Popular weight-loss strategy shows surprising potential for chronic pain relief

Intermittent fasting has grown in popularity as a weight-loss strategy, but it could also unlock new ways to manage chronic pain by altering how the gut communicates with the brain.

A study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, revealed that the timing of meals affects the gut-brain axis, which is a communication system linking the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system.

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that focuses on when meals are consumed, typically involving extended periods without food, according to health institutions.

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Chronic pain, defined by Cleveland Clinic as pain persisting for longer than three months, is often accompanied by cognitive difficulties and anxiety.

While traditional treatments target inflammation or pain-signaling nerves, the new research suggests that meal timing may also influence chronic pain by changing gut bacteria and inflammation throughout the body.

Scientists at Zhengzhou University in China examined animal models during fasting cycles. They found that intermittent fasting strengthens the intestinal lining, which prevents inflammatory compounds from leaking into the bloodstream and reaching nervous system tissue.

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Analysis of the gut microbiome found that fasting increased levels of a bacterium called Alistipes finegoldii. When researchers administered the live bacteria to animals that were not fasting, they saw similar improvements in pain and cognitive function.

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The researchers found that the bacterium produces compounds that the body can convert into hippuric acid, a chemical messenger linked to the observed benefits.

At the cellular level, hippuric acid acts on an inflammatory pathway called STING, short for Stimulator of Interferon Genes. When this pathway becomes overactive in the nervous system, it can fuel inflammation that worsens pain and interferes with brain function.

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The study demonstrated that hippuric acid turns down STING activity, quieting inflammatory signaling in the central nervous system and resolving behavioral symptoms.

Despite the findings, the research carries a few limitations, the research team acknowledged.

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First, observational and early-stage studies can identify a link between intermittent fasting and changes in gut-brain signaling, but they cannot prove that fasting directly causes those changes.

Also, individual responses to intermittent fasting vary based on each person's gut microbiome, underlying health conditions, daily nutrient intake and genetics.

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It can also be challenging for some people to adhere to fasting protocols, as strict eating windows may not be safe or feasible for everyone.

While fasting is not a cure for chronic pain, researchers said the findings could help guide future treatments that target the gut-brain connection.

They added that further trials will be necessary to establish specific dietary protocols tailored to individual patient needs.

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3 common factors may be secretly speeding up the aging process, expert says

Lifestyle habits and environmental exposures may affect processes involved in cellular health and biological aging.

That's according to functional medicine expert Dr. Will Cole, co-author of the upcoming book "Heal Your Cells," who believes modern lifestyle factors may contribute to cellular dysfunction, which can can influence inflammation, sleep and other processes tied to overall health.

"Our genetics haven't changed in thousands of years, but our world has changed dramatically in such a finite period of time," Pennsylvania-based Cole told Fox News Digital. "It’s the foods we're eating or not eating, it's environmental toxins that were never on the landscape before, it’s stress and trauma."

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Cole said these pressures may contribute to what he calls an "accelerated aging problem," in which biological age may differ from chronological age.

"Many people in their 20s, 30s and 40s have the cells of a senior citizen," he said. "That's common, [but] not normal."

Cole noted that people may normalize persistent symptoms, such as brain fog and fatigue, instead of discussing them with a health professional. Those symptoms are non-specific and can stem from a range of medical, lifestyle and mental-health factors.

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Cole said that, in some cases, changes tied to cellular dysfunction may begin years before a person receives a medical diagnosis — but that people often dismiss or push through early symptoms.

He identified the following three factors that can most disrupt cellular communication, creating "cellular noise" that may contribute to accelerated aging and disease.

Eating foods that "don’t love human body back" is the first agitator of cell health — particularly inflammatory foods, according to Cole.

Failing to stick to a consistent eating window — and instead eating over long stretches of the day without giving the body time to digest and fast — can also disrupt cellular balance, he said.

Cole cited certain environmental exposures, including pesticides, herbicides and PFAS — sometimes called "forever chemicals" — as potential concerns for overall health. The effects of an exposure depend on the substance, dose and duration of contact, experts say.

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He also pointed to infectious pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, and exposure to mold as factors that can affect health.

Evening exposure to blue-enriched light can interfere with circadian timing for some people, while a consistent sleep-wake schedule and daytime light exposure may support healthy sleep and cellular health, Cole added.

Cole also pointed to chronic stress, unresolved trauma and a lack of social or spiritual connection as factors that could be linked to more cellular noise.

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Some observational research has linked religious or spiritual involvement with lower levels of certain inflammatory markers and better health outcomes, although such studies cannot prove that faith itself causes those effects.

"That's something that's not talked [about] a lot in the biohacking world," Cole said. "What's your relationship with God and how does that show up in the cells on a somatic level?"

"The research shows that people who have a ‘faith walk’ tend to live longer, healthier, more youthful, vibrant lives."

