https://medicalxpress.com/preventive-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Preventive medicine Doctors' prescribing habits are heavily influenced by payments, gifts and free meals from pharmaceutical companies, leading to more prescriptions for more expensive, less appropriate drugs, a new Cochrane review finds. This can seriously harm both individual patients and health systems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-pharmaceutical-company-negatively.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 20:00:01 EDT news710600114 Europe must act now to strengthen maternal vaccination during pregnancy and ensure all women and babies can benefit from a new generation of vaccines to protect against serious infections. That is according to a new Lancet Regional Health - Europe series led by Professor Asma Khalil at City St George's, University of London, which is being launched and presented at the 2026 Global Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Congress in Utrecht. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-maternal-vaccines-babies-infections-unequal.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:00:09 EDT news710692321 Unhealthy dietary patterns are among the leading drivers of the global health crisis, significantly contributing to rising rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Nutritional science has long established that the quality of fat in our diet is crucial for metabolic health. Reducing saturated fat intake or replacing it with unsaturated fats has been shown to lower CVD and T2D risk by improving blood lipid profiles and reducing inflammation. While traditional blood lipid profiles focus on key markers like cholesterol, advanced lipidomics provides a comprehensive view of the entire circulating lipidome, uncovering specific changes in lipid classes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-peanut-consumption-affects-lipid-profile.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:40:05 EDT news710670599 A team has developed a new self-disinfecting cotton fabric capable of eliminating bacteria, fungi and viruses in hospital settings using visible light. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-disinfecting-fabric-bacteria-fungi-viruses.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:00:19 EDT news710696761 Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a genetically determined blood lipid and an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, its association with the long-term progression of carotid atherosclerosis has remained unclear, particularly in East Asian populations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-elevated-lipoproteina-carotid-atherosclerosis.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:20:07 EDT news710685859 Amid the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), a team led by researchers from Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has conducted what they describe as the most extensive systematic evaluation to date of associations between ADRD and nearly 200 environmental exposures—from pollution to diet to social connections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-environmental-exposures-alzheimer-disease-dementias.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:40:20 EDT news710679722 Andrea Romanos-Nanclares, Ph.D., of the Channing Division of Network Medicine within the Department of Medicine at Mass General Brigham, is the lead author of a paper published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health titled "The Nurses' Health Studies: a half-century of discovery in women's health." A. Heather Eliassen, ScD, of Mass General Brigham and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the senior author. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-women-health-reveal-lessons-disease.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:40:18 EDT news710673663 Vaccine-hesitant adults were more likely to consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine when public health messages acknowledged distrust of government and affirmed values such as personal liberty, a new study found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-aligned-messages-covid-vaccination-intentions.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:00:06 EDT news710664361 Three of four leading artificial intelligence (AI) search tools accurately identified home blood pressure monitors that met validated clinical standards only 63–83% of the time, according to preliminary research being presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026, held in Arlington, Virginia, Oct. 7–11. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-ai-tools-unreliable-home-blood.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:00:01 EDT news710587982 Having access to enough food does not necessarily mean having access to a nutritionally adequate diet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-food-prices-reveals-multiple-barriers.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 22:00:08 EDT news710601741 Receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine before pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of major pregnancy complications, including preterm birth, with a greater reduction in risk seen among women vaccinated at an earlier age, according to a large Swedish study published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-hpv-vaccination-pregnancy-linked-preterm.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:30:07 EDT news710588281 A major new report from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) sets out how health services need to protect vulnerable patients during heat waves. The report by a group of international experts is published in the European Heart Journal and brings together all existing research on how to prevent deaths and hospitalizations during heat waves in people with different forms of cardiovascular disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-guidance-outlines-people-heart-disease.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:10:01 EDT news710583300 Companies are pitching full-body MRI scans directly to consumers as a way to detect cancer and other diseases early, but no major medical association—including the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology—recommends these scans for people without a very high risk of certain cancers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-medical-benefits.