately highlighted nine metabolites associated with incident CHD, supporting a potential role for microbial metabolism in heart disease risk while not proving causation

18 Mar 2026

Study finds GLP-1 medicines cut fat while preserving muscle function

Researchers found that GLP-1 medicines caused weight loss mainly through fat reduction, with only modest decreases in absolute muscle mass and no disproportionate loss of muscle function. In mice, physical performance improved, while in a small 12-week human pilot trial, strength was preserved despite reduced thigh muscle size.

18 Mar 2026

Better cardiovascular health scores linked to lower mortality in postmenopausal women

Life's Essential 8 (LE8) and Life's Crucial 9 (LC9) from the American Heart Association are industry-accepted metrics that summarize overall cardiovascular health.

18 Mar 2026

Combination therapy shows promise for leptomeningeal metastasis in breast cancer

Patients with leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) have historically had few treatment options. Now, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found a combination of targeted therapies, tucatinib and trastuzumab, plus the chemotherapy drug, capecitabine, may improve symptoms and extend survival in some breast cancer patients with LM.

18 Mar 2026

Study: Women survive cancer more but face higher treatment toxicity

Women are more likely to survive cancer than men but face a higher risk of serious and adverse side effects from treatment, according to a landmark international study from Adelaide University.

17 Mar 2026