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HEALTH NEWS

 

Scientists Discover That Eating Peanuts Every Day May Help Protect the Aging Brain

Your dreams may be protecting you from 83 diseases, major new study finds

Plastic tea bags are releasing BPA, plasticizers and up to 2,500 microplastic particles into your cup of tea

Taurine helps regulate inflammation linked to aging, Yale study finds

Study of 57,793 Adults in 24 Countries Links Varied Social Activity to Better Cognitive Scores

 

Scientists Discover That Eating Peanuts Every Day May Help Protect the Aging Brain
Maastricht University Medical Center (Netherlands), October 27, 2026 (SciTech Daily)

Peanuts may offer more than a convenient source of protein and healthy fats. New research suggests that eating them regularly could help the aging brain respond more effectively to insulin.The hormone insulin plays an important role in the brain, where it supports memory, learning, communication between nerve cells and other cognitive processes. As people age, the brain may become less responsive to insulin, which has been linked to age-related cognitive decliner.

In a small clinical trial, researchers at Maastricht University Medical Center found that eating unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts daily for 16 weeks improved insulin responsiveness in brain regions involved in memory. The study was published in Food & Function.

The trial included 31 healthy adults aged 60 to 75. Each participant completed a 16-week period of eating peanuts and a control period without them. During the peanut period, participants ate 60 grams (approximately two servings), or about 2.1 ounces, daily. They were instructed to consume the peanuts in the morning or afternoon.

The changes in insulin responsiveness appeared in a cluster on the brain’s right side, encompassing parts of the lingual gyrus, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus. These regions are involved in memory.

 

Earlier results  showed a 3.6% increase in global cerebral blood flow, which supplies the brain with oxygen and nutrients, alongside a 5.8% improvement in verbal memory.

 

Your dreams may be protecting you from 83 diseases, major new study finds

Capital Medical University and Peking University (China), October 26 2026 (Natural News)

More time in REM (rapid eye movement), or dream, sleep was linked to lower risk of 83 diseases in a study of 95,559 UK adults.

About 48 extra minutes of REM sleep was tied to a 26% lower risk of heart failure, a 46% lower risk of dementia and an 80% lower risk of parkinsonism.

Roughly 48 more minutes of it went along with an 11% drop in type 2 diabetes risk and a 14% drop in major depression risk..

Sleeping six to eight hours carried the lowest risk for 69 conditions, while under five hours raised risk for 37.

A steady sleep schedule, skipping alcohol, morning light and magnesium-rich foods may help improve sleep naturally.

More than eight hours didn’t offer extra protection. In fact, those logging more than eight hours were 60% more likely to develop major depression, though the authors note that oversleeping can itself be an early symptom of depression.

Plastic tea bags are releasing BPA, plasticizers and up to 2,500 microplastic particles into your cup of tea
Recep Tayyip Erdogan University (Turkey), October 26 2026 (Medical Xpress)

Microplastics are now impossible to avoid. They have made their way into everything from agricultural soils to freshwater systems. So, it is unsurprising that they end up in most foods and drinks. One such example is the plastic tea bag. While many tea bags are still made of a cellulose material, some brands use a plastic mesh, despite the well-established fact that plastics can break down in hot water.

Studies have reported particle release from tea bags, along with the migration of other plastic-related chemicals, such as phthalate esters (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA), which are added during production for increased flexibility, durability and thermal resistance. One study even reported that a single plastic tea bag releases billions of microplastic pieces at normal brewing temperatures.

Now, a new study, published in npj Science of Food, has analyzed plastic tea bags from four different brands to break down their average microplastic release, the types of microplastics they contain and the PAE and BPA content in the average cup. The study compares tea brewed with plastic tea bags to bagless bulk tea.

Plastic bags brewed for three minutes at approximately 95°C (203 degrees Fahrenheit) produced averages of between 555 and 2,498 microplastic particles per cup under the tested brewing conditions, with some brands producing significantly more than others.
 

Taurine helps regulate inflammation linked to aging, Yale study finds
Yale School of Medicine, October 23 2026 (News-Medical)

 

In a new study published in Cell, researchers found that the amino acid taurine is key to the way the innate immune system senses danger signals. Even more, boosting taurine levels may diminish the effects of inflammaging.

The researchers first became interested in taurine after finding that it increased as people restricted their calorie intake for up to one year. The team also found that moderate calorie restriction led to lower chronic inflammation-something that enhances healthy lifespan. But calorie restriction is not practical for most adults and there was little evidence as to whether taurine linked metabolism to the immune system.