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:20:15 EDT news710574539 Genetic information may play an increasingly important role in the personalized preventive medicine of the future. Whole-genome sequencing could open up new possibilities for identifying susceptibility to and risk of specific diseases even before symptoms appear, emphasizes Dr. Gyula Richárd Nagy, a clinical geneticist at Semmelweis University. However, to achieve this, we must first accurately "read" our genome—that is, the billions of DNA letters—with increasing precision. We must also ensure that the reference we are comparing it to is appropriate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-properly-genome.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:00:22 EDT news710610121 Flu season may be getting a head start this year, and experts say that's a good reason not to put off your flu shot. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-flu-season-early-experts-vaccinated.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:40:09 EDT news710594412 Despite sustained declines in overall cardiovascular disease mortality in the U.S., disparities based on race, ethnicity and place persist, with mortality varying far more across counties than states, according to a county-by-cause-by-population analysis published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-heart-disease-gaps-persist-declines.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:00:01 EDT news710519762 The number of people sick with flu is starting to increase across the United States, with health authorities warning that in some western regions of the country, the 2026–27 flu season may be off to an early start. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-flu-season-vaccines.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:40:07 EDT news710576822 Medicine and surgery are not the answer for overweight children, the World Health Organization said Thursday. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-obesity-drugs-surgery-10s.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 06:38:41 EDT news710573849 Cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, operating heavy machinery, carrying out agricultural work and performing repair and maintenance tasks: These are some of the activities that new research associates with poorer health later in life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-physically-intense-health-index-burden.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:40:06 EDT news710516221 As extreme heat events become more frequent and severe across the United States, older adults face growing health risks that extend far beyond discomfort, according to a new policy analysis published in Public Policy & Aging Report. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-analysis-underscores-threat-extreme-older.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:20:09 EDT news710503681 Even a routine blood test may come with an overnight fasting requirement. Many medical practices still ask patients to go without food for 8–12 hours before blood is drawn. While the protocol was originally recommended for glucose and lipid testing, over time, it became the default requirement for almost all routine blood panels. Why it is still followed for such a broad range of routine lab tests is a question that researchers from South Korea asked in a recent study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-fast-blood.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:00:21 EDT news710499137 Fat stacks of cash can provide powerful motivation to quit smoking, a new study says. Twice as many smokers quit when offered cash rewards of up to $600, researchers report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-cash-rewards-folks.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:40:02 EDT news710490675 Kenya has reported its first-ever Ebola death, the health minister announced Tuesday, after a Kenyan man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo died after returning to the country. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-kenya-ebola-death.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 06:17:53 EDT news710486206 Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health officials said Monday, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-pennsylvania-measles-outbreak-largest-decades.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 02:50:01 EDT news710469848 According to a new survey, most U.S. women understood breast cancer risk factors, but only a minority were taking action to help lower their risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-women-breast-cancer-factors.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:40:06 EDT news710406694 Vaccine perceptions can influence acceptance and uptake. Dr. Dror Walter, with the Department of Communication at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and colleagues examined these perceptions using data from a national probability sample of 1,763 U.S. adults surveyed in November 2024. The study was published online in the American Journal of Public Health on Sept. 10, 2026. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-political-differences-perceptions-vaccine-safety.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:00:07 EDT news710436301 A terracotta-tiled village in the mountains of Sardinia may offer researchers a rare opportunity to uncover the secrets of exceptional longevity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-sardinian-village-longevity-hotspot.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:40:01 EDT news710438402 Imagine a child who has been hospitalized numerous times. Perhaps they were also diagnosed with a mental health condition as a teenager. At the same time, they grew up in a family affected by unemployment, poverty or alcohol abuse. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-children-multiple-adversities-die-younger.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:20:01 EDT news710430241 During a health crisis, the first instinct is often to give people information. Governments make announcements. Experts explain what is happening. Health departments share information on television, radio, social media and through communities. The idea seems simple: give people the right information, and they can make better decisions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-circular-approach-good-communication-health.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:40:20 EDT news710428922 New modeling led by interdisciplinary scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) could help public health officials better factor in the long-term impacts of infectious disease when determining optimal vaccine coverage rates. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-modest-infection-complications-vaccine-coverage.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:00:05 EDT news710162101