TL;DR: A 2026 cohort study in PLOS One found that higher fasting plasma vitamin C levels were independently associated with larger MRI-measured gray matter and stronger default mode network (DMN) structural connectivity in 2,044 older adults, but the cross-sectional design cannot show that vitamin C caused the brain differences. Key Findings Large MRI cohort: The …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Nature Metabolism identified brain hyperglycosylation as a metabolic driver of Alzheimer disease in human tissue and mouse models, while glucosamine exposure was linked to worse outcomes in Alzheimer-related dementia records. Key Findings Human AD brains showed excess glycans: Spatial glycomics found elevated N-glycan abundance in Alzheimer frontal cortex samples compared …
TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in International Journal of Obesity found that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, metabolic drugs that extend a satiety and glucose-control hormone pathway, reduced body weight mainly through fat loss while lean-mass reductions were generally modest. Key Findings 36 studies reviewed: Researchers included 36 studies in the qualitative review and …
TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Nature Communications found that early-life high-fat/high-sugar diet exposure left sex-specific adult feeding and hypothalamic changes, and microbiota-targeted interventions partly restored those effects. Key Findings Early-life HFHS exposure: Mice exposed to a high-fat/high-sugar diet only in early life showed persistent adult feeding changes despite normalized body weight. Sex-specific vulnerability: Females …
TL;DR: A 2025 human proteomics study in Molecular Metabolism found that about 10 days of medically supervised water-only fasting caused weight loss and lower circulating amyloid beta proteins, but also increased inflammatory and platelet-activation markers. Key Findings 20 volunteers: The main cohort included 20 middle-aged adults with mean age 52.2 years and mean BMI 28.8 …
TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Neuron found that exercise activates ventromedial hypothalamic SF1 neurons, and that this brain response is required for normal endurance gains after training. Key Findings VMH SF1 neurons: Exercise increased activity-linked Bdnf expression in steroidogenic factor-1 neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus. Training plasticity: Repeated exercise increased both intrinsic excitability and …
TL;DR: A 2026 pilot trial in PLOS One found that a 7-day chicory-and-green-tea herbal supplement did not improve sleep, quality of life, or objective sleep architecture more than placebo in adults with insomnia. Key Findings Small crossover pilot: The crossover pilot enrolled 10 adults aged 50 years or older with insomnia; 9 were women and …
TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in Neurological Sciences found that ketogenic diet (KD), a very-low-carbohydrate diet designed to raise ketone fuel use, looked feasible and generally safe as an add-on strategy in glioblastoma (GBM), but the survival signal still needs phase III randomized proof. Key Findings The review included 41 human studies of …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Aging Cell found that fasting and caloric restriction activated ADIOL, a steroid hormone, through an NHR-91-kynurenic acid pathway that improved several healthspan measures in worms without extending lifespan. Key Findings ADIOL was the central hormone: 5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol (ADIOL) linked nutrient restriction to healthier function in C. elegans worms. NHR-91 was required: …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Journal of Neuroscience found that when people expected sugar, an artificially sweetened drink became more pleasant and produced a stronger midbrain response, even though perceived sweetness was similar. Key Findings Expectation changed the reward readout: The researchers selected participants who reported similar perceptual experiences of sugar and non-nutritive sweetener. 27 …
