EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health - News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Dec-2025 13:11 ET (28-Dec-2025 18:11 GMT/UTC)

8-Jul-2025

From COVID to cancer, new at-home test spots disease with startling accuracy

University of California - Berkeley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new, low-cost biosensing technology that could make rapid at-home tests up to 100 times more sensitive to viruses like COVID-19. The diagnostic could expand rapid screening to other life-threatening conditions like prostate cancer and sepsis, as well. Created by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, the test combines a natural evaporation process called the “coffee-ring effect” with plasmonics and AI to detect biomarkers of disease with remarkable precision in just minutes.

Journal: Nature Communications

8-Jul-2025

USC study: mindfulness meditation can sharpen attention in adults of all ages

University of Southern California
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology reveals that just 30 days of guided mindfulness meditation can significantly enhance key aspects of attentional control — especially how quickly and accurately people direct their focus — regardless of age. The study is among the first to use eye tracking, a powerful and objective measure of attention, to test the effects of mindfulness training on young, middle-aged, and older adults. The findings demonstrate that even short-term meditation can lead to measurable cognitive improvements.

Journal: eNeuro
Funder: NIH/National Institute on Aging, USC Center for Mindfulness Science

8-Jul-2025

Daily consumption of grapes improves muscle strength markers in postmenopausal women

California Table Grape Commission
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides the first clinical evidence showing that regular consumption of grapes – just 1 ½ cups per day – can improve muscle strength and boost irisin levels in postmenopausal women. The results suggest a promising strategy against age-related muscle decline, also known as sarcopenia.

Journal: Food & Function

8-Jul-2025

Reducing multiple tap water contaminants may prevent over 50,000 cancer cases

Environmental Working Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new peer-reviewed study finds that using a multi-contaminant approach to treat drinking water could prevent over 50,000 cancer cases over a lifetime in the U.S. Published in Environmental Research, the study analyzed data from more than 17,000 water systems and found that arsenic and hexavalent chromium, two cancer-causing chemicals that often appear together, can be treated with the same technologies. By reducing arsenic levels alongside chromium-6, systems could prevent up to four times more cancer cases than targeting chromium-6 alone. The findings challenge the long-standing practice of regulating one contaminant at a time and highlight the health benefits of treating co-occurring pollutants simultaneously.

Journal: Environmental Research

8-Jul-2025

Protecting the most vulnerable: ECDC recommendations to address the ongoing local transmission of diphtheria

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Reports and Proceedings

Despite a steady decline in reported cases following a large outbreak in 2022, diphtheria is still being reported in Europe, with the number of cases higher than before 2020. An ECDC Rapid Risk Assessment issued today highlights how ongoing circulation of diphtheria caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae (C. diphtheriae) may affect some populations who are more vulnerable to infection and recommends tailored public health response measures to protect those most at risk.

8-Jul-2025

New research shows Americans can’t tell healthy processed foods from unhealthy ones

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Thirty-nine percent of respondents to an online poll incorrectly said all processed foods are unhealthy, according to new research by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published today, July 8, 2025, in JAMA Network Open. When asked which foods increase type 2 diabetes risk, 51% cited sugar, 19% said desserts, and 7% said carbohydrates, in general — all inaccurately.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

8-Jul-2025

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers find children’s health broadly declining in the United States

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study has found that children’s health in the United States is declining across several key measurements ranging from increased chronic illnesses, higher rates of physical and mental health conditions and related symptoms, and increased mortality rates compared with other countries. The study also reveals that the issues are broad and systemic and require new ways of thinking about supporting and prioritizing the health of children.

Journal: JAMA
Funder: Applied Clinical Research Center at CHOP