As scientists edge closer to new treatments for hair loss, Victoria Derbyshire examines what such breakthroughs could mean for women.
What a hair loss breakthrough could mean for women like me
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Category Archives: Wellness Live
Breakthrough ovarian cancer drug offers patients more time and better quality of life
Women taking the drug, which is kinder on the body, tell the BBC it has given them their lives back.
Popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs linked to lower risks of addiction and overdose
Popular GLP-1 drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound have already transformed the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Now, new research suggests these medications may also help prevent and treat addiction across a broad range of substances.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that GLP-1 medications were associated with lower risks of developing substance use disorders involving alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, opioids, and other substances. The drugs were also linked to fewer overdoses, hospitalizations, and drug-related deaths among people already living with addiction.
The findings were published in The BMJ.
GLP-1 Drugs and Addiction
GLP-1 receptor agonists were originally developed to help manage type 2 diabetes, but their popularity has surged in recent years because of their effectiveness for weight loss. Along the way, researchers began noticing something unexpected.
Some patients reported losing interest in alcohol and cigarettes after starting the medications. Earlier observational studies also found links between GLP-1 treatment and lower risks of alcohol and cannabis use disorders, opioid overdose, and alcohol-related hospitalization.
However, most previous studies focused on individual substances. Researchers wanted to determine whether the effects extended across multiple forms of addiction and whether the drugs could help reduce the most serious consequences associated with substance use disorders.
To investigate, the research team analyzed electronic health records from 606,434 U.S. veterans with type 2 diabetes.
Study Examines More Than 600,000 Veterans
Participants were divided into two groups. One group included people without a substance use disorder at the start of the study. The second group consisted of people who already had a diagnosed substance use disorder.
Researchers reviewed up to three years of health records after participants began taking either a GLP-1 receptor agonist, most commonly semaglutide, liraglutide, or dulaglutide, or an SGLT2 inhibitor, another type of diabetes medication.
Among the 524,817 participants who did not have a substance use disorder when the study began, those taking GLP-1 medications were less likely to develop one over time.
Compared with patients taking non-GLP-1 diabetes medications, GLP-1 users had a 14% lower risk of developing any substance use disorder. Risks were lower across every major substance examined, including alcohol (18%), cannabis (14%), cocaine (20%), nicotine (20%), and opioids (25%).
The researchers estimated that this translated to seven fewer new substance use disorder diagnoses per 1,000 GLP-1 users.
Fewer Overdoses and Drug-Related Deaths
The study also examined outcomes among the 81,617 participants who already had a substance use disorder.
In that group, GLP-1 use was associated with fewer addiction-related emergencies and serious health consequences. After three years, participants taking GLP-1 drugs experienced a 30% reduction in emergency department visits, a 25% reduction in hospitalizations, a 40% reduction in overdoses, and a 50% reduction in drug-related deaths.
Overall, the researchers estimated that GLP-1 use was associated with 12 fewer serious addiction-related events per 1,000 users.
“In addiction medicine, a lot of treatments target just one thing, for example, a nicotine patch helps with smoking, but not alcohol, but there is no medication that works across addictive substances, let alone all of them,” said senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, a WashU Medicine clinical epidemiologist and Chief of the Research and Development Service at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System.
“The revelation about GLP-1 medication is that it really works against all major substances, and it works uniformly, not because it acts against alcohol or opioids or nicotine specifically, but because it is likely acting against the craving itself. It blunts that craving that pulls people toward whatever they’re addicted to.”
Targeting the Biology of Craving
Al-Aly said the study was partly inspired by patient reports describing unexpected changes in behavior after starting GLP-1 treatment.
Researchers also considered evidence showing that GLP-1 receptors are present in brain regions involved in reward processing. That raised the possibility that the drugs could influence the cravings that drive addiction.
The findings suggest that GLP-1 medications may act on a shared biological pathway underlying multiple forms of addiction. Rather than targeting a specific substance, the drugs may be affecting the craving itself.
