Illnesses and conditions

Some people don’t lose enough weight after bariatric surgery, but a new study shows that adding a daily shot of GLP-1 drug liraglutide can help patients shed extra pounds and may reduce the need for further surgery.

Millions of people with type 2 diabetes might actually be undermining their efforts to improve their health, with researchers demonstrating that the commonly prescribed metformin blocks the cardiovascular benefits normally gained through exercise.

Caffeine appears to do the opposite of what you might think when it comes to the heart. Scientists have found that a cup of coffee a day actually protects the heart from atrial fibrillation – a condition that can lead to stroke and heart failure.

A large international study of more than 23,000 patients has found that common medicines used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as heartburn, may be impacting cancer treatment effectiveness.

Bitter taste receptors inside cancer cells have been found to be activated in the presence of anti-cancer drugs. Shutting these receptors down could make the cells more susceptible to drug treatment and help us fight the disease more effectively.

A promising “two-in-one” experimental drug could tackle both type 2 diabetes and heart disease by slashing cholesterol and inflammation, potentially offering a powerful new way to protect the heart and improve metabolism.

In a breakthrough for diagnostics, scientists have created an effective and easy test that identifies a heart failure biomarker in saliva, opening the door to more rapid and accessible life-saving medical interventions for this disease – and others.

A dangerous type of bird flu virus (called H5N1) continues to circulate among dairy cows in the US. Infected milk can expose other cows, pets, wild animals, and possibly humans to the virus, a potential threat beyond just the farm.

Scientists found that nearly every cancer harbors its own distinct community of microbes – tiny passengers that can influence how tumors start, spread, and respond to treatment, paving the way for a new era of precision medicine.

Researchers in Switzerland have stuffed a bunch of chips and sensors into socks to help people who suffer from some of the worst symptoms of diabetes – chronic pain and a loss of sensation in the feet that make it hard to walk.

A new study has pinpointed how the APOE4 gene variant sabotages the brain’s energy balance, blocking neurons from burning fat for fuel when glucose runs low, a discovery that could reveal new ways to prevent or slow Alzheimer’s disease.

Getting a COVID shot might do more than protect against the virus – it could also help cancer patients live longer. A new study found that mRNA vaccines were linked to a doubling in three-year survival for those on immunotherapy.

In a world-first breakthrough, scientists have discovered how a sugary “cloak” helps bowel cancer hide from the immune system, and how stripping it away could turn the body’s anti-cancer defenses back on.

Scientists who won a 2024 IgNobel Prize for "discovering that many mammals are capable of breathing through their anus" have now completed a successful trial based on this, using a technique that gets oxygen into the blood via an unconventional route.

A new drug combination to treat advanced recurring prostate cancer has shown remarkable results in a long-term trial, lowering the risk of death after eight years by 40.3%. What's more, the drug treatments are already FDA-approved on their own.