THE MEDICAL NEWS

A narrative review finds that ketogenic diets may modestly lower blood pressure through weight loss, reduced visceral fat, improved insulin sensitivity, fluid and electrolyte shifts, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, effects vary across studies, long-term cardiovascular evidence remains limited, and diet quality, hydration, electrolyte balance, and medication monitoring are important.

A review of clinical and preclinical studies suggests cocoa polyphenols may support mood, neuroplasticity, cerebral blood flow, and gut-brain signaling through pathways involving BDNF/CREB, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Researchers developed the first model to estimate the total annual economic cost of food fraud in the UK, placing it between £0.4 billion and £2 billion. Although food fraud appears relatively rare, individual crime schemes can cause substantial harm, with businesses bearing most costs and strong quality controls helping protect major supply chains.

Researchers developed carob-enriched gluten-free tagliatelle that increased dietary fiber and antioxidant activity while reducing starch digestibility and improving pasta structure. A 20% carob substitution provided the best overall balance of functional properties, texture, and consumer acceptance, although clinical health benefits remain to be established.

A meta-analysis of six prospective cohort studies involving 721,003 adults found that higher artificial sweetener intake was associated with a 31% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The evidence was rated low certainty because of substantial heterogeneity, observational study designs, and potential residual confounding, meaning the findings do not establish causation.

Higher adherence to the UK Eatwell Guide was associated with lower BMI, waist circumference, total body fat, and trunk fat in more than 156,000 UK Biobank participants. The associations persisted prospectively across demographic, physical activity, and genetic-risk groups, supporting the role of diet quality in weight management.

Prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC) represent states in which patients fail to show reliable evidence of awareness after severe brain injury.

Sprint-interval exercise triggers a much larger and faster shift in circulating proteins and metabolites than moderate-intensity exercise, revealing distinct patterns of predicted communication between organs. The findings suggest that exercise intensity shapes systemic molecular signaling, with skeletal muscle and adipose tissue emerging as potential source and target tissues linked to cardiomet…

A fully self-guided, internet-delivered attachment-based compassion therapy improved overall quality of life and reduced preoccupied attachment compared with a waiting-list control in adults with chronic medical conditions. The findings are preliminary, with high attrition, no active control, and most secondary psychological outcomes showing no significant between-group differences.

Biologic medicines have transformed the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, migraine, inflammatory disorders and many other diseases.