The idea is particularly significant because some addictive substances, including methamphetamine, currently have no approved medication treatments.
“GLP-1s may offer a dual benefit for patients with chronic conditions like diabetes or obesity who are also struggling with a substance use disorder: one medication can treat both conditions at once,” Al-Aly said.
A Potential New Approach to Addiction Treatment
Millions of Americans already use GLP-1 medications, and that number continues to grow. If future studies confirm these findings, the public health implications could be substantial.
The researchers say the results support conducting clinical trials specifically designed to test GLP-1 drugs as addiction treatments, including studies capable of measuring effects on overdose and drug-related death.
“People taking these drugs for obesity often describe a quieting of ‘food noise,’ the persistent preoccupation with food that drives overeating,” Al-Aly said.
“What our study suggests is something broader: GLP-1 drugs may also quiet what I call ‘drug noise,’ the relentless craving that drives addiction across substances. That cross-substance signal points to a shared biology underlying addiction, and it opens the door to a fundamentally different approach: not treating one addiction at a time, but targeting that common biologic signal, that common craving across addictions. Moving beyond food noise to drug noise, GLP-1s are quieting the roar of addiction.”
The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. According to the authors, the funders had no role in the study’s design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, review, approval, or publication decisions. The researchers also noted that the findings do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. government.
Can two hours of strength training a week reduce the risk of dying early?
Regular weight training can help you keep fit and strengthen muscles to live longer, research suggests.
What are the plans for Liverpool Women’s Hospital?
There are plans to move some maternity services to the Royal Liverpool – which could affect around 130 high-risk births each year
Trump Official Wades Into Reform’s Irate Sky News Interview Over ‘White Lives Matter’
A member of Donald Trump’s administration has weighed in on Zia Yusuf’s tense Sky News interview over the Henry Nowak murder.
The 18-year-old student was stabbed repeatedly by Vickrum Digwa last December, who then told police attending the incident that he had been the victim of racism.
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As Henry lay dying on the ground, and despite telling the officers that he could not breathe and had been stabbed, he was handcuffed and arrested.
Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years at Southampton Crown Court on Monday.
Reform leader Nigel Farage controversially claimed the case was proof of “two-tier policing” in the UK, insisted: “White lives matter, too”, and called for “pure cold rage” from the public in response.
Sky’s Cathy Newman asked Yusuf, who is Reform’s home affairs spokesperson, if he thought that was incitement from Farage.
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But he bizarrely deflected by asking what her emotional response to the bodycam footage from officers attending the scene of Nowak’s death.
She said it was “heartbreaking” – but pointed out that his family have asked for Henry’s death not to be used for more division.
When Yusuf asked again for the presenter’s response, she had to remind him: “I’m interviewing you!”
The two then clashed over Reform’s repeated use of “white lives matter” as the senior politician continued to side-step direct questions about racism against Black and ethnic minorities from police.
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Yusuf eventually said it was “unacceptable for anyone to be discriminated against” – but went on to attack Newman for the “premise” of her questions.
He also admitted that he has not spoken directly to Henry Nowak’s family, despite their requests for no political point scoring.
Sarah B Rogers, the US under-secretary of state for public diplomacy, responded to a clip of their tense exchange on X – and took Yusuf’s side.
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Ignoring Farage’s call for “pure cold rage”, Rogers wrote: “I will answer Cathy’s question: stating effectively ‘this video should outrage you’ is nowhere near incitement under any lucid standard.
“Moreover, it is true.”
This is not the first time Rogers has weighed into UK rows, accusing the UK of parroting Russia for considering a ban on X, and mocking prime minister Keir Starmer and his then-chief of staff over Christmas.
Newman later responded to the interview on X, writing: “Well that was fiery. Shame you couldn’t be on the sofa [Zia] but glad we got to chat (though I think you might have asked as many questions as I did!)”
