Author: Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews
Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews A new study suggests that eating at inconsistent times on weekends compared to weekdays could increase the risk of heart disease. Do you eat breakfast at lunchtime and dinner at a time when you’d normally be sleeping during weekends? This inconsistency is what researchers call “eating jet lag” and it might be hurting men’s – you read it right, only men’s – hearts. Early work or school starts often force people to adjust their eating schedules during the week, which differs from meal times on weekends and days off. Such a shift in eating patterns may disrupt…
Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews People with good vascular health may gain extra dementia-free years, new research suggests. Having normal blood pressure, no diabetes, and not smoking from age 48 to 68 are associated with nearly 13 additional years, on average, of dementia-free life, according to a new study. Dementia is one of the fastest-growing health burdens worldwide. Every year, 10 million new cases are diagnosed globally, according to the World Health Organization, and that number is projected to surpass 150 million by 2050. The rising toll has prompted researchers to focus on prevention and the modifiable lifestyle factors people can adopt…
Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Sleep quality matters more to teenagers’ grades and social lives than diet or exercise, new research shows. Summer offers students a rare chance to recover from the pressures of the school year, allowing them to catch up on the rest that demanding schedules often leave little time for. Sleep is key for the correct functioning of the body; however, data shows that adolescents are not getting all the sleep they need and this may be harming their mental health and, in turn, their performance at school. A new study found that sleep may play a greater role in adolescents’ education and…
Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Testing aeroplane wastewater can detect circulating pathogens weeks earlier than traditional global pathogen surveillance allows, offering a potential early-warning tool for global outbreak preparedness, a US–UK pilot study found. People travel regularly, for work, tourism, or family matters. They cross countries and oceans, and the viruses and bacteria present in their bodies travel with them. A new pilot programme by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United Kingdom Health Security Agency analysed wastewater from flights at two connected international airports. The findings showed that aeroplane wastewater can be systematically collected and analysed to advance…
Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews. Eating less protein may be the key to living longer and staying healthier, according to new research that challenges one of the most common assumptions about healthy living. From protein powders to protein-packed cereal bars, “proteinmaxxing” — a trend in which people consume a high amount of protein — has become one of the biggest wellness trends of the decade. But as the world’s population ages, new research suggests that eating less could be a smarter route to a longer, healthier life. After analysing over 300 studies, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States found that…
Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews People are living longer than ever before, but a major new global study suggests that many of those additional years are increasingly being spent in poor health. Life expectancy has risen dramatically over the past century — reaching 73.8 years — thanks to steep declines in infectious diseases, maternal and child mortality, and advances in the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions. However, the years gained are not necessarily lived in good health, a new study, published in The Lancet Public Health, found. With gains in life expectancy outstripping improvements in healthy life expectancy across almost all 204…
Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Scientists in Oxford will start to test the world’s first vaccine against Bundibugyo Ebola, as an outbreak of the rare virus strain continues to spread across Congo and Uganda. The University of Oxford’s Vaccine Group has launched the world’s first human clinical trial of a vaccine against Bundibugyo Ebolavirus amid the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The Phase I clinical trial will take place in Oxford and will assess the safety and immune response of the vaccine in 50 healthy adults aged between 18 and 55. “Every step that brings a…
Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Drinking coffee — even decaf — is linked to lower risks of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver-related death, a new study has found. Higher coffee intake is linked to a lower risk of liver diseases, according to a new study. The findings, published in the journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, show that coffee consumption is associated with a reduced likelihood of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver-related death. The researchers analysed more than 350,000 participants from the UK Biobank who did not have cirrhosis or liver cancer at the start of the study and tracked their evolution over…
You may share more than the kitchen with your flatmates: people who live together share parts of their oral and gut microbiome, according to a new study by the University of Trento in Italy. Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Researchers found that cohabiting people share certain microbes regardless of the ‘proximity’ of their relationship. Siblings, parents and children all shared similar numbers of microbial strains. Your flatmates may be living rent-free in your gut, too. Romantic partners, however, shared more oral microbes, which the researchers attribute to kissing. “Who we decide to share our homes with can have a huge influence on…