Taurine levels were expected to decrease with age because aging is associated with an increase in inflammation. They found that taurine actually increased with age. The finding was surprising and suggested that taurine does not drive aging.

To find out if taurine plays a role in the NLRP3-mediated inflammation pathway, macrophages in a culture dish were challenged with various danger signals, including bacterial toxins. As the signals appeared, NLRP3 complexes began to assemble within the macrophages. Surprisingly, as the complexes were forming, macrophages released up to 80% of their taurine.

Taurine itself allowed macrophages to sense all sorts of very different danger signals to initiate NLRP3 assembly. Restoring lost taurine back in cells stopped the downstream inflammatory responses initiated by the formation of NLRP3 inflammasome.

 

 

Study of 57,793 Adults in 24 Countries Links Varied Social Activity to Better Cognitive Scores

Shandong Medical University (China), October 26 2026 (Natural News)

 

Participants were followed for a median of six years, and researchers assessed memory and other thinking skills and reported the results as cognitive scores, the report stated.

The findings add to a body of research on lifestyle factors and cognitive aging. A 2026 Alzheimer's Association report found that nearly 9 in 10 American adults say maintaining brain health is very important, while only 9% say they know a lot about how to do it.

A new international study explored how social engagement relates to cognitive health. Participants reported whether they took part in activities such as volunteering, sports clubs and classes.

People who participated in social activities tended to have better cognitive outcomes over time than those who did not. Two activities stood out across all five survey groups: volunteering and sports club participation.

Researchers said these experiences may keep the brain engaged and support cognitive reserve, described as the ability to cope with age-related changes and maintain function.

CLIPS 

 

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HEALTH NEWS
 

Study: Pomegranate-Derived Compound May Address Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Study finds lower rates of overweight among vegan-fed cats

Researchers identify common nutritional supplement as potential treatment for psoriasis

Vitamin C and Mistletoe Linked to Significantly Improved Survival in Breast Cancer Patients

How everyday isolation is stealing our minds, landmark study reveals

 
 

 

Study: Pomegranate-Derived Compound May Address Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Kings College London, October 21 2026 (Natural News)
 

 
Researchers at King's College London have reported that urolithin A, a compound produced after gut bacteria digest foods including pomegranates, walnuts and berries, improved measures of heart function in animal models of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and in engineered human heart tissue.
 

A particular type of heart failure affects more than 3 million people. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction occurs when the heart still pumps blood but struggles to relax and properly fill. The study tested the compound in animals and in engineered human heart tissue.

The compound activates a protein called PKGl?, which promotes relaxation of blood vessels and the heart muscle.

 

The compound also significantly improved heart function in human heart tissue engineered from stem cells, suggesting the effects in animal hearts could translate to humans. A separate account of the findings described the compound as improving heart function in animal models of HFpEF and in engineered human heart tissue.

 

Research has found that pomegranate polyphenols, like punicalagin, are metabolized by gut bacteria into urolithin A, a compound reported to reduce arterial plaque buildup and inflammation.

 

Study finds lower rates of overweight among vegan-fed cats
Griffith University (Australia), October 26 2026 (Eurekalert)

A large-scale survey has found cats fed vegan diets had lower rates of obesity and related health problems, than those fed conventional meat-based diets.

An online survey analysed veterinary assessments of 1,305 cats fed either conventional meat-based (90%) or vegan (10%) diets for at least one year.

After accounting for factorss, vegan-fed cats had 34% lower odds of being assessed as overweight.

Overweight and obesity are common in domestic cats, with veterinary studies estimating that around 30–60% of cats are overweight or obese. Excess weight is associated with a range of health problems, including arthritis, diabetes, urinary tract disease and reduced quality of life. 

Carers feeding cats vegan diets also reported lower rates of body weight-related disorders such as osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal and mobility problems.

 

Researchers identify common nutritional supplement as potential treatment for psoriasis
State Key Laboratory of Biomedical Analysis (China), October 27 2026 (Eurekalert)

Researchers in China have discovered that the vitamin B5 derivative pantethine limits the activity of immune cells that are key contributors to autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis. The study, to be published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), shows that pantethine prevents the development of psoriasis in mice and also helps alleviate the symptoms of psoriasis patients in a small-scale human trial.

