Publisher Health

Most of us think of orange juice as a simple breakfast habit, something you pour without much thought. Yet scientists are discovering that this everyday drink may be doing far more in the body than quenching thirst.
A recent study has shown that regular orange juice consumption can influence the activity of thousands of genes inside our immune cells. Many of these genes help control blood pressure, calm inflammation and manage the way the body processes sugar, all of which play an important role in long-term heart health.
The study followed adults who drank 500ml of pure pasteurized orange juice every day for two months. After 60 days, many genes associated with inflammation and higher blood pressure had become less active.
These included NAMPT, IL6, IL1B and NLRP3, which usually switch on when the body is under stress. Another gene known as SGK1, which affects the kidneys’ ability to hold onto sodium (salt), also became less active.
Such changes match previous findings that daily orange juice drinking can reduce blood pressure in young adults.
This is noteworthy because it offers a possible explanation for why orange juice has been linked to better heart health in several trials. The new work shows that the drink does not simply raise blood sugar. Instead, it appears to trigger small shifts in the body’s regulatory systems that reduce inflammation and help blood vessels relax.
Natural compounds in oranges, particularly hesperidin, a citrus flavonoid known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, seem to influence processes related to high blood pressure, cholesterol balance and the way the body handles sugar.

The response also varies by body size. People carrying more weight tended to show greater changes in genes involved in fat metabolism, while leaner volunteers showed stronger effects on inflammation.
A systematic review of controlled trials involving 639 participants from 15 studies found that regular orange juice consumption lowered insulin resistance and blood cholesterol levels. Insulin resistance is a key feature of pre-diabetes, and high cholesterol is an established risk factor for heart disease.
Another analysis focusing on overweight and obese adults found small reductions in systolic blood pressure and increases in high density lipoprotein (HDL), often called the good cholesterol, after several weeks of daily orange juice consumption. Although these changes are modest, even slight improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol can make a meaningful difference when maintained over many years.
More clues come from studies that examine metabolites, the tiny molecules produced as the body processes food. A recent review found that orange juice influences pathways related to energy use, communication between cells and inflammation. It may also affect the gut microbiome, which is increasingly understood to play a role in heart health.
One study showed that drinking blood orange juice for a month increased the number of gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids. These compounds help maintain healthy blood pressure and reduce inflammation. Volunteers also showed improved blood sugar control and lower levels of inflammatory markers.
People with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors that includes high blood pressure, raised blood sugar and excess body fat, may see particular benefits.

In one study, daily orange juice consumption improved the function of the lining of blood vessels, known as endothelial function, in 68 obese participants. Endothelial function describes how well blood vessels relax and widen, and better function is associated with a lower risk of heart attacks.
Not all studies report the same outcomes. A broader analysis of blood fat concentrations found that although levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), often called the bad cholesterol, often fall, other lipid measurements such as triglycerides and HDL may not change much. Even so, people who regularly drink orange juice may still benefit.
A study of 129 workers in an orange juice factory in Brazil reported lower blood concentrations of apolipoprotein B, or apo-B, a marker that reflects the number of cholesterol-carrying particles linked to heart attack risk.
Altogether, the evidence challenges the idea that drinking citrus fruit juice is simply consuming sugar in a glass. Whole fruit remains the better choice because of its fiber, but a modest daily glass of pure orange juice appears to have effects that build up over time.
These include easing inflammation, supporting healthier blood flow and improving several blood markers linked to long-term heart health. It is a reminder that everyday foods can have more influence on the body than we might expect.

