Medical Bulletin 13/December/2025 - Video

Here are the top medical news for today:

Study compares white and wholegrain breads to reveal true health benefits

White bread has got a bad reputation—but is it really as unhealthy as many believe? A new review published in Nutrition Bulletin takes a closer look, separating fact from fiction to reveal that white bread remains a valuable, nutritious staple for millions worldwide—especially when fortified and made from quality ingredients. The research encourages balanced perspectives, showing that how we make and consume bread matters more than its color or processing label.

Bread has historically been central to human diets, yet its reputation has declined as people associate it with refined carbs and “ultra-processed” foods. Interestingly, global wheat consumption continues to rise—especially in developing countries—while traditional bread-eating regions like the UK and the U.S. are eating less. British bread consumption, for instance, has halved since the 1970s as consumers turn toward perceived “healthier” options such as gluten-free or wholegrain loaves.

To clarify the science, researchers reviewed global data on wheat processing, nutrition, and public health outcomes. When wheat is milled, the kernel’s outer bran and inner germ—rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals—are partly removed to make soft, fine white flour. While this process reduces certain nutrients, modern fortification policies restore many of them. In the UK, for example, iron and calcium are added by law, and from 2026, folic acid fortification will become mandatory to help prevent birth defects.

The paper highlights that variations across bread types—white, wholemeal, seeded, sourdough—make health outcomes hard to generalize. While wholegrain breads do deliver extra fiber and micronutrients, white bread still provides essential carbohydrates, protein, and calories—making it an important energy source, particularly in low-income groups.

Contrary to popular belief, white bread doesn’t necessarily cause sharp blood sugar spikes compared to wholegrain types, except when the latter contain intact kernels. It’s also less likely to trigger FODMAP-related gut symptoms than some wholegrain breads.

The review emphasizes that the nutritional quality of bread shouldn’t be judged by its processing label—some industrially produced, fortified breads can be just as healthy as artisan loaves. The authors conclude that improving all bread varieties, rather than demonizing white bread, offers a realistic path to better nutrition and equity in global diets—especially as wheat remains the world’s most accessible source of energy, nutrients, and comfort.

REFERENCE: Shewry, P. R. et al. (2025) Separating Myths From Facts About Bread and Health. Nutrition Bulletin. DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70038, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nbu.70038

Study links social media use to poor focus, rising ADHD symptoms in children

Social media may be keeping kids connected—but it could also be rewiring how their brains pay attention. A new study by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Oregon Health & Science University suggests that heavy social media use is linked to growing symptoms of inattention among children, possibly mimicking traits of ADHD. The study tracked over 8,000 young people for four years and found a clear pattern: the more time kids spent scrolling, the harder it became for them to focus.

The research used data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, one of the largest ongoing neuroscience projects in the world. It followed 8,324 children—53% of them boys—starting around age 10 and continuing until age 14. Each year, the children completed the Youth Screen Time Survey, reporting how much time they spent on social media apps, video games, and TV. Researchers then assessed these habits alongside attention-related behaviors over time.

The findings painted a worrying picture. Kids who used platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, or Facebook the most showed increasing attention problems each year. In contrast, time spent watching television or playing video games did not show the same effect. According to lead author Professor Torkel Klingberg, the difference stems from how social media constantly demands attention. “Notifications, messages, and the anticipation of a reply act like mental interruptions,” he explained. “Even thinking about whether a message has arrived can distract the mind from focusing.”

The study found that average daily social media use jumped from about 30 minutes among nine-year-olds to nearly 2.5 hours by age 13—well before the legal minimum age set by most platforms. Over those years, measurable inattention symptoms increased, revealing a gradual but consistent association between frequent online engagement and reduced focus.

While the study stops short of proving cause and effect, it highlights a crucial takeaway: the developing adolescent brain may be especially vulnerable to social media’s nonstop reward loop. Experts recommend close parental supervision, screen-free routines, and helping kids build sustained attention through real-world interactions and outdoor play.

REFERENCE: Samson Nivins, Michael A. Mooney, Joel Nigg, Torkel Klingberg; Digital Media, Genetics and Risk for ADHD Symptoms in Children – A Longitudinal Study . Pediatrics Open Science 2025; https://doi.org/10.1542/pedsos.2025-000922

Scientists develop tiny brain implant that wirelessly transmits secret signals

Imagine sending information straight into the brain—without wires, surgery, or sound. That future just came a step closer thanks to scientists at Northwestern University, who have developed a tiny wireless device that uses light to “talk” directly to neurons. The breakthrough, published in Nature Neuroscience, could transform everything from prosthetic limb control to restoring lost senses.

The paper describes a soft, ultra-thin device that sits between the scalp and the skull. About the size of a postage stamp and thinner than a credit card, it emits precisely timed pulses of red light that penetrate bone to stimulate neuron networks in specific brain regions. Unlike older implants requiring fiber-optic cables or bulky interfaces, this system works wirelessly and remains completely under the skin—a leap forward in both safety and freedom of movement.

During testing, researchers led by Professor Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy and bioengineer John A. Rogers fitted the implant on mice genetically modified so that their neurons would respond to light. Using an array of **64 micro LEDs—each thinner than a human hair—**they projected complex patterns of illumination across the cortex. The animals quickly learned to recognize specific light patterns as signals and performed behavioral tasks in response, such as moving toward a target reward. In essence, the device allowed scientists to “train” the brain to interpret artificial light cues as meaningful messages, bypassing normal sensory routes like vision, hearing, or touch.

The system builds on the team’s earlier 2021 work, which used a single LED to control social behaviors in mice. This new multi LED platform goes much further, enabling multi site stimulation that mimics how natural brain activity spreads across large networks during real sensations. Future versions aim to expand the number of LEDs, refine timing control, and extend light penetration deeper into brain tissue.

The device’s potential applications are wide-ranging: restoring sensory feedback to prosthetic limbs, aiding stroke recovery, modulating chronic pain, and perhaps one day replacing damaged sensory inputs. As Rogers explains, the technology was designed “to integrate seamlessly with the brain—without the wires, without the burden.”

This innovation not only deepens our understanding of how brains process information but also points toward a new age of bioelectronic medicine, where light itself may become the language of healing.

REFERENCE: Mingzheng Wu, Yiyuan Yang, Jinglan Zhang, Andrew I. Efimov, Xiuyuan Li, Kaiqing Zhang, Yue Wang, Kevin L. Bodkin, Mohammad Riahi, Jianyu Gu, Glingna Wang, Minsung Kim, Liangsong Zeng, Jiaqi Liu, Lauren H. Yoon, Haohui Zhang, Sara N. Freda, Minkyu Lee, Jiheon Kang, Joanna L. Ciatti, Kaila Ting, Stephen Cheng, Xincheng Zhang, He Sun, Wenming Zhang, Yi Zhang, Anthony Banks, Cameron H. Good, Julia M. Cox, Lucas Pinto, Abraham Vázquez-Guardado, Yonggang Huang, Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy, John A. Rogers. Patterned wireless transcranial optogenetics generates artificial perception. Nature Neuroscience, 2025; DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02127-6