Dendritic cells are specialized immune cells that help to coordinate the different parts of the immune system. They can engulf and present foreign antigens to activate highly specific T cells, as well as secrete a variety of immune signaling molecules to recruit other types of immune cells and promote inflammation. Because of this central role in directing immune responses, aberrant activation of dendritic cells is thought to underlie a variety of autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis.

The researchers found that the levels of metabolic enzymes known as Vanins are elevated in the dendritic cells of patients with psoriasis and several other autoimmune diseases. Depleting these enzymes inhibited dendritic cell activation and limited their ability to activate T cells.

Vanin enzymes convert the metabolite pantethine into vitamin B5, an essential nutrient required for cellular energy production. Pantethine itself is a widely available nutritional supplement often used to lower blood cholesterol levels due to its ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis. Intriguingly, cholesterol can promote the activation of dendritic cells, and high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for the development of psoriasis.

Pantethine administration effectively alleviated psoriasis in mice, suggesting that insufficient pantethine levels may be the crucial contributor to hyperactivation of dendritic cells and autoimmune inflammation following the up-regulation of Vanins,” Zhang says.

 

Vitamin C and Mistletoe Linked to Significantly Improved Survival in Breast Cancer Patients
Yeom Chang Hwan Hospital (South Korea), October 26 2026 (Focal Points)

 

A new prospective cohort study published in Cancers followed 748 women with breast cancer for an average of 20.2 months and found that two natural-derived therapies were independently associated with substantially improved survival:

MISTLETOE: 54% lower mortality risk (HR 0.463; p = 0.030).

IV VITAMIN C: 44% lower mortality risk (HR 0.561; p = 0.045).

Both associations remained statistically significant after adjustment for major clinical factors, including metastasis, chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and other complementary treatments.

High-dose intravenous vitamin C was administered at 10–100 grams once or twice weekly, while mistletoe extract was administered through subcutaneous injections of 0.02–20 mg once or twice weekly. Treatment protocols required at least three months of therapy and more than 10 sessions.

According to the study, high-dose intravenous vitamin C can achieve pharmacological concentrations that act as a pro-oxidant, generating hydrogen peroxide and inducing oxidative stress that may preferentially damage malignant cells. Vitamin C may also influence mitochondrial function, inflammatory signaling, and epigenetic regulation through DNA demethylation.

Mistletoe extract may stimulate natural killer cells and T-lymphocytes, activate cancer-cell apoptosis (programmed cell death), and suppress VEGF signaling involved in tumor blood-vessel formation.

 

How everyday isolation is stealing our minds, landmark study reveals
University of St Andrews (Scotland) & the Max Planck Institute (Germany), October 26 2026 (Natural News)

 
 

The research, which tracked over 30,000 Americans for nearly two decades, reveals that the objective absence of social contact—more than the subjective feeling of loneliness—acts as a powerful, independent force eroding mental sharpness.

 

The study concluded that a staggering 94% of isolation's damaging effect on cognition operates independently of the feeling of loneliness.

 

Modeling shows that moving someone from high to moderate isolation yields a measurable slowing of cognitive decline, a benefit consistent across gender, race and education.

 

The research adds decisive evidence that social isolation significantly increases dementia risk, making it a clear target for prevention efforts in the absence of a cure.

Loneliness is an internal, emotional state—a feeling of distress about one's social connections. Social isolation is an external, measurable condition of having few connections. The data showed that many people who feel lonely are not actually isolated and crucially, many who are highly isolated do not report feeling lonely.

HEALTH NEWS
 

 

Meta-Analysis Links Daily Nut Intake to Lower Hypertension Risk

Probiotics May Protect From Signs of Early Cognitive Decline, Clinical Trial Finds

Late-Night Snacking Could Be Putting Your Liver at Risk

Can drinking tea help protect against cardiovascular disease?

US drinking water could contain double the reported PFAS levels, model estimates

 
 

Meta-Analysis Links Daily Nut Intake to Lower Hypertension Risk
Imperial College London, October 19 2026 (Natural News)

 

 
A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that regular nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension, researchers said.
 

Participants who ate the most nuts had a 16% lower risk of high blood pressure compared with those who ate the least. Eating about a handful of nuts each day was associated with a 20% lower risk of developing hypertension, according to a new analysis. The largest reduction, 26%, appeared at about 30 grams per day compared with none, a level that aligns with several European and North American dietary guidelines.