Eclipse warning: The key signs you may have damaged your eyesTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedByDominic HughesHealth correspondentPublished13 August 2026Eye experts are warning people to be on the alert for any signs their vision has been damaged by looking at the sun during Wednesday’s eclipse.The symptoms can include blurred vision, a central blind or dark spot and increased sensitivity to light.After the previous total eclipse of the sun that was visible in the UK in 1999, around 70 people were left with damaged sight.Many of them had spent less than a minute looking at the spectacle, without realising they were harming their eyes.The danger comes because staring at an eclipse without protection can damage the retina, which sits at the back of the eye, and particularly those cells responsible for sharp central vision. The sun is incredibly bright, even when partially obscured by the moon. Normally if we stare at it, we wince and quickly look away. But when it is darker, during an eclipse, that instinct may not kick in, even while our eyes are being damaged. The bright light and ultraviolet radiation given off by the sun can lead to a condition known as “solar retinopathy”.And because the retina has no pain receptors, it’s hard for people to notice the damage as it happens, so symptoms may only appear several hours later.Leading up to the eclipse itself, experts were warning only genuine specially-designed solar eclipse glasses should be used, and that ordinary sunglasses or other devices were not enough to prevent potential damage.What to look out for?Alexander Ionides, a consultant eye surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London says if you have damaged your eyes, the symptoms will start to come on within a few hours.”It’s a central spot in the visual field, whatever you’re looking at, if you’re looking at someone’s face, or the writing of the page or the clock on the wall, you may have a distortion.”It’ll be a grey or a yellow or a dark spot right in the very centre of your vision.”It doesn’t hurt, there’s no pain like what a burn might be considered to be like, and it can just very gradually come on.”Other symptoms to be aware of include:Eye painRednessGrittiness or irritationSudden changes in sightIncreased sensitivity to lightIonides says if you think you have damaged your eyes, you should seek urgent medical attention. “There are different ways to get the eyes checked out in the UK, you can always go to a local optician, they’re very well equipped now,” he added.”They can do retinal scans to look for any solar retinopathy, which is the damage to the retina from looking at the eclipse. “And also they can refer you on to the local eye unit. There are local eye casualties as well. And most hospitals will have an eye doctor on call.”Because of the delay in symptoms developing it is not yet possible to say if anyone has experienced any damage to their eyes.A partial eclipse like the one the UK experienced on Wednesday meant the sun was still pretty bright, so far fewer people may have tried to stare at it directly.Ionides says compared to 1999, so far fewer people have contacted his hospital. “Back in 1999, the switchboard and the casualty were inundated with many, many people coming along worried, or having had some damage.”But so far, it’s only the morning after, but at the moment there have been a lot fewer people contacting the hospital or coming along to casualty, which might mean that the message is getting out there, that it is damaging to look directly at the sun with the naked eye.”More on this storyOnce-in-a-generation solar eclipse wows millions in UK and EuropePublished12 AugustIn pictures: Stunning eclipse turns daylight into darkness across Europe

Obesity is a major health problem worldwide and can raise the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other metabolic disorders. Many factors can contribute to obesity, but researchers are increasingly interested in the role of high fat foods that are readily available in grocery stores. These foods can be difficult to resist and may encourage people to eat more than they need.
Although overeating might seem like a problem that begins in the stomach, appetite is largely regulated by the brain. Scientists still do not fully understand how dietary fat interacts with the neural systems that control hunger, food intake, and body weight.
A Brain Protein Linked to Appetite Control
To investigate this connection, a research team led by Professor Shigenobu Matsumura of Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology focused on optic atrophy 1 (OPA1). This mitochondrial fusion protein is found in hypothalamic MC4R neurons and plays a role in maintaining mitochondrial function and energy metabolism.
The researchers compared wild-type mice with mice in which OPA1 had been specifically removed from MC4R neurons. To explore how the protein influences appetite and body weight, the animals were given free access to soybean oil as a source of dietary fat.
Dietary Fat Produced Different Effects in Males and Females
The results showed that soybean oil increased OPA1 expression in male wild-type mice, but the same increase was not seen in females. Mice that lacked OPA1 ate more food, gained more weight as they aged, and eventually developed obesity.

When the animals could freely choose between standard chow and soybean oil, the OPA1-deficient mice consumed more fat and gained additional weight. These effects were especially strong in females.
Obesity Drug Response Also Varied by Sex
The researchers also tested setmelanotide, an anti-obesity MC4R agonist. The drug successfully reduced appetite in both control males and OPA1-deficient males. In OPA1-deficient females, however, its ability to suppress appetite was significantly weaker.
“Our findings provide key insights into the mechanisms underlying obesity from the perspective of neuronal energy metabolism,” said Professor Matsumura. “The sex differences observed in OPA1 responses and obesity susceptibility may help inform the development of obesity treatments that take them into account, as well as future personalized medicine approaches.”
The findings were published in the FASEB Journal.

