Scientists found a surprising problem with sugar-free diets

 Giving up sugar entirely may not be as beneficial as many people assume. New research presented Saturday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago, suggests that completely removing sugar from the diet could have unintended effects on gut and metabolic health.

Researchers from the Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait examined what happened when mice were fed a low-fat diet that contained no sucrose, a common form of sugar. The study compared those animals with a control group that received a low-fat diet containing sucrose over a 16-week period.

"Completely removing sucrose from a low-fat diet may unexpectedly disrupt gut health and promote inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, highlighting that balanced nutrition is more important than simply eliminating sugar," said Rasheed Ahmad, Ph.D., principal scientist and head of the Immunology & Microbiology Department at the Dasman Diabetes Institute, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. The institute was founded by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.

Sugar-Free Diet Linked to Metabolic Changes

To evaluate the effects of eliminating sucrose, the researchers measured glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, circulating metabolic hormones, the gut microbiome, and inflammation in both the colon and liver.

Despite maintaining similar body weights, mice on the sucrose-free diet experienced several negative health changes compared with the control group. These included poorer glucose control, insulin resistance, imbalances in gut microbes, intestinal inflammation, and changes associated with fatty liver disease.

"The findings suggest that complete removal of sucrose from a low-fat diet may negatively affect gut microbiota and metabolic health," Ahmad said. "The study highlights the importance of maintaining balanced dietary carbohydrates to support gut and immune homeostasis."

Gut Microbiome and Dietary Balance

According to the researchers, little was previously known about the potential consequences of highly restrictive low-fat diets that eliminate sugar entirely.

"This research may influence future dietary recommendations by emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy gut microbiome rather than focusing only on sugar restriction," Ahmad said. "In the long term, these findings could help improve strategies for preventing and managing metabolic disorders, fatty liver disease and chronic inflammatory conditions."

The team believes the results underscore the need to consider overall dietary balance, rather than concentrating solely on reducing sugar intake.

"Studies such as this reflect our institute's commitment to advancing evidence-based scientific discoveries that improve public health outcomes and deepen our understanding of metabolic disease," said Faisal Hamed Al-Refaei, MD, Acting Director General of Dasman Diabetes Institute.

Source: ScienceDaily

Millipedes beat vertebrates to land by 80 million years

 For hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs appeared and long before vertebrates ventured onto land, millipedes were already thriving on Earth's surface.

These humble decomposers played a key role in some of the planet's earliest terrestrial ecosystems. Yet despite their remarkable history, major questions about their evolution remained unanswered.Now, an international team led by Virginia Tech researchers has filled in one of the final gaps in the millipede family tree, shedding new light on the ancient creatures that helped prepare Earth for life on land.

The study, published in Current Biology, presents the first complete evolutionary history of all living millipede orders. By combining DNA data from modern species with physical evidence preserved in fossils, the researchers traced the origins of millipedes back nearly 460 million years, suggesting they existed long before the oldest millipede fossils discovered so far.

"Millipedes beat vertebrates onto land by more than 80 million years," said Paul Marek, the study's lead investigator and associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Department of Entomology. "They really set the stage for later life on land, including humans and vertebrates."

Solving a Longstanding Millipede Mystery

For more than 100 years, scientists recognized the existence of two rare millipede groups, Siphoniulida and Siphonocryptida. However, because fresh specimens were unavailable for DNA analysis, researchers could not determine exactly where these groups belonged on the millipede family tree.

One group consists of millipedes less than a centimeter long that spend their lives underground. The other survives in only a handful of known locations.

"These last two were kind of like our white whales," Marek said.

To find them, researchers traveled to Los Tuxtlas in Mexico and the Canary Islands of Spain. There they collected Siphoniulus neotropicus and Hirudicryptus canariensis, two species whose DNA had never before been included in an evolutionary study.

"It took 10 people over a week just to find this one tiny 10-millimeter adult," said Luisa "Fernanda" Vasquez-Valverde M.S. '21, Ph.D. '24, the paper's first author and an assistant in Marek's lab. "Finding them in the field was hard because we were just seeing this little white nematode. We didn't know for sure it was a millipede until we looked under the microscope."

The team sequenced DNA from the two groups and compared hundreds of genes across 82 millipede species. They also incorporated evidence from 29 fossils. Together, these data allowed the researchers to determine where the mysterious groups fit within millipede evolution and when their lineages first emerged.

The project produced terabytes of genetic data and relied on Virginia Tech's Advanced Research Computing resources to reconstruct evolutionary relationships stretching back hundreds of millions of years.

The results showed that Siphonocryptida is not a separate millipede order as previously thought, but instead belongs within an existing lineage. Siphoniulida, meanwhile, was finally placed alongside its closest evolutionary relatives.

Millipedes on an Ancient Earth

The analysis indicates that millipedes may have originated nearly 460 million years ago, about 35 million years earlier than the oldest known millipede fossils and significantly earlier than previous estimates suggested.