 

The studies followed participants aged 18 to 87. The dose-response analysis indicated a curved relationship: benefit rose with intake and then leveled off, the researchers said. Eating far more than 30 grams daily did not appear to add much extra protection based on available data.

 

The studies followed participants aged 18 to 87. The dose-response analysis indicated a curved relationship: benefit rose with intake and then leveled off, the researchers said. Eating far more than 30 grams daily did not appear to add much extra protection based on available data.

 

 

The findings add to a growing body of evidence linking nut intake to cardiovascular benefits. tary guidelines that recommend nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet

 

Probiotics May Protect From Signs of Early Cognitive Decline, Clinical Trial Finds
Chonnam National University Medical School (Korea), October 20 2026 (Science Alert)
A rigorous new clinical trial has now found evidence that certain probiotic mixes may protect from some initial signs of cognitive decline. Among older adults with early cognitive impairment, taking a multistrain probiotic supplement daily for roughly six months resulted in a number of benefits.

 
Most notably, probiotic use compared to a placebo was associated with better scores on several cognitive tests, and it also led to a significant reduction in plasma levels of pTau181. This is a blood-based biomarker of Alzheimer's disease that measures levels of a phosphorylated form of tau protein in the blood, which can reflect Alzheimer's-related changes in the brain.

Of the 100 participants originally randomized, 40 completed the 24-week probiotic intervention, while another 47 completed the placebo treatment. The probiotic given to participants consisted of three bacterial strains, including subspecies of Bifidobacterium animalis, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, and Levilactobacillus brevis.

 
Compared to those given a placebo, those who were given a daily probiotic supplement showed a significant reduction in plasma pTau181 by the end of the trial. After just 24 weeks, they also showed significantly better scores on a Clinical Dementia Rating system. After 24 weeks, changes to most inflammatory markers were generally modest. But one marker in particular, called IL-1β, declined to a greater extent in the probiotic group than the placebo group.

 

Late-Night Snacking Could Be Putting Your Liver at Risk
Oregon Health & Science University, October 21, 2026 (SciTech Daily)
Eating late at night may have consequences beyond weight gain and poor sleep. A major study lsuggests that regularly eating after dinner or close to bedtime is associated with a higher risk of liver disease.

The findings, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, link late-night eating to two liver conditions: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (fatty liver disease) and cirrhosis. For the study, late-night eating was defined as consuming food after dinner or after bedtime.

The research team examined information from self-reported dietary and lifestyle information from nearly 200,000 participants.

The results revealed a notable association. Participants who reported eating late at night had rates of liver disease that were 20% to 30% higher than those who did not report the habit.

 

Can drinking tea help protect against cardiovascular disease?
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, October 21 2026 (Eurekalert)

 

In a Journal of Internal Medicine study, people who drank tea had a lower risk of vascular disease than non–tea drinkers.

Among 485,934 adults in China followed for a median of 9.05 years, there were 14,863 cases of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease, and peripheral artery disease. Regular tea consumption was linked with an 11% lower risk of experiencing these outcomes. The lowest risk was estimated at approximately 6–8 cups per day among weekly drinkers.

Black tea showed more consistent inverse associations with vascular disease than green tea. Regarding strength, moderate-strength tea was associated with the lowest risk. Interestingly, “burning hot” tea was associated with an elevated risk of vascular disease.

“Joint analyses showed that tea consumption, smoking status and physical were collectively associated with vascular risk, with the favourable combination of habitual tea consumption, non-current smoking and high physical activity associated with the lowest risk,” the authors wrote.

 

US drinking water could contain double the reported PFAS levels, model estimates
Texas Christian University, October 25 2026 (Eurekalert)

 

Common ways of reporting perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—the man-made, so-called forever chemicals that pose environmental and health threats—could underestimate the concentration of PFAS in United States drinking water by as much as half, finds a study in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports Sustainability. Using a model based on data from across the country, the researchers estimate that by counting PFAS levels that fall below minimum reporting levels as zero, current reports capture only 44% of the average concentration of 25 PFAS in community water systems.

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires public water systems to monitor the levels of 29 PFAS in drinking water. These chemicals can persist in the environment over a long time, and previous research has linked PFAS exposure to many health issues, including cancer, liver damage, and developmental problems in children.  