A family’s financial status plays a major role in children’s brain development, according to a new study. Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Everything a child experiences leaves an imprint on the brain, influencing development and function for the rest of their lives. A child’s family financial situation and surroundings, such as the neighbourhood they grow up in, may have a stronger impact on brain development than previously thought, new research suggests. A study by researchers at Washington University in the United States found that socioeconomic factors accounted for about 16% of the variability in measures of children’s brain function, having a greater…
ByMarta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Women who take GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic or Mounjaro, are less likely to develop breast cancer, a new study has found. The findings, presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, come from an analysis of more than 110,000 women aged between 45 and 80. “GLP-1 medications are intriguing from a cancer research perspective because they weren’t designed for cancer therapy, but they do affect many different targets and pathways associated with cancer development, so we’re eager to study them in this context,” said Elizabeth McDonald, professor of radiology in the University…
By Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews A new AI-designed vaccine capable of protecting against entire families of viruses could transform how the world prepares for a future pandemic. A team of British researchers, led by scientists at the universities of Cambridge and Southampton in the United Kingdom, has developed the first vaccine designed entirely by artificial intelligence (AI) to be tested in humans. “Viruses like Influenza, Coronaviruses and the Ebola group are evolving continuously, and by the time vaccines are rolled out, they may be poorly matched — the current “reactive” vaccine system struggles to keep pace,” said professor Saul Faust from…
By Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews The World Health Organization warns that unsafe food harms millions of people worldwide, with children being particularly impacted. More than 860 million people fall ill and 1.5 million die worldwide every year due to unsafe food, the World Health Organization has warned. In a new report published ahead of World Food Safety Day on 7 June, the WHO estimates that millions of people across the world suffer severe health consequences as a result of contaminated or poorly handled food. “Food safety is not an abstract issue — it touches every meal, every family, every day,” said…
By Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews While the body is under anesthesia, the brain is not fully inactive; it continues processing language even when unconscious, according to a new study. Even under anesthesia, some parts of the brain remain active and can identify and process language, a study has found. The results, published in the journal Nature, found that neural circuits continue to encode and respond to stimuli even without consciousness. “Our findings show that the brain is far more active and capable during unconsciousness than previously thought,” said Sameer Sheth, co-author of the study at Baylor College of Medicine. “Even when patients…
By Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews For people who have lost weight or are dieting, new research suggests that a simple daily step target could be the key to preventing weight regain People who are dieting for weight loss should walk around 8,500 steps a day to maintain the results and prevent weight regain, according to a new study by the European Association for the Study of Obesity. “Around 80% of people with overweight or obesity who initially lose weight tend to put some or all of it back on again within three to five years,” said Marwan El Ghoch, co-author of…
By Marta Iraola Iribarren-Euronews Most passengers on board the hantavirus-hit cruise ship are back in their home countries, where they will undergo medical testing and follow an isolation period. The cruise ship, placed under emergency protocols following an outbreak of hantavirus – a rare and potentially fatal viral disease – reached the Canary Islands in Spain on Sunday with 147 people on board, passengers and crew, from 23 different nationalities, including 70 Europeans. In a coordinated operation between the Spanish government, the World Health Organization, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, all passengers were tested for symptoms…
By Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Health Correspondent. The chronic condition could cost OECD countries billions per year, with the total comparable to the annual health budgets of the Netherlands or Spain, a new report shows. The long-term illness impacting some people who suffered a COVID-19 infection, known as long COVID, could cost OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries a total of $135 billion (almost €116 billion) per year over the next decade. This is “comparable to the entire annual health budget of the Netherlands or Spain,” a new report by the OECD noted. While this March marked six years since…
Sugar placed in a baby’s mouth before a needle procedure can reduce pain, according to a new scientific review. Sugar can help relieve pain for babies during hospital procedures, a new review has found. Babies, especially newborns and infants in intensive care units, routinely undergo multiple procedures, including vaccinations and blood tests. Because their pain regulation systems are still immature, infants experience pain differently from adults, often, more intensely. A new Cochrane review found that sucrose can reduce pain during and immediately after the needle injection. The authors also found that sucrose appeared to be more effective than pacifiers. “Parents may be…
Story By Marta Iraola Iribarren. India has confirmed two cases of Nipah virus in West Bengal, a region in the eastern part of the country bordering Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. Both infected patients are healthcare workers from the region, and are hospitalised in intensive care. The Indian government added that 196 contacts of the confirmed cases are all asymptomatic and have tested negative for the virus. The health ministry states that available data suggest that there is no need for the general public to be apprehensive about the safety of individuals and their family members. However, given the high potential mortality…