"The biggest surprise was just how ancient some of these lineages turned out to be," Marek said.

At that time, Earth looked very different from today. According to Marek, millipedes were among the early pioneers of life on land, helping recycle nutrients by feeding on decaying organic material in some of the first terrestrial ecosystems.

"There were no vertebrates, no trees, no leaves, no flowering plants, no plants with seeds," Marek said. "Millipedes were feeding on decaying mosses, decomposed slime, and primordial gunk on the surface of the Earth."

The Origins of Millipede Chemical Defenses

The newly completed evolutionary tree also helped researchers pinpoint when one of the group's most notable adaptations appeared.

"They made the first chemical weapons," Marek said. "They're little chemical factories."

The study suggests these chemical defenses originated about 260 million years ago, offering the clearest evidence yet for when millipedes first evolved this capability.

Source: ScienceDaily

A dying star could create a new universe instead of a black hole

 Massive stars produce light and heat through nuclear fusion, a process that releases enormous amounts of energy from their cores. Eventually, however, the largest stars run out of fuel. Once that happens, the outward pressure generated by radiation is no longer strong enough to resist gravity. The star begins collapsing under its own weight, theoretically continuing until all of its mass is compressed into a single point known as a singularity.

Although black holes are widely accepted by physicists, they still raise profound questions. How can a mass equal to billions of Suns be squeezed into an infinitely small point? How can spacetime become infinitely curved at a singularity?

At this extreme limit, the known laws of physics cease to provide reliable answers. Scientists cannot accurately describe what happens under such conditions. Black holes also present another challenge because they hide everything beyond their event horizons. Any matter, radiation, or information that crosses this boundary, including light itself, can no longer be observed.

Gravastars and the Role of Dark Energy

Because of these unresolved issues, some researchers have explored the possibility that at least some objects identified as black holes could actually be something else entirely. One proposed alternative is an ultra compact object known as a gravastar.

Gravastars would be nearly as dense and massive as black holes, making them extremely difficult to detect because of their intense gravitational pull. Unlike black holes, however, they would not contain a singularity or an event horizon. Instead, beneath their outer layers of ordinary matter, they would be filled with dark energy. This mysterious form of energy produces an outward pressure that counteracts gravity and prevents complete collapse.

For many physicists, gravastars offer an appealing alternative because they avoid some of the conceptual problems associated with black holes. Yet one major question has remained unanswered for decades: How could gravastars actually form?

New Solution Suggests a Mini Universe Forms

Theoretical physicists Daniel Jampolski and Professor Luciano Rezzolla have now proposed what they describe as the first dynamic solution to Albert Einstein's equations of General Relativity that explains how a collapsing star could produce a gravastar.

According to their work, the collapse of a massive star may trigger the birth of a miniature universe within the collapsing matter itself. This newly formed universe would not be very different from the Big Bang that gave rise to our own cosmos. As in our universe, dark energy would drive its expansion.

As the mini universe expands, it pushes outward against the inward pull of gravity. This opposing force can halt the collapse before a black hole forms. The result is a stable balance between the collapsing stellar material and the expanding interior universe. That balance creates a gravastar.

The researchers say their solution provides the first explanation for a question scientists have debated for roughly 25 years: how gravastars could emerge from the collapse of ordinary matter.

Room for New Physics

Daniel Jampolski, who developed the solution during his master's thesis under the supervision of Luciano Rezzolla, explains: "The Big Bang of the emerging universe can unfold once the star has already collapsed almost to the point of becoming a black hole."

The behavior of matter compressed to such extraordinary densities remains poorly understood, leaving open the possibility of new physical phenomena. As Jampolski notes: "It is easier to imagine that the Big Bang occurs only at a very late stage, when matter has already been compressed to an extreme degree, thereby giving rise to new effects."

Rezzolla, Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at Goethe University, emphasizes that exploring alternatives does not mean rejecting black holes. "Looking for alternatives to black holes should not suggest a skepticism towards black holes, which still represent the most natural and simplest solution to the fate of gravitational collapse. However, as scientists in general, and as theoretical physicists in particular, it is essential to maintain an unbiased approach towards what we do not know and hence explore both the accepted wisdom and the more exotic interpretations. History teaches us that it is not unusual for the latter to become the former."

Source: ScienceDaily

Scientists crack a decades-old CO2 problem and triple fuel production

 Converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol is widely viewed as a promising way to recycle carbon resources. However, scientists have long faced a difficult challenge when trying to improve the process.

At lower temperatures, converting CO2 into methanol is thermodynamically favorable. The problem is that CO2 becomes difficult to activate under these conditions, resulting in weak catalytic performance. Raising the temperature speeds up the reaction, but it also encourages a competing process known as the reverse water-gas shift reaction, which produces unwanted byproducts and lowers methanol selectivity. This persistent trade-off between catalytic activity and selectivity has limited progress in increasing methanol yields.