The EPA’s minimum reporting levels (MRLs) generally means a concentration that most laboratories can reliably measure and report, but it doesn’t suggest that the water tested is PFAS-free or that it’s safe. But these data points are often treated as zero when agencies and researchers summarize average PFAS levels in drinking water.  

To investigate the PFAS values below the MRL, the team analyzed more than 1.8 million PFAS measurement records in the national dataset published by the EPA. They found that 98% of PFAS test results were below the MRL. 

They found that treating below-limit results as zero captured only 44% of the average concentration of the 25 PFAS that the models estimated across 9,991 community water systems. The typical reports left out more than half of the estimated total.  
The EPA has set legally enforceable limits covering six PFAS in drinking water, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), that have been linked to serious health problems. When counting below-limit results as zero, the national average concentration is about 2.6 nanograms per liter in drinking water for the six chemicals. But the team’s model estimates that, in reality, the average could be 5.2 nanograms per liter

HEALTH NEWS

Flavonoid found in citrus slows lung cancer cell growth in lab tests

Prenatal supplement linked to improved child cognition and social behavior

Antibiotic use from childhood linked to higher odds of IBS in young adulthood

Pure cranberry juice may help protect teeth from decay

Smartphones are wrecking teens' sleep, study indicates

 

Flavonoid found in citrus slows lung cancer cell growth in lab tests
Friedrich–Alexander University Erlangen–Nurnberg (Germany), October 20 2026 (Medical Xpress)

Quercetin is found in citrus fruits, onions and buckwheat and is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Now researchers at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have investigated how the plant compound could help treat lung cancer. In the lab, experiments showed that quercetin slows the division of lung cancer cells and almost completely stops their migration. The results have appeared in the journal Cell Death Discovery.

Quercetin led to the tumor cells dividing more slowly in the experiments. In one of the two types of lung cancer cells studied, the plant compound also reduced oxidative stress. This stress is caused by reactive oxygen compounds in cells and can lead to the development of cancer.

Quercetin had a particularly pronounced effect on the migration of cancer cells—a key prerequisite for them to form metastases. The higher the quercetin dose, the fewer cancer cells migrated. At the highest dose, the migration almost completely stopped,.

In the studied cancer cells, the amounts of EGFR and PD-L1 decreased. EGFR takes up growth signals and transmits them into the cell. PD-L1 can help cancer cells hide from the body's own immune defenses.\

 

Prenatal supplement linked to improved child cognition and social behavior
University of Colorado, October 20 2026 (Medical Xpress)

A nutritional supplement taken during pregnancy may support fetal brain development and improve children's cognitive performance and social behavior, according to new research from the University of Colorado.

The randomized clinical trial, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that children whose mothers took phosphatidylcholine, a form of choline found naturally in foods, had fewer social withdrawal problems and scored higher on cognitive tests than children whose mothers received a placebo.

This is the largest randomized clinical trial of prenatal choline supplementation ever conducted. What this study showed that we have not observed before was an increase in the overall IQ of about eight points when measured at age 4. That put significantly more children into the higher IQ percentile on the test we used.

Researchers enrolled 206 pregnant women, randomly assigning them at 16 weeks of pregnancy to receive either 9,000 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine daily or a placebo until delivery. Researchers assessed children's behavior from 18 months to 4 years of age and measured cognitive performance at ages 3 and 4.

Among children whose parents completed behavioral assessments, 4% in the supplement group had elevated social withdrawal problems, compared with 24% in the placebo group. These behaviors can include limited interest in other people, withdrawing from social activities and reduced eye contact.

Children in the supplement group also scored an average of nearly eight points higher on standardized cognitive tests than children in the placebo group. Researchers also observed significantly fewer children with behavioral profiles and language difficulties commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder in the supplement group.

 

Antibiotic use from childhood linked to higher odds of IBS in young adulthood

 

University of Gothenburg (Sweden), October 19 2026 (Eurekalert)

IBS is a common digestive disorder that affects more than 60 million people across Europe, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits. Whilst previous research has suggested a link between antibiotic use and IBS, evidence on whether childhood exposure is associated with IBS in adulthood remains inconsistent.

Researchers analysed data from 2,853 participants in the population-based Swedish birth cohort. Antibiotic prescriptions were obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, when participants were aged 9–11 years, until one year before IBS was assessed at age 24. The researchers examined whether participants had received antibiotics, the total number of prescriptions received, and the classes of antibiotics prescribed.