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Cole said a person may find similar benefits through any belief system or community that "shifts your state," as well as through a connection to nature.

Modern stressors may affect the body in ways that are not always immediately visible, Cole noted.

"The cell becomes confused and doesn't know how to function well and doesn't know how [to] repair itself," he said. "We just need to give our body a fighting chance to hear through the noise."

He added that addressing physical, mental-emotional and spiritual well-being may help reduce what he calls "epigenetic noise."

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FDA approves once-daily pill for deadly cancer after patients' survival rates nearly double

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of a new cancer treatment pill on Wednesday.

Rasonque, manufactured by Revolution Medicines in California, is an inhibitor for the most common type of pancreatic cancer. The tablet, which is taken once daily, targets multiple forms of a protein called RAS that drives tumor growth.

In a press release, the FDA called Rasonque a "new treatment option for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer," noting that the agency approved it more than six months ahead of its review deadline.

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"Today’s approval provides a critical new option for patients facing an extraordinarily difficult and historically hard-to-treat cancer. It is our fundamental duty to deliver more cures and meaningful treatments to patients as quickly as possible," said Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, J.D., in a press release.

"I am immensely proud of the dedicated FDA scientists whose fast, thorough review and relentless commitment made this groundbreaking milestone a reality," he added.

The authorization is for adults with metastatic pancreatic cancer that either did not respond to at least one prior treatment or could not receive certain combination drug therapies.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains one of the deadliest forms of oncology in the U.S., accounting for up to 95% of the roughly 67,000 annual pancreatic cancer cases identified by the National Cancer Institute.

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While the disease makes up only 3.2% of total cancer diagnoses, it causes a disproportionately high number of cancer deaths because it is often found late and can spread quickly.

The new drug was approved after a randomized, open-label trial of 500 patients with pre-treated metastatic disease. Patients taking Rasonque achieved a median overall survival of 13.2 months, nearly double the 6.7-month survival rate seen in the standard chemotherapy control group.

"This drug showed unprecedented results in an area of high unmet need," said Angelo de Claro, M.D., director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence.

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Regulators accelerated the medication's path to market by granting it Priority Review, Orphan Drug status and a Breakthrough Therapy designation.

Additionally, the filing was evaluated using the FDA commissioner’s National Priority Voucher pilot program to speed up access to critical public health treatments.

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Ahead of the official green light, the agency issued a "safe to proceed" letter in May, opening an expanded access protocol that allowed patients to receive the drug before final approval.

Safety profiles show that the most frequent adverse events linked to Rasonque included rash, diarrhea, mouth sores (stomatitis), nausea, fatigue, vomiting, abdominal pain, fluid retention (edema), reduced appetite and bleeding (hemorrhage).

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"Today’s landmark approval is the most significant advance we have seen in the fight against pancreatic cancer, a devastating disease," said Anna Berkenblit, M.D., chief scientific and medical officer of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN).

"I believe this drug will transform how pancreatic cancer is treated, giving people the opportunity for more time with loved ones, the possibility of a better quality of life, and optimism that continued research may lead to even greater advances."

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Dolly Parton’s private cancer battle highlights why some patients don’t share their diagnoses

Dolly Parton’s death on Tuesday followed a brief bout with cancer, according to statements from her family.

"After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones," the family shared with People.

The revelation of the singer’s previously undisclosed cancer battle raises questions about why some patients choose to keep a diagnosis private, even as public figures’ health struggles can spark wider awareness.

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Dr. Kristin Higgins, chief clinical officer at City of Hope Cancer Center in Atlanta, surmised that Parton may have preferred for people to remember her for her "amazing career" and not for a diagnosis at the end of her life.

Keeping the disease private at first is a "very natural response," Higgins said, as a diagnosis can be very overwhelming.

"It's very natural to cling to that identity of being a healthy, vibrant person without a diagnosis of cancer," she told Fox News Digital.

"The patient really needs to acclimate to the idea of themselves having this disease, and then start to tell friends and family kind of slowly after they go through that adjustment process."

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In some cases, Higgins said, people may withhold a cancer diagnosis due to some degree of shame or embarrassment.

"Things like tobacco-related cancers, unfortunately, still carry a lot of stigma when diagnosed," she shared. "Patients may feel that it was their fault. And the reality is nobody deserves a cancer diagnosis."

There are some benefits, however, to eventually sharing a cancer diagnosis with friends, family and community who can rally around the patient, according to the doctor.

"For example, for people who are religious, letting their greater circle know about that diagnosis can be really helpful, as people will pray for them as they're going through the journey of treatment," Higgins said.

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"I think overall, it's a very beneficial thing to eventually tell as many people as possible so you can get that support."

The doctor also agreed that sharing a cancer journey can raise awareness and provide support to others facing the same challenge.

