Diseases and Conditions News

January 18, 2026

Top Headlines

The Real Danger of Tylenol Has Nothing to Do with Autism

Jan. 18, 2026 While social media continues to circulate claims linking acetaminophen to autism in children, medical experts say those fears distract from a far more serious and proven danger: overdose. Acetaminophen, found in Tylenol and many cold and flu ...

Scientists Sent Viruses to Space and They Evolved in Surprising Ways

Jan. 18, 2026 When scientists sent bacteria-infecting viruses to the International Space Station, the microbes did not behave the same way they do on Earth. In microgravity, infections still occurred, but both viruses and bacteria evolved differently over time. ...

A 47-year Study Reveals When Fitness and Strength Start to Fade

Jan. 18, 2026 A long-running Swedish study has followed adults for nearly five decades, uncovering when physical decline truly begins. Fitness and strength start slipping around age 35, then worsen gradually with age. The encouraging twist: adults who began ...

How Scientists Are Turning Thyme Into Precision Medicine

Jan. 17, 2026 Thyme extract is packed with health-promoting compounds, but it is difficult to control and easy to waste. Researchers created a new technique that traps tiny amounts of the extract inside microscopic capsules, preventing evaporation and irritation. ...

AI Maps the Hidden Forces Shaping Cancer Survival Worldwide

Jan. 17, 2026 Researchers have turned artificial intelligence into a powerful new lens for understanding why cancer survival rates differ so dramatically around the world. By analyzing cancer data and health system information from 185 countries, the AI model ...

An Endocrinologist Tried a New Weight Loss Approach and It Worked

Jan. 17, 2026 A simple change in how primary care clinics approach weight management is delivering big public health wins. PATHWEIGH lets patients openly request help and gives doctors the tools to focus entire visits on weight care. In a massive real-world ...

Scientists Are Rethinking Bamboo as a Powerful New Superfood

Jan. 16, 2026 Bamboo shoots may be far more than a crunchy side dish. A comprehensive review found they can help control blood sugar, support heart and gut health, and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Laboratory and human studies also suggest bamboo may ...

Researchers Found a Tipping Point for Video Gaming and Health

Jan. 16, 2026 Moderate video gaming appears harmless, but heavy gaming may take a toll on young people’s health. Researchers found that students gaming more than 10 hours a week had worse diets, higher body weight, and poorer sleep than lighter gamers. Below ...

A Routine Eye Treatment Is Raising New Concerns for Glaucoma Patients

Jan. 16, 2026 A new study warns that a widely used eye ointment can damage a popular glaucoma implant. Researchers found that oil-based ointments can be absorbed into the implant’s material, causing it to swell and sometimes break. Patient cases showed damage ...

Vitamin a May Be Helping Cancer Hide from the Immune System

Jan. 16, 2026 A vitamin A byproduct has been found to quietly disarm the immune system, allowing tumors to evade attack and weakening cancer vaccines. Scientists have now developed a drug that shuts down this pathway, dramatically boosting immune responses and ...

One Protein May Decide Whether Brain Chemistry Heals or Harms

Jan. 15, 2026 Tryptophan does far more than help us sleep—it fuels brain chemistry, energy production, and mood-regulating neurotransmitters. But as the brain ages or develops neurological disease, this delicate system goes awry, pushing tryptophan toward ...

Statins May Help Almost Everyone with Type 2 Diabetes Live Longer

Jan. 15, 2026 New research suggests statins may protect adults with type 2 diabetes regardless of how low their predicted heart risk appears. In a large UK study, statin use was linked to fewer deaths and major cardiac events across all risk levels. Even those ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:09pm EST

This After-Meal Blood Sugar Spike May Raise Alzheimer’s Risk

Jan. 15, 2026 Spikes in blood sugar after eating may be more dangerous for the brain than previously thought. In a massive genetic study, people with higher post-meal blood sugar had a much greater risk of ...

Scientists Question the Safety of BPA-Free Packaging

Jan. 15, 2026 “BPA-free” food packaging may be hiding new risks. A McGill University study found that several BPA substitutes used in grocery price labels can seep into food and interfere with vital processes ...

Northwestern Medicine’s New Antibody Wakes the Immune System Against Pancreatic Cancer

Jan. 15, 2026 Pancreatic cancer uses a sugar-coated disguise to evade the immune system, helping explain why it’s so hard to treat. Northwestern scientists ...

Scientists Uncover a Hidden Type of Diabetes in Newborns

Jan. 14, 2026 Researchers have discovered a rare new type of diabetes that affects babies early in life. The condition is caused by changes in a single gene that prevent insulin-producing cells from working ...

Scientists Finally Uncover Why Statins Cause Muscle Pain

Jan. 14, 2026 A new discovery may explain why so many people abandon cholesterol-lowering statins because of muscle pain and weakness. Researchers found that certain statins can latch onto a key muscle protein and ...

This Sweet Fruit Is Packed With Hidden Health Compounds

Jan. 14, 2026 Scientists are taking a closer look at monk fruit and discovering it’s more than just a sugar substitute. New research shows its peel and pulp contain a rich mix of antioxidants and bioactive ...

Massive Brain Study Reveals Why Memory Loss Can Suddenly Speed Up With Age

Jan. 14, 2026 A massive international brain study has revealed that memory decline with age isn’t driven by a single brain region or gene, but by widespread structural changes across the brain that build up over ...

Doctors Discover the Source of Mysterious Intoxication

Jan. 13, 2026 Some people get drunk without drinking because their gut bacteria produce alcohol from food. Researchers have now identified the microbes and biological pathways behind this rare condition, ...

