Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Arginine can modify plaque formation on teeth and protect against dental caries

New human clinical trial proves arginine, an amino acid, can modify plaque formation on teeth, thereby protecting against dental caries.

8 Jan 2026

Why promising microbiome therapies rarely work in patients

Addressing the microbiome's translational gap involves understanding biological complexity and developing function-driven, patient-specific interventions.

8 Jan 2026

BATF2: A novel tumor suppressor silenced by glutamine in head and neck cancer

A novel tumor suppressor, BATF2, can be silenced by factors in the tumor microenvironment, leading to a reduced immune response in five preclinical models of head and neck cancer, according to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

7 Jan 2026

Higher intake of food preservatives linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes

Higher consumption of food preservatives, widely used in industrially processed foods and beverages to extend their shelf life, has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

7 Jan 2026

Blood biomarkers predict risk of multimorbidity in older adults

A small set of common blood biomarkers predicts which older adults will develop specific combinations of chronic diseases - and how quickly, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Medicine reports.

7 Jan 2026

Study shows beneficial impact of natural light on people with type 2 diabetes

Metabolic diseases have reached epidemic proportions in our society, driven by a sedentary lifestyle coupled with circadian misalignment - a desynchrony between our intrinsic biological clocks and environmental signals.

7 Jan 2026

A single immune protein may help explain why kidney and heart disease often develop together

This review synthesizes clinical, genetic, and mechanistic evidence showing that suPAR and related uPAR fragments are strongly associated with kidney, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease risk. It highlights suPAR as a stable biomarker of innate immune activation with potential pathogenic roles, while underscoring major gaps in assay standardization and therapeutic validation.

6 Jan 2026

Charting brain cell epigenomics to reveal origins of psychiatric disorders

In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Maria Margarita Behrens recounts an extraordinary scientific journey that wound through four countries and multiple disciplines before arriving at fundamental questions about how the brain develops and what goes wrong in psychiatric disorders.

6 Jan 2026

Ancient animals reveal sleep’s original role in maintaining brain health

A groundbreaking new study from Bar-Ilan University shows that one of sleep's core functions originated hundreds of millions of years ago in jellyfish and sea anemones, among the earliest creatures with nervous systems.

6 Jan 2026

Unveiling genetic links between schizophrenia and osteoporosis

A comprehensive genetic investigation led by Dr. Feng Liu at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital has uncovered striking molecular connections between schizophrenia and bone health, identifying 195 shared genetic loci that may explain why psychiatric patients face elevated fracture risks.

6 Jan 2026

Streptococcus anginosus metabolites fuel gastric cancer

A recent study published in the medical journal Gut has revealed a novel cancer-promoting mechanism of Streptococcus anginosus (Sa).

6 Jan 2026

New evidence reveals Streptococcus anginosus promotes gastric cancer development

This study identifies a cancer-promoting mechanism of Streptococcus anginosus, linking microbial metabolism to gastric cancer and enhancing prevention efforts.

From BGI Genomics 6 Jan 2026

Acupuncture may help ICU patients recover faster

Acupuncture's multi-pathway effects in ICU patients may reduce complications, support rehabilitation, and improve recovery while minimizing medication use.

6 Jan 2026

New exercise-sensing pathway offers hope for osteoporosis treatment

A research team from the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has uncovered a key biological mechanism that explains how exercise maintain strong bones, paving the way for novel treatments for osteoporosis and bone loss in people who are unable to engage.

6 Jan 2026

Understanding sevoflurane-induced neurogenesis inhibition and cognitive dysfunction in children

Every year, millions of infants and children undergo surgery under general anesthesia in the world. Sevoflurane is a commonly used pediatric anesthetic. Its exposure during brain development has been shown to inhibit neurogenesis and cause cognitive dysfunction in animal models.

5 Jan 2026

How modern diets are driving rapid evolution in gut bacteria

A novel iLDS statistic uncovers adaptive gene sweeps in gut bacteria, highlighting evolutionary responses to modern diets and enhancing microbiome studies.

2 Jan 2026

Depression links to chronic headaches through weight and diet, not physical activity alone

Depression was associated with a higher likelihood of chronic headaches in Iranian adults, with statistical models identifying body mass index and dietary iron intake as partial mediators. Physical activity was linked to depression but did not independently mediate headache outcomes, highlighting interconnected, non-causal pathways.

1 Jan 2026