New Catalyst Design Overcomes Long-Standing Trade-Off

In a study published in Chem, researchers led by Prof. Jian Sun and Prof. Jiafeng Yu of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) developed a new catalyst design aimed at addressing this challenge.

Their approach uses a strong metal-support interaction (SMSI)-driven overlayer structure to spatially separate active sites within the catalyst. This design allows different reaction steps to occur in different locations, improving the efficiency of methanol production from CO2.By restructuring the catalyst surface and changing how reactants adsorb, dissociate, and move through the reaction pathway, the team achieved a space-time yield of 1.2 g·gcat-1·h-1 at 300 ℃ and 3 MPa. That performance is approximately three times higher than that of conventional commercial Cu/Zn/Al catalysts.

Redirecting CO2 Toward Methanol

The researchers found that their catalyst encourages CO2 to adsorb and activate primarily on zirconia (ZrO2) sites. This steers the reaction toward methanol production through the formate pathway.In conventional Cu-based catalysts, activation typically begins by breaking the C=O bond before hydrogenation occurs. The new strategy follows a different sequence. Hydrogenation takes place first on ZrO2 sites, and C=O bond cleavage occurs afterward.

According to the researchers, this change in reaction mechanism significantly reduces the formation of carbon monoxide (CO) byproducts while preserving the strong ability of Cu sites to dissociate H2 efficiently."Our study may provide a new pathway to addressing the long-standing trade-off between activity and selectivity in methanol synthesis from CO2," said Prof. Sun.

Source: ScienceDaily

Reversing prediabetes cuts risk of deadly heart problems by 58%

 People with prediabetes who return their blood sugar levels to a normal range may significantly reduce their chances of developing major cardiovascular problems, according to new research from King's College London published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

The study found that reversing prediabetes by normalizing blood glucose levels was associated with more than a 50% reduction in the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or being hospitalized for heart failure.

The findings are particularly noteworthy because recent research has suggested that lifestyle changes alone, such as exercising more, losing weight, and improving diet, do not appear to reduce cardiovascular risk in people with prediabetes.

Taken together, the results point to prediabetes remission as a potentially powerful new target for preventing heart disease and improving long-term health outcomes. The findings could also influence how doctors approach treatment for people with prediabetes.

"This study challenges one of the biggest assumptions in modern preventative medicine. For years, people with prediabetes have been told that losing weight, exercising more and eating healthier will protect them from heart attacks and early death. While these lifestyle changes are unquestionably valuable, the evidence does not support that they reduce heart attacks or mortality in people with prediabetes. Instead, we show that remission of prediabetes is associated with a clear reduction in fatal cardiac events, heart failure, and all-cause mortality," explained study lead author Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld, Reader in Diabetes, King's College London and University Hospital Tuebingen.

Prediabetes Affects More Than One Billion People Worldwide

Prediabetes occurs when blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough to meet the criteria for type 2 diabetes. Although many people with prediabetes eventually develop type 2 diabetes, the condition itself is also linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

The condition is extremely common. About one in five adults in the United Kingdom has either diabetes or prediabetes. In the United States, more than one in three adults are affected, while in China the figure reaches four in ten. Researchers estimate that more than one billion people globally have prediabetes.

Long-Term Studies Reveal Lasting Heart Benefits

The research team, led by Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld of King's College London and University Hospital Tuebingen, reexamined data from two major diabetes prevention studies: the US Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS) and the Chinese DaQing Diabetes Prevention Outcomes Study (DaQingDPOS).

Both studies tracked people with prediabetes for decades and included interventions such as increased physical activity and healthier eating habits.

Researchers found that participants who achieved remission of prediabetes experienced a 58% lower risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure. The benefit remained evident decades after blood glucose levels returned to normal, suggesting that the effects of glucose normalization may be long lasting.

The analysis also showed that people who reversed prediabetes had a 42% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and other major cardiovascular events.

Importantly, the findings were consistent across both the US and Chinese study populations.

Why Prediabetes Remission May Matter More Than Lifestyle Changes Alone

Earlier analyses of the same studies found that combined lifestyle interventions, including increased exercise and healthier diets, did not significantly reduce cardiovascular disease risk.

Source: Sciendaily

Honey bees have their own personal flight paths and fly them with stunning precision

 Honey bees are far more precise navigators than scientists once realized. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have discovered that individual honey bees follow their own highly consistent flight routes and can repeat them with remarkable accuracy, relying on landmarks in the landscape to stay on course.

The study was led by neurobiologist and behavioral biologist Prof. Dr. Andrew Straw, whose team used a drone to monitor honey bees traveling between their hive and a food source located about 120 meters away in an agricultural setting.

