Living Well News

November 18, 2025

Top Headlines

Scientists Discover Metformin May Block Key Exercise Benefits

Nov. 18, 2025 Rutgers scientists found that metformin can blunt many of the metabolic and cardiovascular improvements normally produced by exercise. Participants who took the drug saw reduced gains in fitness, blood vessel function, and glucose control. The ...

A Silent Kidney Crisis Is Spreading Faster Than Anyone Expected

Nov. 18, 2025 Chronic kidney disease has surged to nearly 800 million cases and is now among the top causes of death worldwide. The condition is heavily linked to diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and often goes unnoticed until late stages. Many countries lack ...

Blocking One Enzyme May Break the Link Between Alcohol and Liver Disease

Nov. 18, 2025 Scientists discovered that alcohol activates a sugar-producing pathway in the body, creating fructose that may reinforce addictive drinking. The enzyme responsible, KHK, appears to drive both alcohol cravings and liver injury. When this enzyme was ...

Amazon Scorpion Venom Shows Stunning Power Against Breast Cancer

Nov. 18, 2025 Scientists are turning venom, radioisotopes, engineered proteins, and AI into powerful new tools against cancer. From Amazonian scorpions yielding molecules that kill breast cancer cells as effectively as chemotherapy, to improved fibrin sealants ...

A Surprising CBD Advance Calms Pain Without Side Effects

Nov. 18, 2025 Researchers developed a new nano-micelle formulation, CBD-IN, that finally gets CBD into the brain effectively. In mice, it relieved neuropathic pain quickly and didn’t cause the usual movement or memory side effects. Surprisingly, the pain relief ...

Chronic Pain May Dramatically Raise Your Blood Pressure

Nov. 17, 2025 Chronic pain might quietly push people toward developing high blood pressure—and the more widespread the pain, the greater the danger. A massive analysis of over 200,000 adults uncovered strong links between long-lasting pain, depression, ...

Daily Music Listening Linked to Big Drop in Dementia Risk

Nov. 17, 2025 Older adults who regularly listen to or play music appear to have significantly lower risks of dementia and cognitive decline. The data suggests that musical engagement could be a powerful, enjoyable tool for supporting cognitive resilience in ...

Ultra-processed Foods Quietly Push Young Adults Toward Prediabetes

Nov. 17, 2025 Ultra-processed foods, already known for their links to health problems in adults, are now shown to harm young adults too, disrupting blood sugar regulation long before illness appears. A four-year USC study following 85 participants found that even ...

Scientists Melt Early Protein Clumps and Shut Down Alzheimer’s Damage

Nov. 15, 2025 Researchers found that tau proteins don’t jump straight into forming Alzheimer’s-associated fibrils—first they assemble into soft, reversible clusters. When the clusters were dissolved, fibril growth was almost entirely suppressed. This ...

Scientists Find a Molecule That Mimics Exercise and Slows Aging

Nov. 13, 2025 Exercise appears to spark a whole-body anti-aging cascade, and scientists have now mapped out how it happens—and how a simple oral compound can mimic it. By following volunteers through rest, intense workouts, and endurance training, researchers ...

Your Anxiety May Be Controlled by Hidden Immune Cells in the Brain

Nov. 13, 2025 Researchers have uncovered surprising evidence that anxiety may be controlled not by neurons but by two dueling groups of immune cells inside the brain. These microglia act like biological pedals—one pushing anxiety forward and the other holding ...

New Study Finds Hidden Diabetes Danger in Vaping

Nov. 13, 2025 Smoking, vaping, or using both products significantly increases the likelihood of developing prediabetes and diabetes, and the risk is even higher among Hispanic, Black, and low-income groups. Researchers found that vaping alone raises prediabetes ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:09am EST

The Hidden Brain Bias That Makes Some Lies So Convincing

Nov. 17, 2025 People are more likely to believe lies when there’s the possibility of a reward. Neuroimaging shows that the brain shifts into reward or risk mode depending on whether the context involves a gain ...

GLP-1 Drugs Like Ozempic Deliver Huge Weight Loss but New Research Reveals a Hidden Catch

Nov. 16, 2025 GLP-1 drugs like tirzepatide and semaglutide offer powerful weight-loss effects but come with unanswered questions about long-term safety, side ...

Neuroscientists Find Immune Cells That May Slow Aging

Nov. 16, 2025 A newly recognized set of T helper cells seems to guard against aging by eliminating harmful senescent cells. Their presence in supercentenarians suggests they may be a key to maintaining a ...

Smoking Cannabis With Tobacco May Disrupt the Brain’s “bliss Molecule”

Nov. 15, 2025 Scientists found that people who use both cannabis and tobacco show a distinct brain pattern tied to mood and stress regulation. Their scans revealed ...

Smart Drug Strikes a Hidden RNA Weak Point in Cancer Cells

Nov. 13, 2025 Researchers have designed a smart drug that hunts down and breaks a little-known RNA that cancer cells depend on. The drug recognizes a unique fold in the RNA and triggers the cell to destroy it. ...

Strange Microscopic Structures Found in Long COVID Blood

Nov. 13, 2025 Scientists have discovered strange microscopic structures in the blood of people with Long COVID—clusters of tiny microclots tangled together with sticky immune webs known as neutrophil ...

Cheap Gout Drug May Slash Heart Attack and Stroke Risk

Nov. 12, 2025 Colchicine, a cheap and widely used gout drug, may help prevent heart attacks and strokes in people with cardiovascular disease. Trials involving nearly 23,000 patients show meaningful reductions in ...

Hidden Household Toxin Triples Liver Disease Risk, Study Finds

Nov. 12, 2025 Scientists have uncovered a new environmental culprit behind liver disease: tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a chemical used in dry cleaning and household products. The study found that people with PCE ...