More than 120,000 babies around the world acquire HIV each year. For millions of people living with the virus, controlling the infection means taking treatment for life, provided those medications are accessible and affordable.
A new study led by Oregon Health & Science University points to a potentially very different approach. Researchers found that a combination of therapies administered to newborns within three days of birth could permanently eliminate the virus.
The findings were published in Nature Microbiology.
“The really exciting part is that it could go to clinical trials immediately to eliminate HIV infection in newborns,” said co-lead author Jonah Sacha, Ph.D., professor and chief of pathobiology and immunology at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate Research Center and Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. “The next step after that is to test if this can work in newly exposed adults.”
The work brought together numerous collaborators and involved nonhuman primates at both the Oregon and California national primate research centers.
Three HIV Treatments Used Together
For several weeks, the researchers administered three different therapies: neutralizing antibodies, standard antiretroviral therapy, and an experimental monoclonal antibody called leronlimab.

All three approaches had been tested individually before, but none had succeeded in permanently clearing the virus. Sacha was initially skeptical that simply combining them would produce a better outcome.
For years, Sacha has helped develop leronlimab, which is intended to prevent HIV from entering immune cells by blocking a surface protein known as CCR5. His longtime OHSU colleague and coauthor Nancy Haigwood, Ph.D., believed that pairing leronlimab with existing HIV therapies could prove more effective.
The new results supported her idea.
Haigwood, a former professor and ONPRC director, is a virologist and immunologist who has spent decades studying HIV antibodies.
“We were astounded and overjoyed, actually,” Haigwood said. “It’s a remarkable result.”
A Potential Path Toward Human Trials
Antiretroviral therapy is already approved for use in people. Broadly neutralizing antibodies and leronlimab, meanwhile, are each being evaluated separately in clinical trials.

Before the newly identified three-part treatment could become widely available for newborns, it would first need to be tested in human clinical trials. The researchers expect those initial studies would most likely involve adults who were recently exposed to HIV.
If successful, the strategy could eventually offer a new way to combat an HIV epidemic that still kills about 600,000 people worldwide every year.
The scientists say there is reason for optimism because nonhuman primates and humans share important anatomical similarities.
“There was no reason to think this would completely clear the virus,” Sacha said. “It’s one of those things where you test it and, holy cow, it works and you’ve discovered something new.”
Blocking HIV From Entering Immune Cells
Researchers do not yet know exactly why the combined treatment worked so well. Sacha and Haigwood said the three therapies appear to become much more powerful when used together than when any one of them is used by itself.
Leronlimab may play a particularly important role. The antibody blocks CCR5, a surface protein that HIV commonly uses as a route into immune cells.
“For reasons we don’t understand, HIV really wants to use CCR5 receptors to infect cells,” Sacha said. “By blocking access, it’s like you’ve kept fuel away from the fire.”
Haigwood describes the three treatments with another analogy:
Turning off the faucet: Antiretroviral therapy doesn’t eliminate HIV altogether, but it minimizes its ability to replicate.
Mopping up: Neutralizing antibodies effectively corral HIV so there is less virus circulating in the body’s blood supply.
Sealing off: Leronlimab blocks what’s left of the virus from infecting immune cells — the equivalent of sealing off the room with a water-tight valve.
The First Days of HIV Infection May Be Critical
Haigwood believes the treatment combination may be particularly powerful when given very early after infection.
“There’s a lot more going on during the first week of infection than we previously thought,” she said. “From this experiment, it looks like there’s a dynamic interaction between the virus and antibodies that takes place as the virus begins to spread.”
The researchers now want to determine how long that early treatment window might remain open. In this study, the combined regimen was tested only within 72 hours of the initial infection.
“We only tested out to three days,” Sacha said. “Could it work a week after infection? Two weeks? How far can you go after infection, and still purge the virus?”
Answering those questions could reveal whether the treatment remains effective when given later, potentially expanding the number of people who could benefit from the approach.
Research Support
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01HD080459 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); R01AI154559, R01AI166969, and R01AI129703 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); K01OD036063 from the Office of the Director (OD), NIH; P51OD011092 and U42OD010426 from the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), NIH, to the Oregon National Primate Research Center; and P51OD011107 from ORIP, NIH, to the California National Primate Research Center.
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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Lucy Davis urges women to check their breasts for cancer – here’s howByMichelle RobertsDigital health editorPublished12 August 2026Signs of breast cancer are not always a lump in the traditional sense, so what should you look for?Actress Lucy Davis, who played Dawn Tinsley in the original UK version of the popular TV series The Office, has revealed she has incurable breast cancer.On Instagram,

