Health

A new study by University of Manchester researchers has linked a digital platform helping people manage type 2 diabetes to better blood sugar control, improved health and potential long-term NHS cost savings. MyWay Diabetes, an NHS-supported online platform and app—which lets users view their diabetes health records, track results and access simple education courses and advice—was rolled out across Greater Manchester during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The appearance of food images on a menu can influence whether we order large or small portions—or potentially choose healthy or more caloric meals. New research from Flinders University indicates that the color and size of a dining plate can have mixed results in regulating meal size, so it may not be the best way to boost healthy eating choices.

A pioneering food additive that can stop people from gaining weight has appeared on the EU’s Novel Food List, indicating its safety for human consumers. Inulin propionate ester, or IPE, is a dietary fiber developed and tested by scientists at Imperial College London and at SUERC, Center for the Isotope Sciences at the University of Glasgow. It maximizes the known benefits of a high-fiber diet, helping people feel fuller for longer, with the aim of reducing the daily calorie surpluses that can drive long-term weight gain.

Nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented by tackling modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity, smoking, low education or social isolation, but new Curtin University research suggests current public health approaches are falling short in driving real behavior change. The major international review published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity found that while large-scale health awareness campaigns for dementia prevention can reach wide audiences, they often lead to only small improvements in knowledge and limited changes in behavior.

Each additional hour of prolonged, uninterrupted sedentary behavior in a person’s day is associated with a 9% higher risk of cancer death, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine by Frederick Ho of the University of Glasgow, UK, and colleagues.

Few substances are as deeply woven into everyday life as alcohol. It is a fixture at holiday celebrations, work-related social gatherings, sporting events, airports and brunch or dinner tables. A raised glass for a toast, the ubiquitous wedding open bar or drinks shared during a Fourth of July celebration all demonstrate how deeply alcohol has become embedded in social customs and cultural traditions.

As summer heat intensifies across the U.S., the American Heart Association is warning that soaring temperatures don’t just make people uncomfortable—they can put serious strain on the heart and increase the risk of life-threatening complications.

In one of the most comprehensive studies of coffee and liver health to date, Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators linked higher coffee consumption with a lower risk of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver-related death. The findings, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, also provide new biological evidence that may help explain those associations.

A pack-a-day smoker can spend around $14,000 a year on cigarettes, yet despite the financial and health costs, quitting remains one of the most difficult changes many people will ever attempt.

Federal health scientists are urging caution about expanding access to controversial peptide drugs, even as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reshapes the advisory panel that will consider whether to loosen those restrictions.

A heat dome is expected to scorch most of the United States through the July 4 weekend, sending temperatures into the high double and even triple digits in the central and eastern regions of the nation.