https://medicalxpress.com/endocrinology-metabolism-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Endocrinology As use of GLP-1s surged across the U.S., average total payments per user also climbed sharply, according to a new Northwestern University study that analyzed national trends in GLP-1 use and spending between 2017 and 2022. These total payments included out-of-pocket costs paid by patients as well as payments from insurers, employers and government programs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-glp-1s-term.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:00:06 EDT news703325800 A major new international study led by Curtin University has found diabetes risk is about more than body weight or obesity, revealing that muscle health also likely plays a major role in whether people develop the condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-muscles-diabetes.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 08:20:15 EDT news703231381 Obesity can act as fuel for leukemia, according to a study led by Indiana University School of Medicine scientists. To help patients facing aggressive blood cancers overcome this metabolic risk, researchers identified a potential treatment strategy that combines popular weight-loss medications with anti-inflammatory drugs. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-obesity-fuels-leukemia-combo-popular.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:40:01 EDT news703173473 Testosterone may play a bigger role in the emotional development of girls entering puberty than previously thought, according to new research from the University of Georgia published in Psychoneuroendocrinology. Greater changes in the hormone were linked to more emotional difficulties among girls ages 10–12, even when accounting for levels of other hormones. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hormonal-puberty-linked-emotional-distress.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news703164002 For generations, early to bed and early to rise was seen as the blueprint for a healthy life, and any departure from it was often considered unhealthy. Scientists, however, have discovered that whether someone is an early bird who wakes up early and starts the day with energy or a night owl who naturally stays up late and wakes up later is far more than a lifestyle choice. This pattern reflects the body's natural preference for the timing of sleep and wake cycles within a 24-hour day. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-night-owls-nutritious-food-belly.html Sun, 12 Jul 2026 11:20:04 EDT news702896030 In a study published in PLOS Medicine, Daniel Stow, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London, UK, and collaborators discovered factors that increase the risk of developing several long-term, coexisting health conditions among South Asian populations in the United Kingdom. Since nearly 8% of the U.K.'s population has South Asian heritage, these findings lend much-needed insights for public health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-untangling-factors-multiple-chronic-conditions.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:00:04 EDT news702794182 A study has found some tampons leach low levels of chemicals that disrupt hormones, regardless of whether they are synthetic or organic. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-synthetic-tampons-leach-hormone-disrupting.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news702809760 A new therapy helps achieve a healthier BMI in people whose weight has become dysregulated following treatment for a brain tumor, a clinical trial has found. The results of the trial have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The new drug, setmelanotide, offers hope for improved health and quality of life for children and adults with hormonal and metabolic dysfunction caused by a brain tumor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-treatment-healthier-bmi-people-weight.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:00:09 EDT news702807912 People with anorexia nervosa have unusually high levels of a hormone called LEAP2 in their blood when they are in the acute phase of the disorder, according to research presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2026. Patients with the highest levels of LEAP2 are more likely to relapse following treatment for anorexia nervosa. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-uncover-hormone-link-gut-brain.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:00:08 EDT news702802072 Despite substantial weight loss, most obesity drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro do not meaningfully improve quality of life, and few show cardiovascular benefits at one year, according to an analysis of the latest evidence published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-obesity-drugs-quality-life-heart.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:30:04 EDT news702704500 Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common, largely silent and serious. Most people who have the condition do not realize they have it, while it sharply raises the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and early death. Over the past decade, the share of American adults living with CKD has remained consistent. Roughly 1 in 7 U.S. adults—about 15%—had CKD in 2013, and approximately 1 in 7 still had it in 2023. What has changed is the type of kidney disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-kidney-disease-profile-shifts-diabetes.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:00:07 EDT news702704496 Higher socioeconomic status is not associated with equal reductions in rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity across all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to a new study published July 8, 2026, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Sara Cromer of Harvard Medical School, U.S., and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ethnicity-association-socioeconomic-status-metabolic.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:11 EDT news702704468 People with severe obesity who exercise regularly have healthier blood vessels and lower inflammation than those who rely on medication alone, a new study from the University of Copenhagen shows. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-weight-loss-cardiovascular-health-medication.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:20:04 EDT news702724331 Research from the University of Granada published in the European Journal of Pediatrics has revealed that girls with higher levels of bisphenol A (a component of plastics and epoxy-phenolic resins) and benzophenones (ultraviolet filters) in their urine are more likely to experience precocious puberty or early breast development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-exposure-common-endocrine-disruptors-precocious.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:20:02 EDT news702638787 A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed Hong Kong's first "AI Agent for Precision Diabetes Management—PIPE-AI" (AI Agent), designed specifically for Asian populations, together with a related disease risk prediction model. Leveraging artificial intelligence and large-scale local electronic health data, the system can more accurately predict the risk of complications worsening, such as chronic kidney disease, in patients with type 2 diabetes over the next 10 years, enabling health care professionals and patients to intervene early and improve disease management. The research findings have been published in npj Digital Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-agent-precision-diabetes.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:00:01 EDT news702638778