https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. When we think about iron imbalance, most people are familiar with iron deficiency and the health problems it can cause. What many may not realize is that the opposite problem, iron overload, can be just as serious—yet many aren't even aware of the condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-haemochromatosis-iron-overload-condition-undiagnosed.html Sat, 07 Feb 2026 15:00:04 EST news689518565 Researchers at Kumamoto University have demonstrated that iron supplementation can significantly alleviate muscle pathology and functional decline in a mouse model of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a rare genetic muscle disease for which no effective treatment currently exists. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-iron-supplements-muscle-strength-mouse.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:40:01 EST news688311999 A single dose of intravenous (IV) iron dextran is the most cost-effective treatment for women with heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency anemia (IDA), according to new research published in Blood Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-iv-iron-effective-treatment-women.html Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:00:01 EST news687024468 Iron deficiency without anemia is a common feature of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), according to a study published in Nutrients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-iron-deficiency-anemia-common-moderate.html Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:58:19 EST news685709729 A series of compounds that deprive iron essential for a parasitic worm could provide effective new agents for blocking parasite growth, a RIKEN researcher has found. This finding, published in the journal Tropical Medicine and Health, could give a much-needed new strategy for fighting the parasite. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-iron-compounds-effective-parasitic-flatworm.html Tue, 23 Dec 2025 09:40:02 EST news685705127 More than half of teenage girls experienced heavy bleeding and 40% had an iron deficiency. The research, led by Lund University in Sweden, also shows that young teenage girls who experience heavy menstrual bleeding—and are therefore at greater risk of iron deficiency—can be identified using a simple questionnaire. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-heavy-menstruation-common-teenage-girls.html Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:00:11 EST news685198713 Iron overload is prevalent among adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, held from Dec. 6 to 9 in Orlando, Florida. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-iron-overload-prevalent-sickle-cell.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:50:01 EST news684602737 Within a year of initiation, a multidisciplinary project to improve screening and treatment for iron deficiency in pregnancy resulted in a six-fold rise in screening rates for iron deficiency in pregnant patients, a 20-fold rise in the number of intravenous (IV) iron infusions, and a significant improvement in median hemoglobin levels. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-quality-results-screening-treatment-iron.html Mon, 08 Dec 2025 06:31:38 EST news684397861 Treatment with intravenous (IV) iron significantly improved survival and increased hemoglobin levels in patients with iron-deficiency anemia who were hospitalized for an acute bacterial infection, according to an analysis of data from more than 85,000 patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-iv-iron-survival-hemoglobin-patients.html Mon, 08 Dec 2025 06:30:20 EST news684397802 New research published in The Journal of Immunology suggests that a lack of dietary iron can negatively affect the ability of immune cells to respond to viral infection in the lungs. In mice with dietary iron deficiency and influenza, immune cells struggled to produce a key signal needed to fight viruses and did not regain this ability even when iron levels returned to normal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-lack-dietary-iron-impair-immune.html Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:39:43 EST news683825891 The human gut renews itself faster than any other tissue: every few days, new cells are created from specialized stem cells. However, as we get older, epigenetic changes build up in these stem cells. These are chemical markers on the DNA that act like switches, determining which genes remain active. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-important-genes-quiet-older.html Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:54:25 EST news683546041 Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and the University of Freiburg show how certain painkillers influence the iron metabolism of liver cancer cells and can thus contribute to iron deficiency and anemia in cancer patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-painkillers-contribute-anemia-cancer-patients.html Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:20:01 EST news682615858 Researchers at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology Faculty of Biology have identified a unique mechanism involved in the aging of the immune system—along with a framework for enhancing its function in older individuals. The study, published in Nature Aging, was led by Assistant Professor Noga Ron-Harel and doctoral student David Ezuz. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-aging-spleen-toxic-environment-cells.html Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:53:03 EST news682613581 Iron-deficiency anemia is a common condition marked by tiredness, headaches or ice cravings. But the oral iron supplements used to treat it can leave behind excess iron that causes inflammation and an upset stomach. A new supplement reported in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces combines iron, prebiotics and probiotics. In trials, the treatment successfully restored blood iron levels in anemic mice without initiating an inflammatory response or throwing off the balance of the gut microbiota. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-triple-threat-iron-supplement-gut.html Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:58:03 EDT news679741082 Schizophrenia is a severe and debilitating psychiatric disorder characterized by hallucinations, disorganized speech and thought patterns, false beliefs about the world or oneself, difficulties concentrating and other symptoms impacting people's daily functioning. While schizophrenia has been the topic of numerous research studies, its biological and neural underpinnings have not yet been fully elucidated. