Chronic loneliness in young and middle-aged adults may have long-term consequences for brain health, a new study from Penn State University suggests. The research, recently published in *BMC Public Health*, shows that people who experience persistent feelings of loneliness over time may be at higher risk for early cognitive decline.

The study, conducted by the Penn State Department of Human Development and Family Studies, tracked 172 adults aged between 25 and 65 years over two years as part of the ESCAPE Project (Effects of Stress on Cognitive Aging, Physiology, and Emotion). The researchers assessed participants' cognitive performance at three different intervals using smartphone-based "brain games" designed to evaluate working memory, processing speed, and spatial memory. Each participant played the games five times a day for two weeks during each data collection wave.

Participants also completed detailed surveys measuring loneliness, responding to statements such as “I feel left out,” using a five-point scale. Individuals were considered chronically lonely if they reported high levels of loneliness across at least two consecutive waves of data collection.

The results revealed that those who were not chronically lonely improved their performance over time—likely due to practice and increased familiarity with the tasks. In contrast, participants who reported chronic loneliness showed no such improvement, indicating a lack of neurocognitive adaptability. “Loneliness is natural and universal,” said lead author Jee eun Kang, postdoctoral scholar at Penn State’s Center for Healthy Aging. “But once it becomes chronic, it can take a toll on your cognitive health.”

Martin Sliwinski, co-author and director of the Center for Healthy Aging, noted that the absence of cognitive improvement among lonely individuals is a red flag. “Anytime we repeatedly measure cognitive abilities, there's a tendency for scores to improve due to practice effects,” he explained. “But here, that didn’t happen for the chronically lonely group. This pattern resembles what we often see in people with early neurodegenerative conditions.”

The study is among the first to apply a longitudinal design—tracking the same individuals over time—to assess how loneliness affects cognitive performance in adults younger than 65. While previous research has largely focused on loneliness in older adults, this study suggests the cognitive impacts of social isolation can manifest much earlier in life.

The researchers argue that addressing loneliness should be a public health priority for all age groups, not just the elderly. “It’s never too late to invest in your cognitive health,” said Sliwinski. “But starting earlier, just like saving for retirement, sets you up for a better outcome later in life.”

Another recent study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity (2024) supports these findings, indicating that loneliness is an independent risk factor for dementia and cognitive impairment, even after accounting for lifestyle and health variables.

Experts recommend intentional social engagement—such as scheduling regular interactions and being emotionally present during conversations—as a strategy to combat loneliness. Kang added, “Even if it’s hard, reaching out is an important life skill. Social support is crucial not only for quality of life but also for maintaining brain health.”

As modern lifestyles shift and digital connections replace in-person interactions, it becomes even more important for young and middle-aged adults to prioritize meaningful relationships. Chronic loneliness, if left unaddressed, may quietly erode cognitive resilience, long before old age sets in.

Cancer research has come a long way, although dreams of curing cancer as a whole persist. Researchers have found ways to get the disease under control, as well as how to help people become cancer free. The treatment options available for cancer patients are radiation therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, as well as surgeries to cut out or treat targeted areas. However, a groundbreaking study has helped researchers develop a new cancer treatment, that has increased the rate of survival by 40%.

Researchers from Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute in China, whose findings were published in The Lancet medical journal, stated that this method "could represent a paradigm shift" in care. These exciting results were shared at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) annual conference in Chicago.

This study is the first-ever randomized controlled trial to investigate CAR-T therapy for solid tumors. Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard for proving whether a treatment is effective.

Major Leap for Solid Tumors

Now, a significant study presented at the world's largest cancer conference has revealed that CAR-T therapy could also fight solid tumors, which make up about 90% of all adult human cancers. The research, involving over 100 patients with advanced stomach or gastro-oesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, showed that those treated with CAR-T therapy lived 40% longer on average than patients who received standard care.

CAR-T therapy is a form of immunotherapy where the treatment cells are made by the patient’s own T-cells, which are white blood cells that protect our bodies from infections. These cells are used to fight cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Experts call it the “living drug”, as the T-cells are collected from the patients blood, and modified to produce a special protein called chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs. These cells then latch onto the antigens present in the cancer cells. They also enhance the ability of T-cells to kill cancer.

Specifically, patients who got CAR-T cell therapy survived for an average of 7.9 months, compared to 5.5 months with standard care. They also had 3.3 months without their cancer getting worse, compared to 1.8 months for those on standard care.

What Does This Mean For Future Cancer Treatments?

Experts are hailing this as a "groundbreaking milestone" for using CAR-T therapies to treat solid tumors. Some found the results "exciting," calling it a crucial moment that should motivate the cancer research community to keep pushing forward.

A director of research and partnerships at a prominent cancer research organization found it "encouraging" to see early signs that CAR-T cell therapy could help patients with solid tumors. They noted that while more extensive trials are needed before it can be widely used, it could mark an important step ahead for patients who have had limited treatment options so far.

Researchers highlighted that the treatment only extended survival by about two months. They also emphasized the importance of finding ways to lower the cost of CAR-T therapy to make it widely accessible. Despite this, they expressed encouragement that this represents another potential treatment option for gastric cancer patients, whose prognosis is generally very poor, hoping it could offer "meaningful longevity."

From time and again doctors have said that no amount of alcohol is good for you. Alcohol, in fact, is a carcinogen. As per the National Human Genome Research Institute, a carcinogen is a substance, organism or agent capable of causing cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) also classifies alcohol as Group 1 carcinogen, which means, there is enough evidence to conclude that it causes cancers in human. The risk of cancer increases with the amount of alcohol consume, and the risk stats from the first drink.