At age 24, 10.0% of participants had IBS, of whom 79.4% were female. Antibiotic use was more common among those with IBS, with 87.8% having received antibiotics during the study period compared with 80.2% of those without IBS. After accounting for sex and family socioeconomic status, those who had received antibiotics had 1.5 times the odds of IBS (95% CI 1.0–2.2) compared with those who had not.

The odds of IBS increased progressively with the number of antibiotic prescriptions. Compared with those who received no antibiotics, participants receiving one or two prescriptions had 1.3 times the odds of IBS, rising to 1.6 times (95% CI 1.0–2.4) with three to five prescriptions and 1.7 times (95% CI 1.1–2.6) with six or more.

When individual antibiotic classes were examined, tetracyclines and cephalosporins remained significantly associated with higher odds of IBS after adjusting for sex and family socioeconomic status. Any use of tetracyclines was associated with 1.4 times (95% CI 1.1–1.8) the odds of IBS, while three or more prescriptions of cephalosporins were associated with 6.0 times the odds (95% CI 1.9–18.8).

 

Pure cranberry juice may help protect teeth from decay

University of Illinois, Oct 21 2026 (News-Medical)

Boil them, mash them, simmer them in a sauce. UIC College of Dentistry researchers found another reason to add these tart berries to your grocery cart: oral health.

Medicinally speaking, cranberry juice is often used to ward off urinary tract infections. That’s because the crimson berries contain anti-inflammatory compounds called proanthocyanidins that unstick bacteria, like E. coli, from cells.

14 children and eight adults were randomly assigned to drink either unsweetened pure 100% cranberry juice, a cranberry juice cocktail containing 27% juice with added sugar, or water.
On the morning of the study, participants arrived with a night’s worth of plaque buildup on their pearly whites.

Thirty minutes later, the researchers collected plaque samples from the participants’ unswabbed teeth. They’d assess the beverages’ effects on these samples compared to those collected before the experiment.

Sure enough, the plaque exposed to pure cranberry juice appeared to be growing more slowly than the unexposed samples. Swishing with pure cranberry juice was also linked to less acid production in both adults and children — a key factor for healthy enamel.

 

Smartphones are wrecking teens' sleep, study indicates
Seattle Children's Research Institute, October 21 2026 (Medical Xpress)

Teens who use their phones late into the evening suffer from delays in falling asleep, shorter total sleep time and sleep that's more restless and broken, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.

 
These findings suggest that reducing evening smartphone use, particularly after 10 p.m. and immediately before bedtime, may help improve sleep health in adolescents.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on 425 kids with an average age of nearly 15 who were participating in an ongoing study of adolescent brain development. They gathered nearly 7,600 nights of data from the participants.

Results showed that on nights when teens used their phone longer than their personal average after 10 p.m., they slept an average of 20 minutes less and fell asleep more than an hour (64 minutes) later.

Teens glued to their phones also were more likely to wake up again within a half-hour after they nodded off, researchers said.

There also was a dose effect, in that every extra minute of smartphone use past 10 p.m. above a teen's own average added to later sleep onset and reduced total sleep time, the study said.

HEALTH NEWS
 

 

Fermented tea kombucha shows promise in reducing depression-like behaviors, animal study reveals

Brief self-care meditation delivers body confidence boost, study shows

Researchers Discover What Reading for Pleasure May Be Doing to Your Brain

Popular sports supplement may help shield the brain from damage linked to gut inflammation

The Gut-Muscle Connection: Fermented Foods May Influence Muscles Via Gut, Review Says

 
 
 

Fermented tea kombucha shows promise in reducing depression-like behaviors, animal study reveals

University of Minnesota, October 20 2026 (Natural News)

 
 

Researchers found kombucha consumption linked to fewer depression-like behaviors in mice across different diets.

 

The fermented tea altered gut bacteria composition, affecting pathways involved in tryptophan metabolism and serotonin production.

 

Behavioral benefits varied by diet type, with Western-diet mice showing additional anxiety reduction and brain chemistry changes.

 

Mice on standard diets experienced increased short-chain fatty acids, supporting gut barrier function.

 

Brief self-care meditation delivers body confidence boost, study shows
La Trobe University (Australia), October 18 2026 (Eurekalert)

A three-week online self-compassion meditation program can produce improvements in body appreciation and positive wellbeing, while reducing body dissatisfaction.  

Australian adults who completed the self-compassion meditation training reported significantly increased body appreciation, positive wellbeing and lower self-judgement. The benefits were still evident six weeks after the program concluded and frequency of practice alone did not drive the size of change.  

