Health
Dementia risk may be lowered by one important medical device
For those with diabetes, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels helps to prevent serious complications, like kidney problems and blindness — but it can also be important for brain health.
“The collective data on blood glucose and its effects on cognitive health, as well as on dementia, continue to rapidly grow,” said Dr. Michael S. Okun, medical advisor to the Parkinson’s Foundation and director of the Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida.
A recent U.K. study published in Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology suggests that wearing continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) could lower the risk of dementia.
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“Not only does continuous monitoring improve glucose levels in the blood and prevent [low blood sugars], but we have also learned that the provision of a steady supply of glucose will enhance brain function,” he told Fox News Digital.
What to know about continuous glucose monitors
CGMs are wearable medical devices in the form of a patch on the arm. A built-in sensor tracks sugar levels and sends the results to a smartphone, according to GoodRx.
A recent U.K. study published in Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology suggests that wearing continuous glucose monitors could lower the risk of dementia. (iStock)
Diabetics who use CGMs no longer have to prick their fingers multiple times a day to get their sugar readings before meals and at bedtime.
These monitors are extensively used among people with diabetes – especially those with type 1 diabetes who are on insulin, experts say.
Past research showed that these monitors achieved a modest improvement in controlling sugars compared to the traditional method of finger sticks.
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Hornberger cautioned, however, that the constant tracking of sugar in real time could cause unnecessary worry and may not be worth the investment for everyone.
“Cost, requirements for attentive caregivers, and how to use the data for real-time decision-making all remain challenges for those in the field,” Okun noted.
CGMs are wearable medical devices in the form of a patch on the arm. A built-in sensor tracks sugar levels and sends the results to a smartphone. (iStock)
There is limited research into whether the monitors could also benefit people without diabetes.
“Though we currently lack data, it is likely that in the near term, we will see more integration of continuous monitoring of glucose and perhaps other biomarkers for enhancement of brain health,” Okun told Fox News Digital.
Link between blood sugar and dementia
Michael Hornberger, PhD, professor of applied dementia research at the Norwich Medical School in England, recently investigated how CGMs have impacted those with dementia and diabetes.
Research clearly showed that high sugars in the blood increase the risk for dementia, according to Hornberger.
“Some think that pursuing continuous glucose monitoring will have a positive impact on reducing dementia progression.”
Okun noted that many neuroscientists have studied oxidative stress and brain inflammation.
“Some think that pursuing continuous glucose monitoring will have a positive impact on reducing dementia progression,” he told Fox News Digital.
In addition to reducing future risk of dementia by detecting high blood sugars, CGMs could also help reduce the risk of falls by detecting low blood sugars, he added.
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Dementia can be attributed to a variety of illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease. The current research applies mainly to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, the latter of which is caused by strokes, noted Hornberger.
The specific link between persistent high blood sugar and increased dementia risk has not yet been established, he said, but several hypotheses have been proposed.
Dementia can be attributed to a variety of illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease. The current research applies mainly to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. (iStock)
High blood sugar triggers the body to produce more insulin, which then causes cells to absorb glucose and use it for energy.
“It also regulates the metabolism of glucose and fats in the brain, the activity of neurotransmitter channels and brain cholesterol synthesis,” Hornberger said.
Neurons also use glucose to send information to nerves, which helps control the body’s movements, but excessively high sugars may affect neuronal activity and lead to cognitive issues, according to the doctor.
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More research is needed to determine whether continuously monitoring blood sugar levels can truly reduce the risk for dementia, Hornberger added.
“The research has not matured enough to widely prescribe glucose monitoring devices for improvement in cognitive symptoms or as a method to prevent dementia,” Okun noted.
Overlapping risk factors
Many of the risk factors for diabetes, such as obesity and cardiovascular disease, overlap with those of dementia, according to Hornberger.
Some unmodifiable risk factors, such as age and family history, increase the risk of both diabetes and dementia with age.
Many of the risk factors for diabetes, such as obesity and cardiovascular disease, overlap with those of dementia, according to doctors. (iStock)
A 2017 study published in JAMA Neurology, which followed more than 15,000 adults over time, found that diabetes is also an independent risk factor for dementia, along with smoking and high blood pressure.
Some behavioral risk factors for type 2 diabetes include excess weight, lack of exercise, smoking and high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association.
Hornberger stated, “Often, people with diabetes are also overweight and have cardiovascular conditions, and it is not clear how to delineate those different conditions from each other for the risk for dementia.”
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Consumers can now purchase several brands of CGM over the counter without a prescription.
Dexcom’s Stelo Glucose Biosensor System was the first over-the-counter CGM approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2024, but it is only intended for people 18 years and older who don’t use insulin. A one-month supply costs $99, according to the company’s website.
Experts recommend talking to a doctor to discuss the risks and benefits before purchasing a CGM. (iStock)
In June 2024, the FDA also approved Abbott’s Lingo, which is intended for healthy adults 18 years and older who are interested in wellness, but is not approved to manage diabetes. It retails for $89 for a four-week plan, as stated on the company’s website.
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Experts recommend talking to a doctor to discuss the risks and benefits before purchasing a CGM.
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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