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Tom Holland’s Comments About Playing Spider-Man After 30 Have Come Back To Haunt Him
Back in 2021, Tom Holland made headlines when he told GQ: “If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong.”
Having now reached that milestone age, his past comments have resurfaced as he gears up for his fourth outing as Peter Parker in the next Spider-Man film, Brand New Day.
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So, where does Tom stand on that statement five years later?
“It’s funny, I saw that quote pop up somewhere recently and I kind of reeled, because I was trying to remember what I meant,” Tom told the same magazine in a new interview published the day after his 30th birthday.
The Marvel actor, who is also set to star in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey, then tried to clarify what he meant by his past remarks.
“I think the point of it is that I would love to pass the baton on, and I haven’t achieved that yet,” he explained.
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As for whether he’ll continue Spider-Man again now he’s actually turned 30, he noted: “It’s definitely something that we talk about a lot at the studio. So, maybe I need to change the quote to 37.
“I could also have been trying to leverage Sony and scare them into thinking I wasn’t going to do Spider-Man 4 now that I had a new deal on the horizon. So I don’t know what it could have been. It could’ve been part of a strategy to create fear.”
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Notably, it doesn’t sound like Tom plans to give up that iconic red and blue suit anytime soon, calling the role “the joy of my life”.
“I now kind of stand on the plinth of like, I’ll do it for as long as they’ll have me,” Tom enthused.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day sees Destin Daniel Cretton take over the directing duties from Jon Watts.
Tom also managed to get Marvel to give him a six-month break to make The Odyssey, in which he plays Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, a move which appears to have breathed life into the MCU franchise.
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“We wouldn’t have had the six-month period to develop the script with Destin to get it to a place where it is now,” the actor explained.
“I truly believe that we’ve made the best version of any Spider-Man movie going.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is released in cinemas on 31 July 2026.
Matt Damon Says The Odyssey Is ‘Definitely The Biggest’ Film He’s ‘Ever Done’
If you weren’t already hyped for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey, you definitely will be when you listen to the cast talking about how epic it is.
With not long left to go until the much-hyped film hits cinemas, Nolan’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning Oppenheimer is already one of the most talked-about new releases of 2026.
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The film adapts Homer’s epic Greek poem and follows the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, on his 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. On his mammoth journey, he encounters mythical monsters and violent enemies, using his wit to defeat suitors plotting to take his thrones.
In a new video featurette to promote the film, Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus, hyped up the scale of the mythological epic.
“This is definitely the biggest movie I’ve ever done in my career, in terms of its scale,” the actor, who also appeared in Oppenheimer, teased, before adding: “[It’s] definitely the biggest movie I have done in terms of its ambition.”
Zendaya, who plays Athena, also praised Nolan’s ability to “do scope and action and fantasy, but also heart and humanity and depth and rawness”.
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Her co-star, and real-life husband, Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus’ son Telemachus, also explained how it felt that this was Nolan’s best work to date.
“I feel like this particular picture is an accumulation of all of his skills and all of his experiences and him at his best, going for it,” he enthused.
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Last month, in GQ, Matt reflected on how Hollywood films as epic and ambitious as The Odyssey are now becoming an anomaly.
“Because of where the movie business is going, it was a really weird movie for me personally, in the sense that I had almost a nostalgic feeling the entire time I was making it, because it felt like movies were when I started working,” he explained.
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Matt added: “And I know that that’s going away. I knew that this was the last chance I was ever going to have to do something like this.”
The Odyssey filmed on location, with the shoot taking the cast and crew to seven countries in total.
“Every single location on this movie would’ve been the hardest location on any other movie I’ve ever done,” Matt told GQ. “And they just went back-to-back.”
The Odyssey is set to hit cinemas on 17 July.
More black men to benefit from prostate cancer screening trial
Experts are trying to find the best way to screen for prostate cancer, since blood tests alone are not accurate enough for most men.