To track the insects during flight, the researchers used a technique called 'Fast Lock-On (FLO) Tracking', developed by Straw's research group. The method involves attaching a tiny reflective marker to each bee. A computer mounted on the drone analyzes reflected light and can identify and track a bee within milliseconds as it flies.

The observations revealed that each honey bee follows its own preferred route and maintains that path with exceptional accuracy on both outbound and return trips. The bees also appear to use features in the surrounding landscape to help guide their journeys.

"Our tracking system makes it possible for the first time to record high-resolution 3D flight paths of honey bees in natural landscapes," explains Straw. "Our recordings show that each bee has its own preferred route and flies it very precisely. You could almost say that each bee has its own personality."

How Honey Bees Use Landmarks to Navigate

The researchers analyzed 255 flight paths collected near Kaiserstuhl, Germany. The study area included hedges, a cornfield, and a tree that stood between the hive and the food source, preventing a direct route.

"We found a high degree of precision in the flight paths. Individual bees repeated their individual flight paths nearly exactly on several flights. They often fly just a few centimeters away from their previous paths," Straw emphasizes.

The most consistent flight behavior occurred near prominent landscape features, particularly the tree. The greatest variation appeared when bees flew above the cornfield, where the scenery offered fewer distinct visual cues.

"Our results suggest that visual landmarks aid the bees' navigation and increase the precision of their flight paths," explains Straw. In contrast, the bees' uncertainty increases in visually monotonous environments.

Honey Bee Navigation vs. the Waggle Dance

The findings also shed new light on the famous waggle dance, the behavior honey bees use to communicate the location of food sources to other members of the colony.

"It was previously known that the directional information in the waggle dance is not entirely accurate," explains Straw. For food sources approximately 100 meters away, the directional information in the waggle dance can deviate by around 30 degrees.

The new research suggests that this lack of precision in the dance is not the result of poor navigation skills. Instead, bees appear to be far more accurate when traveling to locations they already know.

"Our research has shown that individual bees navigate much more accurately to destinations they are familiar with. Even where their flight paths vary most, they deviate from their individual route by only a few degrees. Our results allow us to conclude that the inaccuracy of the waggle dance is not due to the bees' limited navigational abilities. Rather, individual animals are spatially much more accurately oriented than their dance communication would suggest," says Straw.

Source: ScienceDaily

Scientists found a new Alzheimer’s trigger and a drug that stops it

 A promising experimental compound developed by researchers at ETH Zurich could offer a new way to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. In studies involving mice, the treatment reduced nerve cell loss, helped the animals live longer, and targeted a biological process that existing Alzheimer's drugs do not address.

The compound, known by researchers as "Compound 10," is the result of nearly two decades of work led by Ursula Quitterer, Professor of Molecular Pharmacology at ETH Zurich.

A Long Search for New Alzheimer's Clues

The research began almost 20 years ago when Quitterer received brain tissue samples from a colleague at Ain Shams University Hospital in Cairo. The samples were collected during tumor surgeries and came from both people with dementia and individuals without the condition.

Those samples helped launch an investigation into a protein called GRK2, which has been the focus of Quitterer's research for many years.

GRK2 plays an important role throughout the body. As a regulatory protein, it helps cells respond to signals and adapt to stress. It is active in several organs, including the heart and the brain, where it supports healthy nerve cell function.

Using both human brain tissue and mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, the ETH Zurich team uncovered evidence that GRK2 may be a major contributor to dementia. Their findings were recently published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.

When a Protective Protein Turns Harmful

GRK2 exists in two forms inside cells. One form functions normally, while the other becomes inactive through cellular processes.

The researchers found that the inactive version accumulates in large amounts in the brains of people with dementia. Similar patterns were also observed in mice that develop Alzheimer's-like symptoms.

Further experiments revealed that inactive GRK2 molecules clump together inside nerve cells. These clusters attach to mitochondria, the structures often referred to as the "powerhouses" of cells, and interfere with their function.

"The GRK2 aggregates block the pores of the mitochondria, reducing the amount of energy they can supply and leading to a situation of stress inside the cells," Quitterer explains.

The team also found that inactive GRK2 appears to increase the production of amyloid beta, a protein fragment widely associated with Alzheimer's disease.

This creates a damaging cycle. Amyloid beta places additional stress on nerve cells, which leads to the formation of even more inactive GRK2. As more GRK2 accumulates and forms aggregates, the disease process continues to accelerate.

Compound 10 Breaks the Cycle

To interrupt this cycle, the researchers designed and tested several experimental compounds in cell cultures and mice.

Among them, Compound 10 delivered the strongest results. The compound prevented GRK2 molecules from forming harmful aggregates, allowing mitochondria to function more effectively. As a result, amyloid beta deposits were reduced, nerve cells remained healthier, and cell death was slowed.

The benefits extended beyond the brain.