As per a new study, it is also linked to pancreatic cancer. While for the longest, the scientific community had "limited" or "inconclusive" connection on it. However, a large study by the World Health Organization's (WHO) IARC looked at data from around 2 million people across 30 studies in four continents. This was done for over 16 years.

What Did The Study Find?

The study found a slight rise in pancreatic cancer risk linked to alcohol consumption, regardless of gender or smoking status. The increase was more pronounced in women consuming 15 grams or more of alcohol daily, and in men who drank 30 grams or more per day.

The study has been published in PLOS Medicine, and it found a modest yet consistent link between alcohol consumption and pancreatic cancer risk.

The study found that for every 10 grams of alcohol that is consumed by a person on a daily basis, which amounts to a small glass of wine, the pancreatic cancer risk increases by 3 percent.

What Does "Modest Risk" Mean?

Among women who consumed between 15 and 30 grams of alcohol per day, the risk of developing pancreatic cancer increased by 12 percent compared to those with only light intake (0.1–5 grams/day). In men, the danger climbed more steeply—those drinking 30 to 60 grams daily faced a 15 percent higher risk, while men consuming over 60 grams saw their risk surge by a striking 36 percent.

Put simply, if your daily wind-down routine involves more than the occasional drink, it may be worth thinking twice about what that glass is really costing your health.

How Does Alcohol Pave Way For Pancreatic Cancer?

Triggers Inflammation: Long-term alcohol use can irritate and inflame the pancreas, a condition known as pancreatitis. Over time, this chronic inflammation becomes a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

Damages Genetic Material: When alcohol breaks down in the body, it turns into acetaldehyde—a toxic compound that’s notoriously harsh on DNA. It can lead to mutations and interfere with your body’s natural ability to repair damaged cells.

Disrupts Glucose Balance: Alcohol interferes with glucose metabolism and insulin function. Since the pancreas plays a central role in both, this disruption puts it under considerable stress and may increase the likelihood of tumour development over time.

Drives Oxidative Stress: Drinking introduces oxidative stress—an unhealthy imbalance between damaging free radicals and protective antioxidants. This imbalance harms cell structures and creates an environment in which cancer can thrive.

Lowers Immune Defences: Consistent alcohol consumption weakens the immune system, making it harder for the body to detect and eliminate abnormal or potentially cancerous cells before they multiply.

That said, the study isn’t without limitations. It measured alcohol intake only once during the study period and had limited data from Asian populations. It also didn’t explore lifetime drinking patterns or compare the impacts of occasional binge drinking with regular consumption.

While pancreatic cancer ranks twelfth in global cancer incidence, it is far deadlier than its ranking suggests—contributing to roughly 5 percent of all cancer-related deaths worldwide.

Coffee has been hailed one of the best drinks to start your morning with by many people. Some even claim they can’t get their morning started without their cup of coffee. However, does it actually energize you or does it affect the way your body functions to accommodate more awake hours?

Your daily coffee might help you power through the day, but could it be keeping your brain too active at night, even while you sleep? A new study suggests that caffeine doesn't just affect your energy levels; it may also change how your brain works during sleep, especially if you're in your twenties.

Caffeine's Impact on Sleeping Brains

Researchers in Canada found that drinking caffeine before bed might keep your brain in a more active state all night. This study, published in the journal Nature Communications Biology, utilized electroencephalography (EEG) and artificial intelligence to see how caffeine changes the brain's behavior during rest.

The researchers explained that advanced statistical analysis and AI were used to identify subtle changes in neuronal activity. The results showed that caffeine made brain signals more complex, meaning the brain's activity was more dynamic and less predictable. This was especially true during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) phase of sleep, which is really important for memory and getting your brain ready for the next day.

How Super Alert Caffeine State Affect Us

The study also found that caffeine boosted something called "criticality." The researchers explain that criticality as a state where the brain is perfectly balanced between order and chaos. In this state, the brain works at its best, processing information well, adapting quickly, learning, and making decisions easily.

But this super-alert state isn't good for sleep. While caffeine helps you focus during the day, this heightened state could mess with your rest at night. Your brain might not truly relax or recover.

What Caffeine Does to Brain Waves

To see these effects, researchers watched 40 healthy adults as they slept. Participants took either caffeine pills or fake pills before bed. The researchers discovered that caffeine increased beta brain waves, which are linked to being awake and mentally engaged. At the same time, it weakened slower brain waves like theta and alpha, which are connected to deep, restorative sleep.

These changes suggest that even when you're sleeping, your brain stays more active and less rested if you've had caffeine. Jerbi noted that this change in brain activity might explain why caffeine affects how well your brain recovers at night, potentially impacting your memory.

Why Age Matters with Caffeine

The effects of caffeine were much stronger in young adults aged 20 to 27, compared to middle-aged adults between 41 and 58. This difference might be because of adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is a chemical that builds up during the day, making you feel sleepy. Caffeine blocks these receptors to keep you awake. Younger adults have more of these receptors, so caffeine has a stronger effect on them.

These adenosine receptors naturally decrease, which reduces caffeine's ability to block them and boost brain complexity. This could partly explain why caffeine had less of an effect on the middle-aged participants.

Since so many people use caffeine daily to fight tiredness, the researchers say more studies are needed to understand its long-term effects on brain health and to give personalized advice for different age groups.