Medical Bulletin 23/May/2026

Here are the top medical news for today:

Researchers Link Widely Used Food Preservatives to Higher Heart Disease Risk

The tiny ingredients hidden in processed foods may be doing more than just extending shelf life. A major new study suggests that common food preservatives found in everyday packaged products could be linked to a higher risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

The research, published in the European Heart Journal, analyzed dietary and health data from more than 112,000 adults participating in the French NutriNet-Santé study. Scientists tracked participants’ eating habits for years, carefully examining the additives present in foods and beverages while monitoring long-term health outcomes.

Researchers found that nearly all participants — about 99.5% — consumed at least one type of preservative regularly. Those with the highest intake of “non-antioxidant” preservatives had a 29% greater risk of developing hypertension and a 16% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, and angina, compared with those consuming the least.

Among the preservatives most strongly associated with high blood pressure were sodium nitrite (E250), potassium sorbate (E202), citric acid (E330), potassium metabisulphite (E224), and rosemary extracts (E392). Ascorbic acid (E300), commonly known as Vitamin C when naturally present in foods, was also linked to cardiovascular disease when used as a preservative additive in processed products.

Researchers believe preservatives may contribute to oxidative stress, inflammation, or metabolic changes that affect heart and blood vessel health. However, they emphasized that the study was observational, meaning it cannot prove preservatives directly caused disease.

Still, the findings add to growing concerns about ultra-processed foods and their long-term health effects. Scientists say the results support current recommendations encouraging people to favor minimally processed foods and reduce unnecessary additive exposure whenever possible.

REFERENCE: Hasenböhler, A., et al. (2026) Preservative food additives, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases: the NutriNet-Santé study, European Heart Journal. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehag308. https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag308/8679203

New Research Explains Why Alzheimer’s Disease Affects Women More Severely Than Men

The road to dementia may not look the same for women and men. A major new study suggests women are more vulnerable to the cognitive effects of several common dementia risk factors, potentially helping explain why they account for nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s disease cases in the United States.

Researchers from University of California San Diego School of Medicine analyzed health and cognitive data from more than 17,000 middle-aged and older adults. Their findings, published in the journal Biology of Sex Differences, showed that certain modifiable health conditions had a stronger impact on women’s cognitive function than on men’s.

The study examined 13 established dementia risk factors, including depression, physical inactivity, obesity, hearing loss, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, alcohol use, and sleep problems. Scientists found that women were more likely to experience depression, inactivity, and sleep difficulties, while men showed higher rates of hearing loss, diabetes, and heavy alcohol consumption.

Researchers found that conditions tied to cardiovascular and metabolic health — especially high blood pressure and elevated body mass index — were associated with steeper declines in cognition among women. Hearing loss and diabetes, although more common in men, were also linked to poorer cognitive performance more strongly in women.

The researchers believe hormonal influences, genetic differences, and social factors may all contribute to these sex-based differences, though more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved.

The findings support growing interest in personalized dementia prevention strategies. Scientists say women may particularly benefit from early management of cardiovascular health, physical activity, depression, and untreated hypertension.

Researchers hope the study will encourage more targeted prevention efforts aimed at reducing dementia risk before cognitive decline begins, especially among women who face the highest overall burden of Alzheimer’s disease.

REFERENCE: Megan C. Fitzhugh, Judy Pa. Sex differences in modifiable risk factors of dementia and their associations with cognition. Biology of Sex Differences, 2026; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s13293-026-00908-7

Scientists Discover Unexpected Connection Between Vitamin D Levels and Pain Severity

A simple vitamin deficiency may be making recovery from breast cancer surgery far more painful than expected. New research suggests women with low vitamin D levels experience more postoperative pain and require substantially higher amounts of opioid medication after mastectomy surgery.

The study, published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, found that breast cancer patients deficient in vitamin D were three times more likely to experience moderate to severe pain during the first 24 hours after surgery compared with women who had healthier vitamin D levels.

Researchers conducted the prospective study at Fayoum University Hospital between September 2024 and April 2025. The study included 184 women undergoing unilateral modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer. Half of the participants had vitamin D deficiency, defined as levels below 30 nmol/L.

Doctors and nurses treating the patients were unaware of their vitamin D status. All women received the same standard pain management during and after surgery, including fentanyl during the operation and patient-controlled tramadol afterward.

The differences in pain medication use were striking. Women with low vitamin D required slightly more fentanyl during surgery, but after surgery they used an average of 112 milligrams more tramadol than patients with sufficient vitamin D levels.

Researchers believe vitamin D may influence pain sensitivity through its effects on inflammation and immune system regulation. Previous studies have already linked vitamin D deficiency to chronic pain conditions, and deficiency is also common among breast cancer patients.

The study also found that nausea after surgery occurred more frequently in women with low vitamin D levels. Vomiting was only reported in the deficient group, although the numbers were too small to confirm a statistically significant difference.

While the researchers emphasized that the study cannot prove vitamin D deficiency directly caused worse pain outcomes, the findings raise the possibility that correcting low vitamin D before surgery could help improve recovery and reduce opioid dependence after breast cancer procedures.

REFERENCE: Mahdy Ahmed Abdelhady, Maged Labib Boulos, Mohamed Ahmed Hamed, Doha Hamad Masry, Safaa Gaber Ragab, Mohamed Hasan Ragab. Association between preoperative vitamin D level and postoperative pain in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery: a prospective observational study. Regional Anesthesia, 2026; rapm-2025-107495 DOI: 10.1136/rapm-2025-107495