In mice, Compound 10 also appeared to improve heart function and influence aging-related changes. The researchers observed that treated animals developed fewer gray hairs as they grew older.

Source: ScienceDaily

Scientists uncover cancer-causing chemicals hidden in everyday foods

 More people are paying close attention to what they eat, often tracking calories, exercising daily, and filling their plates with foods that seem naturally healthy, including fruits and vegetables. Yet even nutritious foods can carry hidden chemical concerns. Some contaminants can enter food from the environment, while others can form during high heat cooking methods such as heating, smoking, grilling, roasting, and frying.

Among the compounds of concern are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs (hydrophobic organic compounds comprising multiple fused aromatic rings). Some PAHs are known for their cancer causing potential, which makes reliable food testing an important part of protecting public health.

A Hidden Food Safety Challenge

Detecting PAHs in food is not simple. Conventional extraction methods, such as solid phase extraction, liquid liquid extraction, and accelerated solvent extraction, can be affordable, but they often require lengthy preparation, heavy hands on labor, and chemical intensive procedures that are not ideal for workers or the environment.

To solve these problems, scientists have been turning to a streamlined method known as QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe). The approach is designed to speed up sample preparation, reduce chemical use, improve recovery rates, and make food contaminant testing more practical for routine safety checks.

In a 2025 study, researchers from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, led by Professor Joon-Goo Lee, used QuEChERS to measure eight PAHs (Benzo[a]anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Benzo[k]fluoranthene, Benzo[a]pyrene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, Dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and Benzo[g,h,i]perylene in food. The findings were published in the journal Food Science and Biotechnology.

Faster Testing With Strong Accuracy

The team used acetonitrile to extract PAHs from food samples, then tested several purification strategies involving different combinations of sorbents. The method was validated across multiple food matrices, showing strong performance. Calibration curves for all eight PAHs had R2 values above 0.99, indicating a highly linear and reliable measurement system.

Further analysis using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry showed that the limits of detection ranged from 0.006 to 0.035 µg/kg, while the limits of quantification ranged from 0.019 to 0.133 µg/kg. Recovery rates were also strong, ranging from 86.3 to 109.6% at 5 µg/kg, 87.7 to 100.1% at 10 µg/kg, and 89.6 to 102.9% at 20 µg/kg. Precision values stayed between 0.4 and 6.9% across all tested food matrices.

The study also reported that, among the foods tested, the highest PAH levels were found in soybean oil, followed by duck meat and canola oil.

Prof. Lee explains, "This method not only simplifies the analytical process but also demonstrates high efficiency in detection compared to conventional methods. It can be applied to a wide range of food matrices."

Why PAHs Matter

PAHs can form when food is exposed to high temperatures or smoke. According to the National Cancer Institute, PAHs can develop when fat and juices from meat drip onto a hot surface or open flame, creating smoke that deposits these compounds onto the food. PAHs can also form during smoking and may be found in sources such as cigarette smoke and car exhaust fumes.

The NCI notes that PAHs and related high temperature cooking compounds have caused cancer in animal studies, although human population studies have not established a definitive link between exposure from cooked meats and cancer. This uncertainty is one reason more accurate measurement tools are valuable. Better testing can help regulators, researchers, and food companies understand where contamination is occurring and how it can be reduced.

Newer Research Points to Broader Use

Since the SeoulTech study, other researchers have continued refining QuEChERS based methods for PAH detection. A 2025 study in Foods developed a modified QuEChERS method with a freeze out step and applied it to 302 retail food samples. That work found the highest concentration of four priority PAHs in Kezuribushi, a smoked and dried fish product, and identified grilled chicken feet as a possible health concern based on the European Food Safety Authority margin of exposure approach.

Another 2025 study focused on cereals and cereal based products. Researchers developed a modified QuEChERS method using Z Sep⁺ clean up and gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. In 96 cereal samples and 18 cereal based products from the Romanian market, only chrysene was quantified in 17% of cereal samples, while no PAHs were quantified in the derived products.

Source: ScienceDaily

A silent kidney crisis is spreading far faster than experts expected

 Chronic kidney disease has become one of the world's most widespread and deadly health problems, with record numbers of people now estimated to have reduced kidney function.

A 2025 global analysis found that the number of people living with the condition rose from 378 million in 1990 to 788 million in 2023. As the global population has grown and aged, chronic kidney disease has moved into the top 10 causes of death worldwide for the first time.

The work was led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the University of Glasgow, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. It examined the growing toll of a disease that slowly weakens the kidneys' ability to remove waste and extra fluid from the blood.

In mild cases, people may feel no symptoms at all. In advanced cases, patients may need dialysis, kidney replacement therapy, or a kidney transplant.

A Disease Many People Never See Coming

The analysis estimated that about 14% of adults worldwide have chronic kidney disease. It also found that roughly 1.5 million people died from the condition in 2023. After adjusting for differences in age patterns across countries, deaths were more than 6% higher than in 1993.

