News Feed

The liver has a remarkable ability to repair itself, but recovery depends on how early alcohol use is stopped. Experts say fatty liver, the earliest stage of alcohol-related liver disease, can often reverse within weeks of abstinence, while alcoholic hepatitis and early fibrosis may improve over several months with medical care, good nutrition and complete avoidance of alcohol. However, once cirrhosis develops, extensive scarring becomes permanent and may require lifelong treatment or even a liver transplant. Because alcohol-related liver disease often progresses without symptoms, regular liver health checks and quitting alcohol as early as possible offer the best chance of preserving liver function and preventing irreversible damage.

A new study suggests that losing weight may not be enough to prevent type 2 diabetes in everyone. Researchers found that people in a high-risk group known as "cluster 5" continued to show rising blood sugar levels and declining insulin production despite losing around 8% of their body weight and maintaining the weight loss for several years. The findings indicate that some individuals may have underlying biological factors that continue to drive diabetes risk even after successful weight loss. Researchers say identifying these high-risk groups could help develop more personalised strategies for diabetes prevention and treatment.

Scientists have discovered that insulin-producing pancreatic cells rely on a network of helper proteins to ensure insulin is made correctly. When one of these key proteins was missing, damaged or misfolded proteins accumulated inside the cells, reducing their ability to produce insulin. The findings suggest that disruptions in the cell’s protein quality-control system may contribute to the progression of diabetes. Researchers believe that strengthening this protective mechanism could help preserve insulin-producing cells and lead to new treatments aimed at slowing or preventing diabetes progression. However, further research is needed before these findings can be translated into therapies.

Hepatitis B often causes no symptoms for years but can silently lead to liver damage, cirrhosis and liver cancer if left undetected. Doctors stress that routine screening during pregnancy, timely newborn vaccination and early testing of high-risk individuals are the most effective ways to prevent infection and its complications. Babies infected at birth have a high risk of developing chronic hepatitis B, making the birth-dose vaccine and, when needed, hepatitis B immunoglobulin especially important. Experts also highlight that the hepatitis B vaccine is one of the few vaccines that can help prevent cancer, underscoring the importance of improving awareness, vaccination coverage and early diagnosis.

Scientists have found that diabetes may develop not only from having excess body fat but also from losing healthy fat tissue that plays an essential role in metabolism. The study showed that damaged fat cells can become inflamed, lose their ability to store lipids and eventually disappear, disrupting the body's normal control of blood sugar and fat metabolism. These findings suggest that healthy fat tissue is important for maintaining metabolic balance and that its loss may contribute to the development of diabetes. Although more research is needed, the discovery could lead to new strategies for preventing and treating metabolic diseases.

A new mouse study suggests that inherited genetics play a key role in determining how cancer develops after DNA damage. Researchers found that the same type of DNA damage can trigger different cancer outcomes depending on an individual's genetic background, helping explain why some people develop cancer while others do not. The findings provide direct evidence that inherited genes influence how tumours begin and evolve, even when the initial damage is similar. Although the research was conducted in mice, it could eventually help doctors better predict cancer risk, personalise screening strategies and develop more targeted treatments for patients.

A small six-month clinical trial suggests that limiting daily eating to an 8 to 9 hour window may help preserve certain thinking skills as people age. Researchers found that older women who followed time-restricted eating performed better on planning and problem-solving tests than those who ate over a 12 hour period, despite both groups losing similar amounts of weight. The findings suggest that when people eat may be just as important as how much they eat for supporting brain health. However, the study was small, and larger clinical trials are needed to confirm whether time-restricted eating can help reduce age-related cognitive decline.

A small preliminary study suggests that unsweetened sparkling water is much gentler on teeth than sugary soft drinks. Researchers found that while sparkling water caused a brief drop in the mouth’s acidity, saliva quickly restored normal pH levels, keeping acidity above the threshold associated with tooth enamel damage. In contrast, sugary soda produced a larger and longer-lasting decline in salivary pH, creating conditions that may increase the risk of enamel erosion. Although more research is needed, the findings indicate that plain sparkling water can be a more tooth-friendly alternative to sugary fizzy drinks when consumed as part of a balanced diet.

A large study analysing more than 3,700 dream and waking reports suggests that dreams are far from random. Researchers found that the dreaming brain blends memories, emotions, personality traits, imagined possibilities and familiar places to create new scenarios, rather than simply replaying daily experiences. The findings indicate that dreams may help the brain reorganise information, process emotions and explore different situations in a safe mental environment. While the exact purpose of dreaming remains unclear, the study adds to growing evidence that dreams reflect an active and meaningful process shaped by both our inner thoughts and real-world experiences.

A study from the University of Texas at Austin suggests that working memory can rapidly reorganise itself after unexpected distractions. In experiments involving 50 adults playing a modified version of the game Snake, participants memorised the locations of multiple targets before being interrupted by sudden new targets. After the distraction changed their position, they shifted their focus to the remembered target that was now most relevant and closest to them. Researchers found that this flexible reprioritisation helped participants continue their original task, although the ability became more limited when memory demands were higher. The findings offer new insights into how the brain manages distractions and updates priorities.