Chronic Illness News

February 8, 2026

Top Headlines

Scientists Found a Gut Compound That Helps Protect the Liver

Feb. 8, 2026 What a mother eats during pregnancy may quietly shape her child’s liver health years down the road—but new research suggests there may be a way to tip the odds back in a healthier direction. Scientists found that a natural compound made by ...

Menopause Linked to Grey Matter Loss in Key Brain Regions

Feb. 7, 2026 A major study suggests menopause is linked to changes in brain structure, mental health, and sleep. Brain scans revealed grey matter loss in areas tied to memory and emotional regulation, while many women reported increased anxiety, depression, and ...

Scientists Find a Missing Link Between Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis

Feb. 6, 2026 New research suggests that Epstein-Barr virus may actively provoke the immune system in people with multiple sclerosis. Scientists found large buildups of virus-targeting immune cells in the nervous ...

Scientists Found a Hidden Fat Switch and Turned It Off

Feb. 6, 2026 Researchers have discovered a previously unknown enzyme that plays a crucial role in fat production. By blocking it, they stopped weight gain, reduced liver damage, and lowered harmful cholesterol levels in animal studies. The finding opens the door ...

Why Colorectal Cancer Breaks the Immune System’s Rules

Feb. 6, 2026 Colorectal cancer has long baffled scientists because, unlike most tumors, patients often do better when their cancers are packed with immune-suppressing regulatory T cells. New research finally explains why. Scientists discovered that these T cells ...

A Hidden Brain Effect of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Feb. 6, 2026 New research using rhesus monkeys suggests that the brain’s relationship with alcohol may begin forming long before a person ever takes a drink. Scientists found that exposure to alcohol before birth reshaped the brain’s dopamine system, a key ...

Scientists Uncover Why Psoriasis Can Turn Into Joint Disease

Feb. 5, 2026 Researchers have figured out how psoriasis can quietly turn into joint disease for some patients. Immune cells formed in inflamed skin can travel through the blood and reach the joints, where they sometimes trigger inflammation. The key difference ...

The Overlooked Nutrition Risk of Ozempic and Wegovy

Feb. 4, 2026 Popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy can dramatically curb appetite, but experts warn many users are flying blind when it comes to nutrition. New research suggests people taking these medications may not be getting enough guidance on ...

Why Heart Disease Risk in Type 2 Diabetes Looks Different for Men and Women

Feb. 4, 2026 Scientists are digging into why heart disease risk in type 2 diabetes differs between men and women—and sex hormones may be part of the story. In a large Johns Hopkins study, men with higher testosterone had lower heart disease risk, while rising ...

Sound Machines Might Be Making Your Sleep Worse

Feb. 4, 2026 Sound machines may not be the sleep saviors many believe. Researchers found that pink noise significantly reduced REM sleep, while simple earplugs did a better job protecting deep, restorative sleep from traffic noise. When pink noise was combined ...

A Hidden Cellular Process May Drive Aging and Disease

Feb. 4, 2026 As we age, our cells don’t just wear down—they reorganize. Researchers found that cells actively remodel a key structure called the endoplasmic reticulum, reducing protein-producing regions while preserving fat-related ones. This process, driven ...

Scientists Discover Protein That Could Heal Leaky Gut and Ease Depression

Feb. 2, 2026 Chronic stress can damage the gut’s protective lining, triggering inflammation that may worsen depression. New research shows that stress lowers levels of a protein called Reelin, which plays a key role in both gut repair and brain health. ...

Latest Headlines

updated 8:36am EST

Doctors Test Brain Cell Implants to Restore Movement in Parkinson’s

Feb. 6, 2026 Scientists at Keck Medicine of USC are testing an experimental stem cell therapy that aims to restore the brain’s ability to produce dopamine, the chemical whose loss drives Parkinson’s disease. ...

Middle Age Is Becoming a Breaking Point in the U.S.

Feb. 1, 2026 Middle age is becoming a tougher chapter for many Americans, especially those born in the 1960s and early 1970s. Compared with earlier generations, they report more loneliness and depression, along ...

A Quiet Change in Everyday Foods Could Save Thousands of Lives

Jan. 31, 2026 Lowering salt in everyday foods could quietly save lives. Researchers found that modest sodium reductions in bread, packaged foods, and takeout meals could significantly reduce heart disease and ...

Late Bedtimes Are Linked to Higher Heart Disease Risk

Jan. 30, 2026 People who naturally stay up late may be putting their hearts under added strain as they age. A large study tracking more than 300,000 adults found that middle-aged and older night owls had poorer ...

The Early Turning Point When Men’s Heart Risk Accelerates

Jan. 30, 2026 Men start developing heart disease earlier than women, with risks rising faster beginning around age 35, according to long-term research. The difference is driven mainly by coronary heart disease, ...

Scientists Find Hidden Pathways Pancreatic Cancer Uses to Spread

Jan. 30, 2026 Researchers have discovered how pancreatic cancer reprograms its surroundings to spread quickly and stealthily. By using a protein called periostin, the tumor remodels nearby tissue and invades ...