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-schizophrenia-linked-iron-myelin-deficits.html Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:30:01 EDT news679149715 Every minute, a woman in the U.S. requires a blood transfusion due to heavy menstrual bleeding, or HMB. One in three women reports having the condition—which can lead to iron deficiency and anemia—and missing an average of 3.6 weeks of work a year, costing the U.S. economy roughly $94 billion annually, according to the nonprofit Wellcome Leap. Patients routinely suffer for up to five years before they get help, despite HMB being more common than asthma or diabetes in reproductive-aged women. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-heavy-menstrual-condition-common-asthma.html Wed, 08 Oct 2025 12:29:41 EDT news679145359 Chewing on ice may seem harmless, perhaps even refreshing, but dental experts warn it can actually wreak havoc on your teeth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-ice-teeth-jaw.html Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:10:01 EDT news678976828 The popularity of matcha continues to boom. But recent videos on social media have suggested it could be bad for you if you have low iron. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-tiktok-matcha-iron.html Wed, 24 Sep 2025 10:28:04 EDT news677928481 Researchers at Duke University have shown that blocking an enzyme involved in iron regulation not only kills multiple myeloma cancer cells, but also increases the effectiveness of current therapies against the disease. Their research was published on September 12 in the journal Blood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-iron-destroy-multiple-myeloma-cancer.html Tue, 23 Sep 2025 09:13:04 EDT news677837581 VIB researchers and colleagues have discovered a mechanism through which melanoma cells adapt and switch between two major proliferative and invasive states, revealing promising new targets for cancer therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-insights-melanoma-plasticity-uncover-critical.html Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:30:10 EDT news677420523 About 4,700 bottles of Bariatric Fusion iron-containing multivitamins have been recalled because packaging does not meet federal safety standards, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-recall-bariatric-fusion-vitamins-child.html Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:00:01 EDT news677161452 Duke-NUS Medical School, working with an international team of experts, has contributed to a new evidence-based plan to tackle anemia—a condition affecting nearly two billion people worldwide and a persistent obstacle to achieving global health goals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-experts-global-roadmap-anemia.html Thu, 11 Sep 2025 05:43:06 EDT news676788181 A special MRI technique that detects iron levels in different regions of the brain can predict the onset of mild cognitive impairment and cognitive decline in cognitively unimpaired older adults, potentially creating a pathway to earlier interventions, according to a study published in Radiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-brain-iron-mri-cognitive-impairment.html Tue, 09 Sep 2025 10:00:05 EDT news676538761 Why do health stories about food and cancer grab so much attention? Because they offer an enticing promise: that a single item on your plate, or even a sudden change in what you crave, might hold the key to spotting disease early. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-food-cravings-cancer-diagnosis-months.html Mon, 08 Sep 2025 11:45:04 EDT news676550701 In my youth, I spent an unreasonable amount of time questioning why A-level chemistry was a prerequisite for medical school. Why was it as essential as biology? Why did I need to learn about electrons and entropy? The penny finally dropped when my rather brilliant teachers turned my attention towards the periodic table. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-sulfur-selenium-calcium-copper-body.html Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:16:05 EDT news675515762 Many people are familiar with the saying that a woman is "eating for two" during pregnancy. Although this is an exaggeration, nutritional needs do certainly increase during pregnancy to support the growing baby. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-breastfeeding-diet-affect-baby.html Mon, 11 Aug 2025 10:11:50 EDT news674125907 Most Americans know that it's important for someone to take care of their health before getting pregnant and during pregnancy to increase their chance of having a healthy baby. Many people know, for instance, that smoking or drinking alcohol can have detrimental effects during pregnancy, increasing the likelihood that a baby is delivered early, is underweight, or has birth defects. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-knowledge-high-alcohol-pregnancy.html Tue, 29 Jul 2025 11:11:04 EDT news673006262 Oxidative stress is considered to contribute to the development of cancer. However, a recent study in Japan showed that oxidative stress may suppress rather than cause cancer development in individuals with variants of the BRCA2 gene. This finding was published in Redox Biology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-oxidative-stress-suppress-cancer-onset.html Thu, 24 Jul 2025 10:50:12 EDT news672572560 If you spend any time in the wellness corners of TikTok or Instagram, you'll see claims women need one to two hours more sleep than men. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-women-men-psychologist.html Thu, 17 Jul 2025 11:20:02 EDT news671968400 By establishing an iron overload-induced hepatic ferroptosis model, scientists from Japan have identified iFerroptosis—an integrated gene signature for ferroptosis. They evaluated the associated genes in both mice and human liver injury systems, validating the potential use of iFerroptosis as a biomarker. By highlighting the role of ferroptosis in liver injuries, this study offers insights into unique therapeutic targets. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-gene-signature-hepatic-ferroptosis-reveals.html Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:10:04 EDT news670604103