The randomised controlled trial, published in the journal Mindfulness, involved 227 people, aged 18 to 39 years. Participants in the intervention group undertook 20 minutes of daily self-compassion, while those in the control group remained on the waitlist. 

Many body image interventions focus directly on appearance concerns, but the study found that simply encouraging people to treat themselves with greater kindness and understanding can improve how they feel about their bodies. 

Fostering self-compassion, which encourages individuals to respond to personal difficulties with greater kindness and mindful awareness rather than harsh self-criticism, may be key to enhancing body appreciation rather than mindfulness practice alone. 

 

Researchers Discover What Reading for Pleasure May Be Doing to Your Brain

University of Cambridge, October 19, 2026 (Scitech Daily)
Reading for pleasure may do far more than provide entertainment. A scientific review published in Psychological Medicine links the habit to better mental health, stronger cognitive abilities, and a lower risk of dementia. Research also suggests that reading is associated with measurable differences in brain structure, although scientists are still investigating whether reading directly causes these changes.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge examined evidence spanning childhood through old age. Their findings suggest that reading for enjoyment, whether alone or with others, may support brain health in several ways, with some benefits potentially appearing after just a few minutes.

Reading may also provide psychological benefits throughout adulthood. Surveys associate reading for enjoyment with lower stress, greater relaxation, stronger empathy, and more openness to different perspectives. In one survey, nearly two in five adults (38%) identified reading as their preferred way to unwind. A neuroscience study reported that just five minutes of reading fiction could reduce stress by up to 20%.

The potential benefits of reading extend into later life, when preserving memory and thinking abilities becomes increasingly important. In a study of nearly 5,500 adults aged 55 and older, participants who frequently engaged in mentally stimulating activities, including reading, were significantly less likely to develop cognitive impairment during five years of follow-up.

 

Popular sports supplement may help shield the brain from damage linked to gut inflammation
Universidad de Sevilla (Spain), October 15 2026 (Medical Xpress)

The gut-brain axis is a two-way biochemical hotline, with messages zipping back and forth all day long. When the gut is chronically inflamed, inflammatory signals travel through the body to the brain and trigger neuroinflammation. The hippocampus, which governs memory, learning and mood, is especially vulnerable, so its disruption can affect how you think, remember and feel.

 
A recent study published in Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity investigated how chronic ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, impacts the brain and whether oral intake of creatine, a popular supplement in sports nutrition, can protect against brain damage. The researchers chemically induced chronic colitis in rats and observed their recovery with or without creatine. The creatine group received the supplement in drinking water, starting 10 days before colitis induction and continuing throughout the experiment.

In rats given daily oral creatine, hippocampal creatine concentrations increased by 20%–30%, reaching normal levels in both sexes. In males, creatine prevented structural neuron loss, stopped electrical membrane leaks and normalized the neuron firing threshold.

 
 
The Gut-Muscle Connection: Fermented Foods May Influence Muscles Via Gut, Review Says
Teagasc Food Research Centre & University College York (Ireland), October 19 2026 (Natural News) 

 

 
A review published in the journal Communications Biology examines whether microbes in fermented foods influence muscle through the gut-muscle axis, which the paper describes as a two-way chemical communication network between the digestive tract and skeletal muscle.

According to the paper, gut bacteria release byproducts that travel through the bloodstream and may influence muscle tissue, while exercise sends signals back that can alter the gut. The review describes this bidirectional network as the gut-muscle axis, or GMA. Skeletal muscle has a profound influence on metabolic health, functional capacity, and resilience across the lifespan, the review states [2].

 

The clinical stakes center on sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle, which is linked to frailty and loss of independence. Muscle also helps control blood sugar. The review cites a study linking one gut bacterium to muscle strength in people and lower levels of that bacterium in older adults. In mouse findings described in the review, front-leg grip strength improved, and muscle fibers changed when the bacterium was administered

 

Protein and exercise remain the established defenses, though older muscles respond less to protein. The review notes that beyond dietary protein and physical activity, the gut microbiome may have the capacity to impact skeletal muscle mass and function.

 

Fermented foods deliver these compounds directly, and some contain live microbes that interact with existing gut bacteria, according to the authors. The review states that fermentation modifies the nutritional and microbial characteristics of dietary protein in ways that may influence microbial metabolite production.