Medical Bulletin 16/July/2026 - Video

Here are the top medical news for today:

Study Links Vaping and Smoking to 15% Lower Fitness in Young Adults

Vaping may seem less harmful than smoking, but a new study suggests both could reduce fitness in young adults by around 15%.

Published in ERJ Open Research, the study found that healthy young adults who vape or smoke cigarettes have poorer blood vessel function, reduced breathing efficiency, and lower exercise capacity than those who have never used either product.

Researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University studied 75 adults aged 18–30, dividing them into three equal groups: people who had never smoked or vaped, cigarette smokers who had never vaped, and exclusive vapers who had been using e-cigarettes for about three years.

Participants completed an intensive cycling test while researchers measured heart function, breathing, oxygen use, blood lactate levels, and blood vessel health using ultrasound scans and blood tests.

Both the vaping and smoking groups performed significantly worse than non-users. At peak exercise, their oxygen uptake and exercise capacity were about 15% lower. They also had reduced ability to remove carbon dioxide from the lungs and accumulated lactic acid more quickly, causing earlier breathlessness and greater leg fatigue during exercise.

Blood tests and ultrasound scans also revealed signs of blood vessel inflammation in both smokers and vapers, suggesting that vaping may affect the cardiovascular system in ways similar to traditional smoking.

Researchers say the findings are particularly concerning because many young adults who vape have never smoked cigarettes. While e-cigarettes contain fewer cancer-causing chemicals than tobacco, experts warn they can still trigger inflammation and genetic changes linked to long-term health problems.

The researchers are now planning MRI studies to better understand how vaping affects the heart, lungs, and muscles. Although larger studies are needed, the findings suggest that vaping is far from harmless and may significantly reduce physical fitness even in otherwise healthy young adults.

REFERENCE: Azmy Faisal, Agata Giles, Sarah Jones, at al.; Reduced vascular function, ventilatory efficiency, and exercise capacity in young adult E-cigarette users; ERJ Open Research; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00425-2026

Researchers Develop Simple Finger Prick Test to Monitor Metabolic Health

Could a simple finger-prick blood test help monitor the risk of chronic diseases? Researchers believe it might, but they say more clinical studies are needed before it can be used routinely.

Published in Frontiers in Science, scientists propose using the Glucose Ketone Index (GKI)—a ratio of blood glucose to ketones measured from a finger-prick sample—to track metabolic health in people with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These conditions, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and neurodegenerative disorders, account for about three in four deaths worldwide and are expected to increase further by 2050.

The researchers suggest that GKI could help monitor how well lifestyle interventions such as healthy diets, fasting, and exercise shift the body into nutritional ketosis, a metabolic state with lower glucose and higher ketone levels that may support healthier energy production in cells.

Unlike measuring blood sugar or body weight alone, GKI combines glucose with beta-hydroxybutyrate, the main ketone produced during ketosis. According to the authors, lower GKI values indicate lower blood sugar and higher ketone availability, which may reflect more efficient mitochondrial function—the process by which cells generate energy. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to many chronic diseases.

Researchers say GKI could provide doctors with a practical way to monitor metabolic changes during treatment and assess whether interventions are reducing inflammation, high blood sugar, and insulin levels. However, they emphasize that ketogenic approaches are management strategies, not cures, and should only be followed under medical supervision.

The authors also stress that disease-specific GKI target ranges have not yet been established. They are calling for larger clinical trials to validate the test, standardize reporting of glucose and ketone levels, and determine how well GKI predicts health outcomes across different diseases.

If future studies confirm its value, GKI could become a simple tool for monitoring metabolic health and supporting lifestyle-based management of chronic diseases.

REFERENCE: Lee, D. C., et al. (2026) The glucose ketone index: a proposed quantitative biomarker to support cancer and chronic disease prevention and management. Frontiers in Science. DOI: 10.3389/fsci.2026.1763395.

Study Links High Chili Pepper Consumption to Increased Esophageal Cancer Risk

Can your love for spicy food increase cancer risk? A new review suggests that people who eat the most chili peppers may have a higher risk of certain digestive cancers, particularly esophageal cancer, but researchers say the evidence does not prove that chili peppers directly cause cancer.

Published in Frontiers in Nutrition, the review analyzed 14 observational studies involving more than 11,000 participants, including over 5,000 people with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

Compared with those who consumed the least chili peppers, people with the highest intake were 64% more likely to develop GI cancers overall. The strongest association was seen with esophageal cancer, where heavy chili pepper consumers were nearly three times more likely to develop the disease than those with the lowest intake.

For stomach and colorectal cancers, however, the results were less clear. Although stomach cancer showed a trend toward higher risk among heavy chili pepper consumers, the association was not statistically significant, and no significant increase was found for colorectal cancer.

Researchers noted that findings differed across regions. Studies from Asia, Africa, and North America generally reported higher cancer risks with heavy chili consumption, whereas studies from Europe and South America found little or no increased risk. Differences in cooking methods, pepper varieties, genetics, smoking, alcohol use, and overall diet may partly explain these variations.

Scientists believe repeated exposure to capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their heat, may irritate the lining of the esophagus in some people, but this theory has not been proven.

Importantly, all studies included in the review were observational, meaning they can only show an association, not cause and effect. Other lifestyle factors could also influence cancer risk.

Researchers say more long-term studies are needed to determine whether chili peppers themselves increase cancer risk or whether the observed associations are driven by other dietary and environmental factors.

REFERENCE: Changchang Chen, Man Zhang, Xutong Zheng, Hongjuan Lang. Association between chili pepper consumption and risk of gastrointestinal-tract cancers: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022; 9 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.93586