Oral insulin could one day replace injections for people with diabetes, new scientific discoveries suggest.

Researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan have announced the development of an insulin pill to help lower blood sugar.

For diabetics, insulin is typically administered via injection, but the pill would offer a non-invasive treatment option.

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“Insulin injections remain a daily burden for many patients,” said associate professor Shingo Ito, a researcher in the study’s press release. “Our peptide-based platform offers a new route to deliver insulin orally, and may be applicable to long-acting insulin formulations and other injectable biologics.”

The study, published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, tested the delivery of oral insulin by building a carrier peptide called DNP-V. This peptide helps to transport insulin through the small intestine, where protein drug absorption is usually poor.

In diabetic mice models, the researchers administered the peptide by mouth with zinc-stabilized insulin, which was formulated with zinc ions to make it more stable, according to the study.

“Insulin injections remain a daily burden for many patients.”

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The result was a rapid and significant drop in blood glucose, as well as a sustained (longer-term) decrease. The mice’s blood sugar was reduced to near-normal levels.

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When DNP-V was attached directly to insulin, the results showed enhanced absorption in the intestines and a similar glucose-lowering effect, the researchers noted.

The treatment was effective in different diabetes models, significantly reducing blood sugar spikes after meals with just one dose per day.

The findings suggest that DNP peptides could serve as flexible, adaptable platforms for delivering large-molecule drugs by mouth, the authors concluded in the study abstract.

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“This technology can simply and effectively convert injectable biopharmaceuticals into orally administrable forms, offering a promising path to practical, patient-friendly oral therapies,” they wrote.

Although the researchers are optimistic about the findings translating to larger therapeutic models, they noted that the results in mice do not guarantee the same outcome in humans, and that more research is needed.

Dr. Marc Siegel commented on this development, noting that oral insulin could make a big difference in healthcare.

“Insulin use, especially in type 1 diabetes, is sometimes difficult to regulate by injection,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “Oral use would have major advantages.”

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He added, “This is very promising provided that it works in humans, which is a big ‘if.’”

Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment.

The practice of combining cold exposure and breathwork — known as the Wim Hof Method — has gained popularity as a wellness practice, with some research suggesting benefits for stress, energy and mental clarity, though evidence for treating chronic disease remains limited.

And now, a recent study published in the journal Nature appears to support the technique’s potential health benefits.

The research included more than 400 healthy adults averaging 37 years of age, who practiced either the Wim Hof Method (WHM) or mindfulness meditation daily for about one month.

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The WHM practitioners were split into in-person and at-home groups, where one did ice baths and the other took cold showers.

The participants reported their energy, mental clarity, and stress and anxiety levels. The researchers also measured heart rate, breathing and sleep.

Participants in the breathwork and cold group had greater improvements in energy, mental clarity and ability to handle stress, benefits that were most noticeable right after their daily practice.

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The study also found that meditation reduced stress early on, but the WHM showed gradual improvements in stress levels over a longer time period. Differences in sleep, cognition and heart health measures were more subtle.

The short 29-day study period could pose a limitation in measuring long-term impacts, the researchers acknowledged. 

The participants also knew which group they were placed in, which could have influenced the self-reported results.

“I felt that this was going to make a huge difference in people,” Wim Hof told Fox News Digital. “I had a lot of anecdotal evidence, but that doesn’t make it scientific.”

What is the Wim Hof Method?

The Wim Hof Method is comprised of three pillars: cold, breathing and mindset.

“It is a combination of the three … and when they come together, they reinforce each other and become stronger,” he said. “Use the cold well, and you bring the immune system, the energy system and your cardiovascular system to an optimum [state].”

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Breathing has been shown to lower inflammation, which is the main driver of disease, according to Wim Hof. Research has also shown that a change in mindset can re-circuit the brain to handle stress more efficiently.

Lowering stress levels is crucial to improving health, he noted, as high cortisol (the body’s stress hormone) and inflammation are drivers of chronic disease.

Lead study author Dr. Jemma King, of the University of Queensland School of Psychology in Australia, said she entered the world’s largest Wim Hof study with a “healthy dose of scientific skepticism.”

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“People are really anxious, people are really burnt out, and the world is very destabilized at the moment,” she told Fox News Digital. “People are increasingly dependent on healthcare systems, and profits keep growing and people keep getting sicker.”

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“We’re glued to screens; we’re reaching for pills every time life feels hard. And so we really wanted to [find out] — is there a better way?”

Although meditation is an important tool for some, an alternative method that involves more activity may be a better option for those with “busy brains,” according to the researcher.

“You’re not sitting there just accepting energy,” she said. “You can actually face it head on, and you can overcome your aversion to the cold, which is very invigorating.”

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“If you choose to do small doses of the right kind of stress, it doesn’t break you down. It actually makes you stronger,” King added.

Scientifically, breathwork can help flush the brain of toxins, clearing mental fog while increasing levels of the beneficial chemicals adrenaline and dopamine, she noted.

“We also found something really shocking and unexpected: The people doing the Wim Hof Method became more willing to speak up at work,” King shared. “They were more likely to raise hard issues or have a voice or take interpersonal risks.”