The adult brain may have a greater ability to repair itself after injury or certain autoimmune diseases than scientists previously believed. In experiments with mice, researchers at the University of Zurich found that specialized support cells can repopulate damaged parts of the brain in an unusual way. Rather than moving entire new cells into the affected area at first, they send newly formed cell nuclei there.
Glial cells play essential supporting and nourishing roles in the brain. One type, known as astrocytes because of their star-shaped appearance, is especially important for healthy neuron function. Astrocytes provide nerve cells with nutrients, help control blood flow, and support the overall health of brain tissue.
Scientists had long thought that once astrocytes were destroyed, the adult brain could not fully replace them. This loss can occur after brain injuries and in autoimmune diseases such as the rare neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, in which the body’s own antibodies attack and destroy astrocytes.
Specialized Astrocytes Rebuild Damaged Brain Tissue
A study led by co-lead authors Marina Herwerth and Matthias Wyss of the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Zurich (UZH) challenges that long-standing view. The research team, headed by Bruno Weber, identified a specialized population of “regenerative” astrocytes in the brains of living mice.
These cells gather around the edges of damaged brain regions and help rebuild the lost astrocyte network. “The findings of our study reveal a previously unknown ability of the adult brain to repair itself. They point toward new ways of supporting recovery from ailments involving the loss of astrocytes,” Weber says.
New Cell Nuclei Travel Into Damaged Areas
To follow the repair process, the researchers used two-photon microscopy to observe the brains of living mice in real time for several weeks. They also tracked which genes became active in different regions of the brain. Together, these methods allowed the team to identify the astrocytes responsible for restoring injured tissue.

The regenerative cells do more than simply divide. They also carry out an unusual process in which newly created nuclei from daughter cells travel considerable distances through the astrocytes toward the damaged region. As Weber explains, “they send the newly formed nuclei of their daughter cells gliding across long distances to repopulate the damaged area of the brain and knit the astrocyte network back together.”
New Targets for Brain Regeneration
The finding that cell nuclei can move through the long extensions of adult astrocytes into injured tissue adds a new dimension to scientists’ understanding of how the brain organizes its own repair after certain types of damage.
If researchers eventually learn how to selectively activate these repair mechanisms, they may be able to promote more effective restoration of damaged brain tissue, rebuild astrocyte networks, and improve recovery from certain brain disorders.
The team also identified many genes and signaling pathways that become temporarily active while the repair process is underway. These biological signals may provide potential targets for future efforts to influence regeneration after disease or injury.
“We were able to identify numerous genes and signaling pathways that are temporarily activated during repair. They could serve as starting points in the future for influencing post-disease and -injury regeneration processes,” Weber stresses.

Scientists have found that wool could provide an effective and sustainable new option for repairing damaged bone.
The research focused on keratin, a natural structural protein that can be extracted from wool. When tested in a living animal, the material supported bone regeneration and produced new tissue that more closely resembled healthy, natural bone than tissue formed using the current gold standard material.
Researchers at King’s College London tested the wool-based keratin in animal models and found that it could help direct new bone growth across damaged areas.
“We are really excited to show for the first time how a wool-based material has been successfully tested in a living animal to repair bones,” said Dr. Sherif Elsharkawy at King’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences.
Wool Offers a Sustainable Source for Bone Repair
Beyond its potential medical benefits, wool could offer an important sustainability advantage. It is a naturally derived material and is often discarded as waste by the farming industry, giving it potential as both a renewable and scalable resource.
For decades, collagen has served as the gold standard scaffold in many regenerative medical and dental applications. These scaffolds act as protective barriers during healing, keeping soft tissue from interfering with the damaged area while giving new bone space to grow.

Collagen, however, has several drawbacks. The material is relatively weak and may degrade too quickly, which can limit its usefulness when repairing bones that need to bear weight or withstand force. Extracting collagen can also be complicated and costly.
“From a research perspective this is a major milestone. It positions keratin as a potential new class of regenerative biomaterial that could challenge the long-standing reliance on collagen,” said Dr. Sherif Elsharkawy.
Testing Wool Keratin as a Bone Scaffold
To investigate whether keratin could overcome some of these limitations, the researchers created membranes from keratin extracted from wool. They chemically treated the material to produce scaffolds designed to remain stable and durable.
The membranes were first tested with human bone cells in the laboratory. The cells grew well on the material and showed clear signs associated with healthy bone formation.
Researchers then moved to animal testing. They implanted the keratin membranes into rats with skull defects that were large enough that they would not normally heal on their own. Over the following weeks, the team tracked how effectively the membranes supported new bone growth across the damaged regions.