New Study Finds Ozempic and Mounjaro Protect the Heart Too

Nov. 12, 2025 New research from the Technical University of Munich and Harvard Medical School reveals that popular GLP-1-based drugs, semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), not only promote weight loss ...

Scientists Find 15 Gut Bacteria That May Drive Heart Disease

Nov. 12, 2025 Scientists in Seoul have uncovered 15 gut bacterial species linked to coronary artery disease, showing that microbes can influence heart health far beyond digestion. Their findings reveal how shifts ...

Wegovy and Ozempic Tied to Dramatically Lower Cancer Deaths

Nov. 12, 2025 GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may extend the lives of colon cancer patients, according to a major UC San Diego study. Patients on the medications had less than half the mortality rate of ...

Running on Little Sleep? You’re Twice as Likely to Get Hurt

Nov. 11, 2025 Researchers found that runners who sleep poorly face nearly double the injury risk compared to those who rest well. The study highlights that sleep is not just recovery—it’s a key factor in ...

Clearing Brain Plaques Isn’t Enough to Heal Alzheimer’s

Nov. 11, 2025 Japanese researchers found that lecanemab, an amyloid-clearing drug for Alzheimer’s, does not improve the brain’s waste clearance system in the short term. This implies that nerve damage and ...

A Hidden Breathing Problem May Be Behind Chronic Fatigue’s Crushing Exhaustion

Nov. 10, 2025 Scientists have discovered that most chronic fatigue patients experience dysfunctional breathing, which may worsen their symptoms. The likely culprit is dysautonomia, a disruption in how the body ...

Surprising Heart Study Finds Daily Coffee May Cut AFib Risk by 39%

Nov. 10, 2025 New research finds that daily coffee drinking may cut AFib risk by nearly 40%, defying decades of medical caution. Scientists discovered that caffeine’s effects on activity, blood pressure, and ...

COVID Vaccine Linked to Fewer Infections and Allergies in Kids With Eczema

Nov. 8, 2025 New research suggests the COVID-19 vaccine could help children with eczema stay healthier overall. Vaccinated kids had lower rates of infections and allergies, including asthma and rhinitis, compared ...

Scientists Find Brain Cells That Could Stop Alzheimer’s

Nov. 8, 2025 Researchers have identified special immune cells in the brain that help slow Alzheimer’s. These microglia work to reduce inflammation and block the spread of harmful proteins. They appear to ...

Common Pesticides May Cause Testicular Damage and Lower Sperm Counts

Nov. 8, 2025 A decade-long review by George Mason University researchers reveals growing evidence that neonicotinoid insecticides—the world’s most widely used class of pesticides—may harm male reproductive ...

Mini Llama Proteins Show Promise for Alzheimer’s Treatment

Nov. 6, 2025 Miniature antibodies from camels and llamas can slip into the brain more easily than conventional drugs, offering a new way to treat disorders like Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. Researchers say ...

Common Acne Drug May Protect Against Schizophrenia

Nov. 6, 2025 Scientists have discovered a surprising benefit of the acne drug doxycycline: it may lower the risk of schizophrenia. Teens prescribed the antibiotic were about one-third less likely to develop the ...

Scientists Find Hidden Brain Source That Fuels Dementia

Nov. 6, 2025 Weill Cornell researchers uncovered how free radicals from astrocyte mitochondria can fuel dementia. Using new compounds that target these radicals at their source, they slowed brain inflammation and ...

New Gel Regrows Tooth Enamel and Could Transform Dentistry

Nov. 6, 2025 Researchers have created a bioinspired gel that can regenerate tooth enamel by mimicking natural growth processes. The fluoride-free material forms a mineral-rich layer that restores enamel’s ...

Walking May Be the Brain’s Best Defense Against Alzheimer’s

Nov. 4, 2025 Walking a few thousand steps daily may help hold off Alzheimer’s for years, a Mass General Brigham study found. Even moderate physical activity slowed both cognitive decline and the buildup of ...

Think Melatonin Is Safe? New Research Reveals a Hidden Heart Risk

Nov. 4, 2025 Long-term melatonin use for sleep problems may come with unexpected heart dangers. Researchers found that chronic users were almost twice as likely to die and 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized ...

Common Antidepressant Found to Work in Just Two Weeks

Nov. 8, 2025 Sertraline (Zoloft) may relieve emotional symptoms of depression and anxiety within two weeks, while physical side effects stabilize later. The research highlights how antidepressants can act on ...

New Laser Treatment Could Stop Blindness Before It Starts

Nov. 8, 2025 Aalto University scientists have created a laser-based treatment that uses gentle heat to stop the progression of dry macular degeneration. The approach stimulates the eye’s natural cleanup and ...

It Sounds Creepy, but These Scientific Breakthroughs Could Save Lives

Oct. 30, 2025 From mini-brains to spider-inspired gloves and wolf apple coatings, scientists are turning eerie-sounding experiments into real innovations that could revolutionize health and sustainability. ...

This Easy Daily Habit Cuts Heart Risk by Two Thirds

Oct. 28, 2025 New research reveals that walking in longer, uninterrupted bouts of 10–15 minutes significantly lowers cardiovascular disease risk—by up to two-thirds compared to shorter strolls. Scientists from ...

Scientists May Have Found How to Reverse Memory Loss in Aging Brains

Nov. 5, 2025 Virginia Tech researchers have shown that memory loss in aging may be reversible. Using CRISPR tools, they corrected molecular disruptions in the hippocampus and amygdala, restoring memory in older ...

Alzheimer’s Might Be Powered by a Broken Sleep-Wake Cycle

Nov. 3, 2025 Disrupted sleep patterns in Alzheimer’s disease may be more than a symptom—they could be a driving force. Researchers at Washington University found that the brain’s circadian rhythms are ...