Millions With Dementia Still Prescribed Drugs Linked to Falls and Confusion

Jan. 13, 2026 Despite longstanding guidelines, many dementia patients are still prescribed brain-altering medications that can raise the risk of falls and confusion. A new study shows that while prescribing has ...

This AI Spots Dangerous Blood Cells Doctors Often Miss

Jan. 13, 2026 A generative AI system can now analyze blood cells with greater accuracy and confidence than human experts, detecting subtle signs of diseases like leukemia. It not only spots rare abnormalities but ...

This New Sugar Tastes Like the Real Thing Without the Usual Downsides

Jan. 13, 2026 Scientists at Tufts have found a way to turn common glucose into a rare sugar that tastes almost exactly like table sugar—but with far fewer downsides. Using engineered bacteria as microscopic ...

A New Test Reveals Which Antibiotics Truly Kill Bacteria

Jan. 12, 2026 Some antibiotics stop bacteria from growing without actually killing them, allowing infections to return later. Scientists at the University of Basel created a new test that tracks individual ...

MIT’s Smart Pill Confirms You Took Your Medicine

Jan. 13, 2026 MIT engineers have developed a pill that can wirelessly report when it’s been swallowed. Inside the capsule is a biodegradable antenna that sends a signal within minutes of ingestion, then safely ...

A Room Full of Flu Patients and No One Got Sick

Jan. 11, 2026 In a striking real-world experiment, flu patients spent days indoors with healthy volunteers, but the virus never spread. Researchers found that limited coughing and well-mixed indoor air kept virus ...

A Hidden Loop Is Powering Deadly Pancreatic Cancer

Jan. 10, 2026 Pancreatic cancer is notoriously hard to treat, often resisting therapies that target its most common mutations. Researchers have now uncovered a hidden three-part loop that fuels tumor growth, ...

This Natural Amino Acid Could Help Stop Cavities Before They Start

Jan. 9, 2026 Sugar-loving mouth bacteria create acids that damage teeth, but arginine can help fight back. In a clinical trial, arginine-treated dental plaque stayed less acidic, became structurally less harmful, ...

Scientists Found a Way to Supercharge the Immune System Against Cancer

Jan. 9, 2026 Researchers have developed a new class of antibodies that amplify the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. By clustering immune receptors that normally receive weak signals from tumors, these ...

The 4x Rule: Why Some People’s DNA Is More Unstable Than Others

Jan. 9, 2026 A large genetic study shows that many people carry DNA sequences that slowly expand as they get older. Common genetic variants can dramatically alter how fast this expansion happens, sometimes ...

Common Food Preservatives Linked to Higher Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Jan. 9, 2026 Foods that rely heavily on preservatives may be doing more than extending shelf life. In a large study spanning more than a decade, people with the highest intake of preservative additives were far ...

Scientists Find Exercise Rivals Therapy for Depression

Jan. 8, 2026 A large review of studies suggests that exercise can ease depression about as effectively as psychological therapy. Compared with antidepressants, exercise showed similar benefits, though the ...

Stanford’s AI Spots Hidden Disease Warnings That Show Up While You Sleep

Jan. 9, 2026 Stanford researchers have developed an AI that can predict future disease risk using data from just one night of sleep. The system analyzes detailed physiological signals, looking for hidden patterns ...

People in Brazil Are Living Past 110 and Scientists Want to Know Why

Jan. 8, 2026 Scientists are uncovering why Brazil may be one of the most important yet underused resources for studying extreme longevity. Its highly diverse population harbors millions of genetic variants ...

The Simplest Way Teens Can Protect Their Mental Health

Jan. 7, 2026 Teens who sleep in on weekends may be giving their mental health a boost. A new study found that young people who made up for lost weekday sleep had a significantly lower risk of depression. While ...

A Simple Drug Pair May Succeed Where Liver Fibrosis Treatments Failed

Jan. 6, 2026 Scientists have found that combining silybin with carvedilol works far better against liver fibrosis than either drug alone. The duo targets the root drivers of liver scarring, sharply reducing ...

The Secret to Human Intelligence? It Might Be in Our Gut

Jan. 5, 2026 New research shows gut bacteria can directly influence how the brain develops and functions. When scientists transferred microbes from different primates into mice, the animals’ brains began to ...

Ancient Skeletons Reveal Viruses Embedded in Human DNA

Jan. 7, 2026 Researchers have reconstructed ancient herpesvirus genomes from Iron Age and medieval Europeans, revealing that HHV-6 has been infecting humans for at least 2,500 years. Some people inherited the ...

A Weak Body Clock May Be an Early Warning for Dementia

Jan. 3, 2026 Your daily rhythm may matter more for brain health than previously thought. Older adults with weaker, more disrupted activity patterns were far more likely to develop dementia than those with steady ...

Injection Turns Sleeping Tumor Immune Cells Into Cancer Fighters

Jan. 11, 2026 KAIST researchers have developed a way to reprogram immune cells already inside tumors into cancer-killing machines. A drug injected directly into the tumor is absorbed by macrophages, prompting them ...

Just 10 Minutes of Exercise Can Trigger Powerful Anti-Cancer Effects

Jan. 8, 2026 A brief, intense workout may do more than boost fitness—it could help fight cancer. Researchers found that just 10 minutes of hard exercise releases molecules into the bloodstream that switch on ...

Long COVID May Be Fueled by Inflammation and Tiny Clots

Jan. 8, 2026 Long COVID affects an estimated 65 million people worldwide and can damage the brain, heart, blood vessels, and immune system long after infection. Researchers now link symptoms to lingering virus, ...