A Fish That Ages in Months Reveals How Kidneys Grow Old

Jan. 30, 2026 A fast-aging fish is giving scientists a rare, accelerated look at how kidneys grow old—and how a common drug may slow that process down. Researchers found that SGLT2 inhibitors, widely used to ...

A Diabetes Drug Shows Surprising Promise Against Heart Disease

Jan. 29, 2026 An experimental drug once known for helping control type 2 diabetes may also fight heart disease. Researchers found IC7Fc lowered cholesterol, blood fats, and artery-clogging plaques while calming ...

A Simple Blood Test Could Spot Parkinson’s Years Before Symptoms

Jan. 29, 2026 Scientists in Sweden and Norway have uncovered a promising way to spot Parkinson’s disease years—possibly decades—before its most damaging symptoms appear. By detecting subtle biological ...

Study Raises Red Flags Over Long-Term Effectiveness of Popular Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic

Jan. 29, 2026 Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Zepbound can drive impressive weight loss, but stopping them is often followed by rapid weight regain. Researchers found that ...

Why Long COVID Brain Fog Seems So Much Worse in the U.S.

Jan. 28, 2026 A massive international study of more than 3,100 long COVID patients uncovered a striking divide in how brain-related symptoms are reported around the world. In the U.S., the vast majority of ...

The Fat You Can’t See Could Be Shrinking Your Brain

Jan. 28, 2026 Where your body stores fat may matter just as much as how much you carry—especially for your brain. Using advanced MRI scans and data from nearly 26,000 people, researchers identified two ...

Helping With Grandkids May Slow Cognitive Decline

Jan. 29, 2026 Helping care for grandchildren may offer an unexpected boost to brain health later in life. Researchers found that grandparents who provided childcare scored higher on memory and verbal skills than ...

Scientists Just Cracked the Hidden Rules of Cancer Evolution

Jan. 26, 2026 Cancer doesn’t evolve by pure chaos. Scientists have developed a powerful new method that reveals the hidden rules guiding how cancer cells gain and lose whole chromosomes—massive genetic shifts ...

Scientists Exposed How Cancer Hides in Plain Sight

Jan. 24, 2026 Pancreatic cancer may evade the immune system using a clever molecular trick. Researchers found that the cancer-driving protein MYC also suppresses immune alarm signals, allowing tumors to grow ...

The Hidden Health Impact of Growing Up With ADHD Traits

Jan. 24, 2026 A large, decades-long study suggests that signs of ADHD in childhood may have consequences that extend well beyond school and behavior. Researchers followed nearly 11,000 people from childhood into ...

Finally Explained: Why Kidney Disease Is So Deadly for the Heart

Jan. 20, 2026 Scientists have uncovered why people with chronic kidney disease so often die from heart problems: damaged kidneys release tiny particles into the bloodstream that actively poison the heart. These ...

Scientists Identify Hidden Protein Interaction Driving Parkinson’s Disease

Jan. 20, 2026 Researchers have identified a key molecular interaction that accelerates Parkinson’s disease by damaging the brain’s energy systems. They designed a new treatment that intercepts this harmful ...

Cannabis Was Touted for Nerve Pain. The Evidence Falls Short

Jan. 19, 2026 Cannabis-based medicines have been widely promoted as a potential answer for people living with chronic nerve pain—but a major new review finds the evidence just isn’t there yet. After analyzing ...

Scientists Discover Why Some Wounds Refuse to Heal

Jan. 20, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising reason why some chronic wounds refuse to heal, even when treated with antibiotics. A common bacterium found in long-lasting wounds does not just resist drugs. ...

Major Review Finds No Autism or ADHD Risk from Pregnancy Tylenol

Jan. 19, 2026 A major new scientific review brings reassuring news for expectant parents: using acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy does not increase a child’s risk of autism, ADHD, or ...

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 ...

A Global DNA Study Reveals a Hidden Threat in Diabetic Foot Infections

Jan. 20, 2026 Scientists have uncovered new clues about why diabetic foot infections can become so severe and difficult to treat. By analyzing the DNA of E. coli bacteria taken from infected wounds around the ...

Patients Tried Everything for Depression Then This Implant Changed Their Lives

Jan. 20, 2026 Researchers report that vagus nerve stimulation helped many people with long-standing, treatment-resistant depression feel better—and stay better—for at least two years. Most participants had ...

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 ...

Scientists Find ‘master Regulator’ That Could Reverse Brain Aging

Jan. 16, 2026 Researchers have identified OTULIN, an immune-regulating enzyme, as a key trigger of tau buildup in the brain. When OTULIN was disabled, tau vanished from neurons and brain cells remained healthy. ...

These Common Food Preservatives May Be Linked to Cancer

Jan. 27, 2026 A large French study tracking more than 100,000 people over a decade has found that higher consumption of certain food preservatives—commonly found in processed foods and drinks—is linked to a ...

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 ...