THE MEDICAL NEWS

Researchers analyzing health records from 62.5 million people in England found that the prevalence of 406 rare diseases varied substantially between ethnic communities, with important differences concealed by broad ethnic classifications. Recorded COVID-19 infections were also more common among people with the studied rare diseases (32.8% versus 29.0%), although differences in age, disease compos…

A narrative review of 57 randomized trials found that milk and dairy products have inconsistent effects on long-term blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Whey protein consumed before meals more consistently reduced short-term blood sugar spikes, but further research is needed to establish whether these benefits persist over time.

A three-year study of 6,537 Australian adolescents found that higher fruit consumption was associated with a lower risk of elevated depression and anxiety symptoms, while greater sugar-sweetened beverage intake was associated with increased risk. Vegetable consumption showed no significant association with either outcome, and the observational findings cannot establish cause and effect.

A novel study has found that increases in risk-taking behavior in people with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD) precede increases in alcohol consumption, not vice versa.

Losartan, a drug commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, boosts brown adipose tissue or "brown fat" activity and enhances its metabolism, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine, Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center researchers.

When immunity works well, the body steers clear of infection and disease. However, when the immune system goes awry, healthy cells can often end up in the firing line.

For decades, boys and men were more likely than their female peers to use nicotine. But a new study from MUSC shows that among U.S. adolescents, that pattern has reversed for vaping.