"Our work shows that chronic kidney disease is common, deadly, and getting worse as a major public health issue," said study co-senior author Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, director of NYU Langone's Optimal Aging Institute. "These findings support efforts to recognize the condition alongside cancer, heart disease, and mental health concerns as a major priority for policymakers around the world."

In May 2025, the World Health Organization formally placed chronic kidney disease on its agenda for reducing early deaths from noncommunicable diseases by one third before 2030. Coresh said that tackling the problem requires a clear and current picture of how the disease is affecting populations around the world. He is also the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

The report was published in The Lancet and was also presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual Kidney Week conference. According to the authors, it was the most comprehensive global estimate of chronic kidney disease in nearly a decade.

A Global Snapshot of Kidney Damage

The investigation was part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, a large international effort to track health loss across countries and over time. Its results are often used to guide public health policy and shape global health research priorities.

For the analysis, researchers reviewed 2,230 published research papers and national health datasets from 133 countries. They looked at patterns in diagnoses and deaths, and also measured how much disability is linked to chronic kidney disease.

The findings showed that kidney damage does not only threaten the kidneys. Impaired kidney function was also a major risk factor for heart disease, contributing to about 12% of global cardiovascular deaths.

In 2023, chronic kidney disease was also the 12th leading cause of reduced quality of life from disability. The biggest risk factors were high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high body mass index (a measure of obesity).

Early Treatment Could Change the Trajectory

Most people with chronic kidney disease in the study were still in the early stages. That detail matters because earlier action can often slow the disease and help patients avoid more intensive and costly treatments later.

Coresh said medications and lifestyle changes can help prevent progression to dialysis or kidney transplantation when the condition is caught early enough.

Access to treatment, however, is uneven. In sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and other low-income regions, relatively few people receive dialysis or kidney transplants. The likely reason is that these treatments are often less available and harder to afford in those areas.

"Chronic kidney disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated," said study co-lead author Morgan Grams, MD, PhD. "Our report underscores the need for more urine testing to catch it early and the need to ensure that patients can afford and access therapy once they are diagnosed."

Grams, the Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said several medications introduced over the past five years can slow kidney disease and lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. Still, she noted that it will take time for those advances to improve outcomes on a global scale.

Source: ScienceDaily

Intermittent fasting triggers surprising changes in the brain

 More than one billion people worldwide now live with obesity, a condition that raises the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Yet losing weight and keeping it off can be extremely difficult. The body does not simply respond to fewer calories in a straightforward way. Signals from the gut, hormones, metabolism, and the brain can all influence hunger, cravings, and weight regain.

One approach that has drawn growing interest is intermittent energy restriction (IER), a form of dieting in which periods of reduced calorie intake are followed by periods of more typical eating. Research published in 2023 suggests that this strategy may do more than reduce body weight. It may also shift the relationship between gut bacteria and brain activity in ways that are closely tied to appetite and food behavior.

"Here we show that an IER diet changes the human brain-gut-microbiome axis. The observed changes in the gut microbiome and in the activity in addition-related brain regions during and after weight loss are highly dynamic and coupled over time," said last author Dr. Qiang Zeng, a researcher at the Health Management Institute of the PLA General Hospital in Beijing.

Intermittent fasting and the brain

To explore what happens inside the body during weight loss, the researchers studied 25 adults with obesity in China. The volunteers, who were about 27 years old on average, had a BMI between 28 and 45.

The team used several tools to track changes over time. Stool samples were analyzed with metagenomics to measure the composition of the gut microbiome. Blood tests were used to monitor metabolic and physiological changes. The researchers also used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine activity in brain regions involved in appetite, emotion, attention, learning, inhibition, and reward.

"A healthy, balanced gut microbiome is critical for energy homeostasis and maintaining normal weight. In contrast, an abnormal gut microbiome can change our eating behavior by affecting certain brain area involved in addiction," explained coauthor Dr. Yongli Li from the Department of Health Management of Henan Provincial People's Hospital in Henan, China.

A carefully controlled weight loss program

The study began with a 32 day high controlled fasting phase. During this period, participants received meals designed by a dietitian. Their calorie intake was gradually reduced in steps until it reached about one quarter of their basic energy needs.

This was followed by a 30 day low controlled fasting phase. During this stage, participants were given a list of recommended foods rather than fully prepared meals. Those who followed the plan exactly would consume 500 calories per day for women and 600 calories per day for men.

By the end of the intervention, participants had lost an average of 7.6 kilograms, equal to about 7.8% of their starting body weight. They also had reductions in body fat and waist circumference.

The metabolic improvements extended beyond weight. Blood pressure fell, as did fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and the activity of key liver enzymes. According to the researchers, these changes suggest that intermittent energy restriction may help reduce obesity related problems such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and liver dysfunction.