Scientists discover gut bacteria that may help protect against autism and ADHD
Scientists have uncovered a surprising connection between a baby’s earliest biological programming, the gut microbiome, and later brain development. The findings, published in Cell Press Blue, suggest that epigenetic changes present at birth can influence how gut bacteria develop during infancy. The study also found links between specific epigenetic patterns, certain gut microbes, and signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by age three.
“Certain bacteria seem to offer protection, which is exciting because it suggests there could be ways to support a child’s development through diet or probiotics in the future,” says senior author and gastroenterologist Francis Ka Leung Chan of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
How Early Biology Shapes Development
The first few years of life are a critical period for both brain development and the maturation of the immune system. Previous research has shown that epigenetics and the gut microbiome can each influence long-term health, but scientists have had limited understanding of how these two systems interact during early life.
“We wanted to see how the epigenome and microbiome interact in early life and if their interaction could influence a child’s risk of developing neurodevelopmental conditions like ASD and ADHD,” says co-senior author and public health researcher Hein Min Tun of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “We discovered a kind of conversation happening: a baby’s epigenetic setting at birth can influence their risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, but the presence of certain ‘good’ bacteria in their gut can step in and modify the risk.”
To investigate, the research team analyzed DNA methylation patterns, a common form of epigenetic modification, in umbilical cord blood from 571 infants. They combined those data with gut microbiome samples collected from 969 infants at 2, 6, and 12 months of age, along with microbiome samples from the infants’ parents during the third trimester of pregnancy.
When the children reached 36 months of age, researchers assessed their neurodevelopment using a behavioral questionnaire and looked for connections between developmental outcomes, gut microbes, and epigenetic patterns.
Factors That Influence the Infant Microbiome
The researchers found that several factors were associated with epigenetic patterns at birth, including delivery method, length of pregnancy, having older siblings, and maternal allergies. Interestingly, parental gut microbiomes did not appear to influence these birth-related epigenetic changes.
The development of the infant microbiome was linked to a different set of factors. Delivery method, antibiotic exposure, older siblings, and breastfeeding all played a role in shaping the community of microbes that developed during the first year of life.
Babies delivered by Caesarean section showed distinct DNA methylation patterns in several genes involved in immune function and brain development.
A Link Between Gene Regulation and Gut Bacteria
The study also revealed that epigenetic patterns present at birth affected how the gut microbiome evolved during infancy.
Infants who had higher levels of DNA methylation in certain immune-related genes tended to develop less diverse gut microbiomes by 12 months of age. These genes are involved in helping the body recognize and respond to pathogens.
The results suggest that biological signals present at birth may help guide the development of the gut microbial community during a child’s first year.
Gut Microbes and Neurodevelopmental Risk
When researchers examined behavioral outcomes at age three, they found that signs of ASD and ADHD were associated with specific combinations of epigenetic markers and gut microbes.
However, the findings also pointed to a potentially protective role for certain bacteria. Children who carried epigenetic patterns associated with ASD were less likely to show signs of the condition if they acquired Lachnospira pectinoschiza during infancy. Similarly, children with epigenetic patterns associated with ADHD appeared less likely to show signs of the disorder if they acquired Parabacteroides distasonis during their first year.
“The foundations for brain health are laid very early, even before birth,” says Tun. “However, we don’t want people to think this means a child’s developmental path is fixed at birth. These are complex conditions with many causes, and we’ve only uncovered a small piece of a very large puzzle.”
Future Possibilities for Probiotics and Brain Health
The researchers are continuing to follow the participating children to better understand how early-life epigenetic patterns and microbiome development influence health later in childhood. They emphasize that laboratory studies will be needed to confirm the observed relationships between gut bacteria and neurodevelopment.
“The ultimate goal is to develop safe, non-intrusive early interventions such as specific probiotics or live biotherapeutics, that could help nurture a healthy gut microbiome and potentially reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental challenges,” says first author and gastroenterologist Siew Chien Ng of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The study was supported by InnoHK, the Government of Hong Kong, the D. H. Chen Foundation, and the New Cornerstone Science Foundation.
