Medical Bulletin 17/June/2026

Here are the top medical news for today:

New Study Finds Brain Function Continues Improving Well Into the 90s

A sharper mind may not be something we simply lose with age. A new three-year study suggests the brain can continue to strengthen well into later life, and the people who started with the lowest cognitive scores often showed the greatest improvements.

Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas' Center for BrainHealth tracked 3,966 adults aged 19 to 94 as part of The BrainHealth Project. Participants spent just five to 15 minutes a day completing brief brain-training activities over three years. Their progress was measured using the BrainHealth Index (BHI), a tool that evaluates clarity of thinking, emotional balance and social connectedness by combining around 20 established and research-based assessments.

The findings, published in Scientific Reports, showed measurable improvements in brain health across every age group, including participants in their 80s. According to the researchers, the results challenge the long-held belief that cognitive decline is an unavoidable part of aging.

The biggest gains were seen among individuals who began the study with the lowest Brain Health Index scores. Researchers believe these participants may have had more room for improvement and were possibly more motivated to engage consistently with the program. However, even those who started with higher scores demonstrated measurable progress.

The team is also continuing to investigate how these improvements relate to changes in the brain itself. Around 400 participants have undergone more than 1,200 brain scans, allowing researchers to explore the biological changes associated with better brain health over time.

While the study does not suggest brain training can prevent dementia, it indicates that the brain retains the capacity to adapt and improve throughout adulthood, reinforcing the importance of staying mentally engaged at every stage of life.

REFERENCE: Lori G. Cook, Jeffrey S. Spence, Zhengsi Chang, Erin E. Venza, Aaron Tate, Ian H. Robertson, Mark D’Esposito, Geoffrey S. F. Ling, Jane G. Wigginton, Sandra Bond Chapman. Measuring and increasing the brain health span across adulthood: a public health imperative. Scientific Reports, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-51403-3

Testosterone Plus Lifestyle Changes May Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Older Men: Study

Healthy habits remain the foundation of diabetes prevention—but new research suggests hormone treatment may provide an extra metabolic boost for some older men.

Testosterone therapy, when combined with a structured lifestyle program, may improve body composition, blood sugar control, and sexual desire in older men at high risk of type 2 diabetes, according to new research presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.

The findings come from a follow-up analysis of the Testosterone for the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T4DM) trial, which originally enrolled 1,007 men aged 50 to 74 with central obesity and either prediabetes or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. The original study had already shown that testosterone therapy alongside lifestyle changes lowered the likelihood of developing diabetes after two years.

The new analysis tracked 121 participants who continued blinded treatment for an additional two years after completing the formal lifestyle program. Researchers found that the greatest improvements in blood sugar control occurred during the first two years when participants actively engaged in diet and exercise support. Although the glucose-lowering effect weakened by the fourth year, blood sugar levels remained significantly better than those in the placebo group.

Importantly, reductions in body fat, increases in muscle mass, and improvements in sexual desire achieved during the first two years were maintained throughout the four-year follow-up. However, testosterone treatment did not significantly improve overall quality of life compared with placebo, and no new safety concerns emerged during the extended study.

The researchers say the findings encourage clinicians to assess metabolic health, abdominal obesity, muscle strength, sexual symptoms, and testosterone levels together rather than treating each issue separately. They also reinforce that lasting benefits depend on sustained lifestyle changes, with hormone therapy serving only as a supportive strategy for carefully selected patients.

REFERENCE: Testosterone alone is not a replacement for lifestyle changes in older men at risk of T2D; https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2026/wittert-press-release-endo-2026

New Study Finds Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals in Breast Milk and Babies' Urine

Breast milk remains the best source of nutrition for babies, but new research suggests it may also carry traces of hormone-disrupting chemicals that infants continue to accumulate during their first six months of life.

A new study presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, found that several endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were commonly detected in both breast milk and the urine of infants from birth to six months of age.

The study analyzed 336 mother-infant pairs participating in the LIFE-MILCH project. Researchers collected breast milk and urine samples one, three, and six months after birth and tested them for more than 50 environmental chemicals, including bisphenols, phthalates, parabens, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

One of the most frequently detected chemicals was bisphenol A (BPA), which appeared in about half of breast milk samples at both one and six months after delivery. BPA was also found in nearly one-third of infant urine samples shortly after birth, rising to almost 68% by six months. Similar increases were observed for bisphenol S (BPS) and several phthalates, chemicals commonly used in plastics and consumer products.

Researchers also detected preservatives known as parabens and the herbicide glufosinate in a substantial number of breast milk and infant urine samples. While most polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were rarely found in breast milk, several were consistently detected in infants' urine.

According to the researchers, many of these chemicals are linked to everyday exposures through food packaging, personal care products, household items, and dietary habits. Previous studies have associated endocrine-disrupting chemicals with altered growth, obesity, hormone disruption, and neurodevelopmental problems, although this study did not examine health outcomes directly.

The researchers emphasize that the findings should not discourage breastfeeding. Instead, they say the results underscore the importance of reducing environmental contamination and limiting exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals.

REFERENCE: EDCs found in breast milk and infant urine up to age 6 months; https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2026/street-press-release-endo-2026