Brain and gut changes moved together

The researchers found that the weight loss program was linked to lower activity in several brain regions involved in appetite and addiction related behavior. These changes may help explain why dieting affects not only body size, but also food cravings, self control, and the drive to eat.

At the same time, the gut microbiome shifted. The abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Parabacteroides distasonis, and Bacterokles uniformis rose sharply. Escherichia coli decreased.

Further analysis suggested that certain microbes were connected with activity in specific brain areas. The abundance of E. coli, Coprococcus comes, and Eubacterium hallii was negatively associated with activity in the brain's left orbital inferior frontal gyrus, a region involved in executive function and willpower during weight loss.

Other bacteria showed the opposite pattern. P. distasonis and Flavonifractor plautii were positively linked with brain regions involved in attention, motor inhibition, emotion, and learning.

These findings point to a striking possibility: as people lose weight, the gut microbiome and the brain may change together. The study cannot prove whether gut bacteria drive the brain changes, whether the brain drives microbial changes, or whether another factor influences both. Still, the results add to evidence that weight control is not just a matter of willpower or calories. It may involve a changing biological conversation between the gut and the brain.

Source: ScienceDaily

The forgotten organ that could predict how long you live

 Researchers at Mass General Brigham have uncovered evidence that the thymus, a small immune system organ long thought to lose its importance after childhood, may play a major role in adult health. Two new studies found that adults with healthier thymuses were more likely to live longer and less likely to develop serious diseases. The research also suggests that thymic health may influence how well cancer patients respond to immunotherapy.

The findings were published in two papers in the same issue of Nature and challenge decades of assumptions about the thymus. The results indicate that the organ remains important throughout adulthood and could eventually help guide disease prevention strategies and cancer treatment decisions.

"The thymus has been overlooked for decades and may be a missing piece in explaining why people age differently, and why cancer treatments fail in some patients," said Hugo Aerts, PhD, corresponding author on the papers and director of the Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) Program at Mass General Brigham. "Our findings suggest thymic health deserves much more attention and may open new avenues for understanding how to protect the immune system as we age."

What the Thymus Does

Located in the chest, the thymus helps train T cells, a type of immune cell that helps defend the body against infections and disease. Because the organ gradually shrinks after puberty and produces fewer new T cells over time, many scientists assumed it played only a limited role in adult health.

As a result, the thymus has received relatively little attention in large population studies. Earlier research connected T cell diversity to aging and declining immune function, but those studies were typically small and focused on blood samples.

The new research took a much broader approach. Investigators analyzed data from more than 25,000 adults participating in a national lung cancer screening trial, along with more than 2,500 people enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-running study that tracks the health of generally healthy adults.

AI Reveals Links to Longevity and Disease Risk

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate routine CT scans, the researchers measured the size, structure, and composition of the thymus. From those measurements, they created a "thymic health" score.

People with higher thymic health scores experienced significantly better outcomes. Compared with individuals who had poorer thymic health, they had about a 50% lower risk of death from any cause, a 63% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 36% lower risk of developing lung cancer. These relationships remained strong even after accounting for age and other health factors.

The researchers believe that declines in thymic health may reduce T cell diversity, making it harder for the immune system to recognize and respond to new threats such as cancer and other diseases.

Their analysis also identified several factors associated with poorer thymic health, including chronic inflammation, smoking, and higher body weight. These findings suggest that lifestyle factors and ongoing inflammation may affect the immune system's ability to remain resilient over time.

Thymus Health and Cancer Immunotherapy

In a separate study, the team examined CT scans and clinical outcomes from more than 1,200 cancer patients treated with immunotherapy.

The results showed that patients with healthier thymuses tended to respond better to treatment. They faced about a 37% lower risk of cancer progression and a 44% lower risk of death, even after researchers adjusted for differences in patients, tumors, and treatment approaches.

According to the researchers, these findings highlight a potentially important but previously underrecognized role for the thymus in determining how effectively modern cancer immunotherapies work.

More Research Needed

The scientists emphasize that additional studies will be needed to confirm the results. They also note that the imaging technique used to measure thymic health is not yet ready for routine use in clinical practice.

Although lifestyle factors were associated with thymic health, the studies did not investigate whether changing those factors can directly improve thymus function.

The research team is continuing to explore other influences on thymic health. One ongoing study is examining whether unintended radiation exposure to the thymus during lung cancer treatment could affect patient outcomes.

"Improving our understanding and monitoring of thymic health could eventually help physicians better assess disease risk and guide treatment decisions," said Aerts.

Source: ScienceDaily

Your brain starts making social decisions before you do

 Why do we decide to approach other people? According to new research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the answer may begin unfolding in the brain several seconds before any movement takes place.

The study found that social behavior is preceded by a distinctive pattern of activity that spreads across the brain. Researchers also discovered that the strength of this neural pattern is linked to how socially motivated an individual is.