"If you are somebody with a cancer diagnosis and you're beating it and you are going through treatment successfully, other people seeing that — whether it's on social media or hearing it through a friend — that can be really helpful to an individual as they're facing a new cancer diagnosis," Higgins said.

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Another benefit of disclosing cancer is that it may open up more opportunities for treatment options.

"There are so many resources out there now … clinical trials are really what moved the needle in the cure rates for cancer, and finding out about these trials is not easy," Higgins noted.

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"So the more people who know about your diagnosis, you have all these cheerleaders out there rooting for you and you can get more information. You can hear more people's opinions about where you could seek the best cancer treatment."

The doctor emphasized that there is more hope than ever for people facing a cancer diagnosis.

"Our statistic is that 70% of people diagnosed with cancer will survive five years or more," she said. "And we can do it, we can get through it."

"I think that's the beauty of sharing this diagnosis with the world, is that we can get all the support we need."

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Eating less of common ingredient early in life may slash cancer risk decades later

Limiting sugar consumption during the first 1,000 days of life, from conception through a child’s second birthday, may result in slower biological aging and a lower risk of cancer up to five decades later.

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences investigated how early-life sugar intake influences health in adulthood, examining data from over 64,000 participants in the UK Biobank born between 1951 and 1956.

The researchers leveraged a natural experiment from post-war Britain, when sugar rationing ended in September 1953.

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After rationing ended, average daily sugar consumption across the U.K. nearly doubled — from about 41 grams to 80 grams — while consumption of other major foods remained stable, according to historical National Food Survey data cited in the study.

People exposed to sugar rationing during their first 1,000 days of life were compared to those who were conceived after the policy ended. Researchers then examined cancer outcomes recorded about five decades later.

They found that people who spent more of their early lives under sugar rationing had lower rates of several cancers in adulthood, including liver, rectal, lung, prostate and breast cancers.

People exposed to early sugar limits also had longer leukocyte telomeres — protective caps on chromosomes that tend to shorten with age — equivalent to about two fewer years of biological aging. They also had lower levels of Granzyme B, a protein associated with long-term immune activation and inflammation.

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The study’s authors identified two key pathways that could explain these long-term benefits: a biological imprint and a persistent behavioral habit.

Five decades after rationing ended, adults who spent their earliest days under sugar restrictions were still consuming less sugar and eating healthier, more varied diets.

Experts said the findings add to ongoing research into how early diet may influence long-term health, though further research is needed to confirm the connection.

"What surprised me most was how persistent the effects were," study author Weilong Zhang of the University of Cambridge told Fox News Digital.

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"We might expect childhood diet to matter for health, but differences in sugar exposure during just the first 1,000 days were still reflected in people's diets and biological markers roughly five decades later."

"This suggests that early life may be an especially important period not only for biological development, but also for establishing long-lasting food preferences."

Dr. Brian Slomovitz, deputy director of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, described the research as an "excellent hypothesis-generating study."

"Sugar consumption is something that we have been worrying about ... most importantly, inflammation, and how inflammation can lead to some cancers," Slomovitz, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

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High sugar intake has been linked to metabolic disruption, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, which may contribute to disease risk, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News.

Siegel said the lower cancer rates were consistent with the possibility that less early sugar exposure and healthier later-life diets played a role.

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However, outside oncologists note that natural experiments from decades past come with inherent research limitations.

"We're talking about the 1950s, so clearly there are some biases in data collection," Slomovitz noted. "Secondly, the numbers are very, very, very low. Of all the cancers, most of them had [fewer] than 100 cases ... to show a 70% decrease, I think is probably an ambitious conclusion."

The doctor also pointed out that while obesity-driven cancers align with metabolic pathways, other findings in the paper — such as reduced lung cancer risk — are traditionally tied to external factors like smoking rather than dietary sugar.

The researchers noted that, as a natural experiment rather than a randomized trial, the study could not rule out all other postwar factors.

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Additionally, the UK Biobank is not fully representative of the broader British population, and the researchers could not determine how much of the effect reflected early biological changes versus healthier diets maintained in adulthood.

Zhang cautioned against overinterpreting the findings as a reason for extreme dietary measures.

"I would not interpret our study as saying that parents should eliminate sugar completely," he said. "Rather, our findings support existing recommendations to limit added sugar, particularly during pregnancy and early childhood."

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Deadly measles outbreak hits Northeast as state records first deaths in 35 years

Pennsylvania confirmed two measles-related deaths on Tuesday, according to the state’s department of health.

This marks the first losses related to the highly contagious virus within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 35 years.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that both Lancaster County individuals were unvaccinated, noting that the best way to prevent measles infection is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

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The MMR vaccine administered over two doses can boost a person’s immune system and provide 97% lifetime protection, according to health officials.

In a press release, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen shared her "deepest sympathies" with the "loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss."

"Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness," she said in the statement. "We want to ensure that every Pennsylvanian has the information they need to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities."

