Medical Bulletin 01/September/2026

Here are the top medical news for today:

Study Finds Common Supplements Could Rival Antibiotics Against Severe Gum Disease

A yearlong clinical trial suggests that omega-3 fatty acids combined with low-dose aspirin may help treat severe gum disease nearly as effectively as antibiotics, potentially offering an alternative for selected patients and reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.

Published in the Journal of Periodontology, the study involved 109 people with advanced periodontitis. All participants received scaling to remove bacterial deposits from beneath the gums and were then randomly assigned to different treatment groups.

One group received the antibiotics metronidazole and amoxicillin for 14 days, while another received 3 grams of omega-3 daily plus low-dose aspirin for six months. A third group received both treatments, and the control group received placebos.

After one year, 58% of patients receiving antibiotics achieved the study's treatment target—having no more than four remaining deep periodontal pockets. The omega-3 and aspirin group performed almost identically, with 57.7% reaching the same target.

By comparison, only 23.1% of patients receiving scaling plus placebo achieved the target.

Interestingly, combining antibiotics with omega-3 and aspirin did not provide additional benefit compared with either approach alone.

Researchers believe omega-3 may work by helping the body produce molecules that naturally resolve inflammation and support tissue repair, while low-dose aspirin may enhance this process.

The apparent benefits also persisted after supplementation stopped, with patients continuing to show similar outcomes six months later.

The findings could be particularly relevant as antibiotic resistance becomes a growing global health concern. An omega-3–based approach could potentially provide an option for patients who cannot tolerate antibiotics or in situations where antibiotics may be avoided.

However, researchers emphasize that omega-3 and aspirin should not yet replace antibiotics routinely. More studies are needed to confirm the findings in larger, more diverse populations and determine which patients are most likely to benefit.

REFERENCE: Nidia C. Castro dos Santos, et al.; Immunomodulators, associated or not with systemic antibiotics, to treat periodontitis: A 1‐year multicenter, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, randomized clinical trial. Journal of Periodontology, 2026; 97 (7): 1454 DOI: 10.1002/jper.70081

Skin Changes May Reveal How Much Fruit and Vegetables You Eat: Study

A preliminary study suggests that skin yellowness could provide a simple, non-invasive way to estimate fruit and vegetable intake, by reflecting the amount of carotenoids stored in the skin.

Published in Nutrients, the exploratory study examined 137 adults in Australia and investigated whether skin yellowness measured using reflectance spectroscopy was linked to dietary intake.

Carotenoids are pigments found in many yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables. Compounds such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin can accumulate in the skin and may reflect dietary intake over time.

Researchers assessed participants’ diets using a food-frequency questionnaire and measured skin yellowness at four body sites with relatively low sun exposure.

The researchers found that fruit intake and combined fruit-and-vegetable intake were associated with greater skin yellowness. Each additional serving of fruit was associated with a 0.30-unit increase in measured yellowness, while each additional serving of combined fruit and vegetables was associated with a 0.10-unit increase.

Higher total carotenoid intake was also linked to greater skin yellowness. Among individual carotenoids, beta-carotene showed a significant association.

However, vegetable intake alone was not significantly associated with skin yellowness. Researchers suggested this could be because participants generally consumed fewer vegetables than recommended or because cooking methods and dietary fat can influence carotenoid absorption.

The study found that natural skin colour and ethnicity can influence measurements, meaning skin yellowness cannot be interpreted identically across everyone. Higher body-fat percentage was also associated with lower skin yellowness.

Researchers say these factors would need to be considered before the technique could be used as a reliable dietary biomarker. Because the study was small, cross-sectional and based partly on self-reported diet, it cannot establish cause and effect.

Still, the findings suggest that spectroscopy-based skin yellowness could eventually offer a quick, objective and non-invasive indicator of fruit and vegetable consumption, although larger and more diverse studies are needed.

REFERENCE: Jansson, A. K., Gomez-Martin, M., Clarke, E. D., et al. (2026). Examining Demographic Variables Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Skin Yellowness. Nutrients. DOI: 10.3390/nu18172804

Study Links Long-Term Melatonin Use to Significantly Higher Heart Failure Risk

A large preliminary study has raised questions about the long-term cardiovascular safety of melatonin, a widely used sleep supplement. Researchers found that people with chronic insomnia who had documented melatonin use for at least one year had higher rates of heart failure, heart failure hospitalization and death over the following five years.

Presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, the study analyzed health records of 130,828 adults with insomnia from the TriNetX research network. Researchers excluded people with existing heart failure and matched melatonin users with nonusers across 40 health and demographic factors.

Adults with insomnia and documented long-term melatonin use had about a 90% higher risk of developing heart failure compared with matched nonusers. Heart failure occurred in 4.6% of the melatonin group versus 2.7% of the comparison group.

In a separate analysis requiring at least two prescriptions filled 90 days apart, the increased risk remained at 82%.

Hospitalization for heart failure was also substantially more common among melatonin users, occurring in 19.0% compared with 6.6% of nonusers. Death from any cause was reported in 7.8% of melatonin users versus 4.3% of nonusers.

However, researchers emphasize that these findings do not prove melatonin caused the increased risks.

The study was observational, and several important factors were unavailable, including the severity of insomnia and certain psychiatric conditions. People with more severe insomnia, anxiety or depression may be more likely to use melatonin and may independently have greater cardiovascular risk.

Another limitation is that melatonin is available over the counter in countries such as the U.S. Researchers could identify use only when it appeared in medical records, potentially misclassifying some users as nonusers.

Therefore, researchers say more studies are needed before conclusions can be drawn about melatonin's long-term heart safety. The findings do, however, challenge the assumption that a “natural” sleep supplement is necessarily harmless when used chronically.

REFERENCE: American Heart Association. "Long-term melatonin use linked to 90% higher heart failure risk." https://newsroom.heart.org/news/long-term-use-of-melatonin-supplements-to-support-sleep-may-have-negative-health-effects?preview=8064&preview_mode=True