The work was led by Dr. Lilah Avitan and carried out by PhD student Imri Lifshitz and other members of Avitan's laboratory at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Tracking Social Decisions in Real Time

To investigate how the brain turns social information into action, the researchers used zebrafish, a model organism that allows scientists to monitor brain activity at the level of individual cells.

The team created a new experimental system in which one fish watched and responded to another fish that was swimming nearby. While this happened, researchers recorded activity throughout the observer fish's entire brain in real time.

This setup allowed them to examine the neural events leading up to a social decision and follow the process as it unfolded moment by moment.

A Brain-Wide Signal Appears Before Social Behavior

The researchers found that when a fish was about to swim toward another fish, changes in brain activity began several seconds before the movement itself.

Instead of relying on a single brain region dedicated to social behavior, the process involved coordinated changes across multiple parts of the brain.

Activity increased in the pallium, a higher brain region associated with complex behaviors. At the same time, activity decreased in other brain areas.

Together, these changes created what researchers describe as a neural "pre-decision state." This brain-wide pattern signaled that a social action was about to occur and could be used to predict the behavior before it happened.

Brain Activity Linked to Social Drive

The study also revealed that the strength of this neural signature varied among individuals.

Fish that showed a stronger brain-wide pattern tended to be more social overall, suggesting that the neural signal reflects an individual's underlying social drive.

The findings further highlighted the importance of the pallium. Results suggest that this brain region plays a central role in generating the motivation to approach others and engage in social interactions.

"This study identifies a brain-wide neural signature of social approach that emerges before movement begins," said Dr. Avitan. "This signature predicts not only whether an upcoming action will be social, but also how strongly socially driven the individual is."

What the Findings Could Mean

Understanding how the brain generates social behavior may help researchers better explain why some individuals are naturally more social than others.

Because similar brain structures contribute to social behavior across many species, the findings could also offer clues about human social function and conditions in which social behavior is altered or disrupted.

Source: ScienceDaily

A single protein may be holding back CAR T cancer therapy

 Researchers from Columbia University and University Hospital Tübingen have discovered a protein that appears to play a major role in weakening CAR T cells over time. By disabling the protein, known as NFIL3, the scientists found that these engineered immune cells remained active longer and were better able to attack tumors. The findings, published in Cancer Discovery, could help improve CAR T-cell therapy, particularly against solid tumors that have proven difficult to treat.

CAR T-cell therapy is one of the most advanced forms of personalized cancer treatment. The approach involves collecting a patient's own immune cells, genetically modifying them to recognize cancer, and then returning them to the body to seek out and destroy tumor cells.

The therapy has produced remarkable results for some blood cancers. However, it has been far less successful against solid tumors. An international team led by Prof. Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, of Columbia University, working with Prof. Judith Feucht, MD, of University Hospital Tübingen, set out to better understand why. Sadelain is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of CAR T-cell therapy and has played a key role in its development and clinical use.

NFIL3 Linked to CAR T-Cell Exhaustion

To identify factors that limit CAR T-cell performance, the researchers conducted a large-scale analysis of roughly 400 transcription factors, proteins that control which genes are switched on or off inside cells.

Their investigation pointed to NFIL3 as a major contributor to CAR T-cell exhaustion, a process in which the cells gradually lose their ability to function effectively. When the researchers removed NFIL3, the CAR T cells stayed active for longer periods, multiplied more efficiently, and maintained stronger anti-tumor effects.

The team used CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to disable the gene responsible for producing NFIL3. Often described as genetic scissors, CRISPR allows scientists to precisely cut and modify DNA.

"Switching off NFIL3 could be a decisive step toward significantly improving the long-term potency of CAR T cells," explains Prof. Feucht.

Stronger Tumor Control in Animal Studies

The benefits of removing NFIL3 were demonstrated across several mouse models. CAR T cells lacking the protein were more effective at controlling tumors and helped extend survival.

The results suggest a possible path toward improving treatment for cancers that currently respond poorly to CAR T-cell therapy, particularly solid tumors.

"Our goal is to improve the effectiveness of CAR T cells in solid tumors as well," says Celina May, co-first author of the study and a member of Prof. Feucht's research group. "We expect this to open up new possibilities in the treatment of cancer patients," adds Feucht.

Bridging Laboratory Research and Patient Care

Prof. Feucht combines cancer research with hands-on clinical care. She conducts research within Germany's only Cluster of Excellence in oncology, iFIT (Image Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies), while also treating children and adolescents at the Department of Pediatrics at University Hospital Tübingen.

Her work follows the "bench-to-bedside" approach, which focuses on translating scientific discoveries into treatments that can directly benefit patients. Although additional research will be needed before this strategy can be tested and used in people, the findings provide encouraging evidence that targeting NFIL3 could strengthen CAR T-cell therapy and potentially expand its usefulness against a wider range of cancers.

Source: ScienceDaily