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"As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand the MMR vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles."

The state's DOH has confirmed 393 cases of measles in 28 counties so far in 2026.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be fatal in one to three patients per 1,000 cases, data shows.

The virus can cause long-term health problems, including pneumonia and brain swelling. Nearly 20% of individuals who contract measles are hospitalized.

Measles spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, spreading the virus through respiratory droplets. It can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after the person leaves the area, experts caution.

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Early measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. A measles rash follows a few days later, starting on the head and spreading down to the rest of the body.

Symptoms can start seven to 21 days after exposure. Those who believe they were exposed to measles should contact a healthcare provider.

Dr. Jesse Goodman, former FDA chief scientist in Washington, D.C., spoke with Fox News Digital about the MMR vaccine, calling it "extremely safe and highly effective."

"The vaccine prevents millions of measles deaths worldwide annually, including hundreds that used to occur in the U.S.," he said. "There is no evidence that MMR vaccine causes any chronic illnesses, including autism."

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Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, Maryland, agreed that Pennsylvania's 35-year streak without a measles-related death "wasn't luck."

"It was the vaccine working so completely that an entire generation of parents grew up never seeing what this virus does to a child’s lungs or brain," he told Fox News Digital. "That protection is increasingly not valued, and this is the predictable result when the population turns their back on a life-saving technology."

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, previously emphasized the highly contagious nature of measles amid elevated case counts across the U.S.

"Measles is so contagious that up to 90% of susceptible people who are exposed to an infected person will become infected," he told Fox News Digital, stressing the importance of community protection. "We need a 95% vaccine coverage rate to ensure herd immunity," he said.

The herd immunity threshold is a mathematical estimate based on how contagious a disease is and how effectively immunity from vaccination or prior infection prevents its spread, according to Siegel.

"In this case, two-dose vaccination is almost 100% effective, and natural immunity after a measles infection is generally lifelong," the doctor said. "This isn’t about personal choice, it’s about community protection. We need to protect those who can’t have a live virus vaccine because they are immunocompromised or pregnant."

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Major brain changes that occur around age 50 could impact dementia risk

The brain may undergo a notable shift at midlife, as new research suggests that its protective immune cells begin to decline and are increasingly replaced by inflammatory cells at around age 50.

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego; New York Genome Center; and University of California, Irvine, found that these brain changes may help explain why aging increases the chances of neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disease, including dementia.

The study analyzed postmortem tissue from the hippocampus – the portion of the brain that is responsible for learning and memory – in 40 neurologically healthy adults, ranging from 20 to 95 years of age.

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"The most striking change was that after about age 50, the brain’s resident immune cells, called microglia, appear to be increasingly replaced by immune cells that enter from the bloodstream," first author Nathan Zemke, Ph.D., principal investigator at the UC San Diego Center for Epigenomics, told Fox News Digital.

"Microglia normally protect the brain by clearing debris and responding to injury, but the incoming cells carry stronger inflammatory signals."

The researchers believe this shift may contribute to chronic inflammation linked to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

They also noted the deterioration of cells involved in maintaining the blood-brain barrier – the protective filter that helps keep harmful substances out of the brain – as well as widespread changes in DNA and gene activity.

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One of the most exciting implications of the study, according to Zemke, is that the replacement immune cells originate in the blood, which means they are more accessible than cells already deep inside the brain.

"It may eventually be possible to modify blood-derived immune cells so that they are more protective and less inflammatory when in the brain," he said. "That could provide an entirely new way to approach Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases without having to directly manipulate cells within the central nervous system."

Although these findings are still in early stages, Zemke said, gaining a better understanding of why this immune-cell replacement happens – and why it happens earlier in some people than others – could lead to new strategies for preserving brain health during aging.

The study’s chief limitation is that it studied human brain tissue collected postmortem from different individuals across the adult lifespan, the researchers noted.

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"That allows us to identify strong age-related patterns, but it cannot directly show how the same person’s brain changes over decades or prove that a particular cellular change causes cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease," Zemke said.

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"We also do not yet know what triggers the influx of blood-derived immune cells into the brain. Determining whether changes in the blood-brain barrier, inflammation, genetics, lifestyle or other factors initiate this process will be an important next step."

The researcher emphasized, however, that he would not recommend that people make any specific medical or lifestyle changes based on this study alone. 

"These findings are primarily about understanding the biology of brain aging and identifying new directions for prevention and treatment," he said.

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The timing and extent of the brain changes varied considerably between individuals, suggesting that brain aging is not necessarily a fixed process that happens identically in everyone.

"The next challenge is to understand what drives that variation and whether some of those factors can be modified," Zemke added.

The study also included a small sample of just 40 people and examined tissue only from the hippocampus, meaning the findings may not reflect immune changes throughout the entire brain.

The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published in the journal Science.

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