Keratin Produced More Naturally Organized Bone
The results revealed an important difference between keratin and collagen. Collagen membranes generated a greater amount of bone overall, but the bone formed with the keratin scaffolds was more organized and structurally secure. Its fibers were also better aligned, giving the new tissue a closer resemblance to natural, healthy bone.
The keratin membranes also remained stable during the healing process and integrated smoothly with the surrounding tissue. Both characteristics are important if the material is eventually to be considered for practical medical applications.
“We’ve effectively demonstrated the technology in an animal model, which makes this much more than an early materials concept. It shows that keratin can support bone regeneration in a living biological system, bringing the technology significantly closer to use in real patients,” concludes Dr. Elsharkawy.

Children as young as nine hurt in growing number of e-scooter crashesImage source, Getty ImagesByMichelle RobertsDigital health editorPublished12 August 2026Some hospitals are seeing more and more children with injuries from e-scooters, a new review suggests,

Parents will be able to buy infant formula in supermarkets using loyalty points and vouchers under a government plan to make baby milk more affordable.The price of infant formula has increased dramatically in recent years, with a standard tin costing between £12 and £15.The scheme is aimed at giving families confidence to choose cheaper options, which the government and the consumer watchdog estimate could save those who cannot or choose not to breastfeed up to £500 a year.Charities were concerned that lower income families were watering down formula or struggling to pay for other essentials because it was too expensive.Under the new measures, parents will be given clearer guidance on the nutritional standards, which need to be met by all formula sold in the UK, and encourage retailers to provide the same.Some retailers had previously highlighted that rules prohibiting the direct or indirect advertising of infant formula made it impossible for them to discount it, and were unsure if people could use loyalty schemes to buy their milk.Currently the baby formula market is regulated so that promotions, such as loyalty points or discounts, are banned in the same way they are for tobacco and lottery tickets.This is to encourage breastfeeding, which the NHS says is healthier for children. But in its interim report in February, the CMA warned it also stopped companies from competing on price, which unintentionally left consumers paying more.In that report, the CMA also noted the difference in prices between brands was so stark that in some cases families could save about £540 over a year by choosing a cheaper version of a formula.Just three companies make up about 90% of the infant formula market: Danone, Kendal, and Nestle.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) looked at the sector earlier in the year, and recommended that it should be made much clearer to parents that all products on the shelves meet nutritional standards, so families were not pressured into buying higher cost brands for fear of making sure their baby got the best start.Announcing the changes in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said parents had for too long “been pushed into spending more on infant formula than needed”.”We will take action to give parents and carers the confidence to access infant formula at more affordable prices… with clearer guidance for retailers and by helping new parents use loyalty points and vouchers,” he said.He was later ticked off by speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle for making a policy announcement at PMQs.Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it was “not right” that manufacturers had been able to package their products in ways that took advantage of new parents who are concerned about what is best for their baby.”These new measures mean parents will have confidence in the formula they are buying, no matter the price, and can now make the most of supermarket loyalty schemes too,” he said.Shereen Fisher, director of the Baby Friendly Initiative at UNICEF, welcomed the move saying infant formula was “a basic necessity”.”For too long, families have faced inflated prices for this essential product. The CMA has shown that many formulas are vastly overpriced, with many families struggling as a result,” she said.”Today’s announcement signals the first step to tackle these issues, improve affordability and strengthen infant feeding support.”Andrea Martinez-Inchausti, assistant director of food at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said the government’s proposed next steps were sensible.”We look forward to working through the detail with them to implement the necessary changes.”Other recommendations from the CMA, which the government has agreed to adopt in principle, include ensuring all infant formula is displayed together, separate from other formula milks, and to clarify what counts as advertising.The government said further action was needed on other recommendations, including the prohibition of non-verifiable messages on infant and follow-on formula labels, and extending the restriction on advertising for follow-on formula.A CMA spokesperson said the watchdog was ready to support governments and agencies across the UK in either implementing its recommendations or advising on measures that remained under consideration.The authorities in all four devolved nations have agreed to the government’s response.