“If you train yourself to step into the cold water every morning, you kind of override that voice that says, ‘Don’t do that,’” she added. “This bravery, this toughness that you train every morning, starts to show up everywhere else in your life.”

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Starting safely

For beginners, Hof recommends simply stepping into a cold shower at home, which activates the cardiovascular system and boosts energy.

“Take the cold shower, go into that breathing, and suddenly you’ll feel an innate power awakening,” he said. “That is the nervous system, and you have control over that.”

Cold exposure may not be safe for everyone, especially those with certain cardiovascular conditions, such as abnormal heart rhythms, heart disease or Raynaud’s syndrome, according to Harvard Health.

Those with underlying conditions should get a physician’s approval before embarking on a cold plunge or another mode of cold exposure therapy, experts advise.

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“[For those who] have conditions, I say start with breathing alone,” Hof recommended. “Breathing trains the nervous system like weightlifting trains the muscles.”

“Know that you are built to have willful control over your health, happiness and strength,” he added.

A Los Angeles mother of three says she’s lucky to be alive after an uncommon procedure left her cancer-free.

Amy Piccioli, a busy CPA, was just 39 when she visited the ER last year for what she thought was dehydration due to a stomach bug.

Instead, a CT scan revealed a mass in her colon and multiple lesions in her liver, which led to a colorectal cancer diagnosis — despite having “zero signs.”

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“I had no symptoms,” Piccioli told Fox News Digital. “I’m one of those people who’s very diligent about my health and very cognizant about changes in my body. So for this to have happened without any signs or symptoms was just shocking to me.”

Because the cancer had already spread, it was automatically a stage 4 diagnosis.

“I just went numb — I couldn’t believe it,” Piccioli said. “Immediately, you have those feelings of panic and fear.”

In June 2024, Piccioli began undergoing chemotherapy, along with an immunotherapy drug. Just three months later, scans showed that the chemo had shrunk the tumors. Next, she underwent surgery to remove a tumor from her colon. 

An unlikely path

After completing the traditional courses of treatment, Piccioli found herself embarking on a path to liver transplantation.

“The cancer was all over my liver,” she shared. “In cases where the cancer is confined to one side of the liver, they can basically cut that portion out … but in my case, a resection was not a possibility because the cancer was everywhere.” 

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Although the chemotherapy was successful, she said, “it was always going to be a ‘whack-a-mole’ situation, where I would be on systemic chemo for an extended period of time, new stuff would pop up, and it would just be this cycle over and over and again.”

“The chances of eradicating the cancer entirely from my liver with chemo alone was very slim. In cases like mine, liver transplantation is really the only long-term solution.”

Liver transplantation as part of a colorectal cancer treatment is more prevalent in Europe, but not common in the U.S.

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“We just didn’t think it would be an option here,” Piccioli said. “It seemed like something that was going to require a lot of effort to get.”

Her California care team soon discovered, however, that Northwestern Medicine in Chicago offers a liver transplantation program specifically for metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

“When liver metastasis is noted, our medical oncologists, along with our transplant surgeons begin to make care pathways tailored to the patient,” Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center, told Fox News Digital.

The chances of a successful transplant depend largely on how the patient responds to treatment, according to doctors. In “carefully selected” patients, the five-year survival rate can be 60% to 80%.

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“Response to chemotherapy is a critical gatekeeper for liver transplantation in colorectal liver metastases,” Nadig said.

“Demonstrated disease control or response is usually required, as it identifies patients whose tumor biology (less aggressive and not spreading quickly) is favorable enough to justify a transplant.”

“You have to be the captain of your own ship.”

Piccioli, who was in search of a living donor, shared the need with family and friends. A lifetime childhood friend, Lauren Prior, underwent screening and was deemed a match.

The transplant was performed in December 2025, making Piccioli the first person at Northwestern to receive a living donor transplantation for metastatic colon cancer.

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Today, she and the donor are recovering well.

“The first week or two were difficult, but by week four, I was up and around, getting back to doing normal life things,” she said. “About two months out, I started working out again. I’m now three months out and feel completely normal. It’s amazing what the body can do.”

Piccioli recently had her first post-transplant blood screening for tumor molecules within the body, and none were detected. “So I have no evidence of disease currently,” she shared. 

She will remain in Chicago for ongoing monitoring and screening until the end of March, when she will return home to Los Angeles.

On the lookout

Early-onset colorectal cancer is often “silent,” according to Nadig.

“That’s because screening is absent before age 45 and symptoms (such as slow bleeding) are usually subtle,” he cautioned. Tumors can also grow in hard-to-detect locations, like the right side of the colon, or with biology that “delays obvious warning signs.”

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Although Piccioli experienced no warning signs, she encourages others to pay attention to any changes in the body that may signal cancer.

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“Do the screenings at the recommended ages, follow up and just be diligent about your health,” she advised. 

“I think a lot of the reason that I got to Northwestern and was able to receive this transplant was because I was so diligent about calling the doctors, scheduling the appointments … I think that is really the most important thing: You have to be the captain of your own ship.”