Medical Bulletin 18/October/2025 - Video

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Can ADHD Make You More Creative by Letting Your Mind Wander?

A new study presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress in Amsterdam reveals that individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may have a creative edge and this advantage appears to stem from a stronger tendency for the mind to wander.

Led by Han Fang from Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, the research involved two independent groups of participants: one from a European ECNP-curated group and the other from the UK, totaling 750 individuals. The team compared those with and without ADHD traits to examine how attention, impulsivity, and mind wandering influence creative ability.

The study assessed creativity through standardized methods, such as asking participants to generate creative uses for everyday objects. Simultaneously, researchers measured two forms of mind wandering: spontaneous, where thoughts shift unintentionally, and deliberate, where individuals purposefully let their minds explore freely. Both groups exhibited typical ADHD behaviors like impulsivity and inattention, and in both, those with stronger ADHD traits reported higher levels of mind wandering.

“We found that people with more ADHD traits such as lack of attention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, score higher on creative achievements in both studies,” Fang noted. Importantly, deliberate mind wandering was particularly linked to enhanced creativity in ADHD individuals. This finding suggests that certain cognitive patterns in ADHD may serve as a source of innovation.

These insights could shape future treatment and education strategies. The researchers emphasize the need for further studies to confirm and expand on these findings.

Reference: https://www.ecnp.eu/congress2025/

C-Section Delivery May Disrupt Sleep and Intensify Postpartum Pain

Women who deliver by cesarean section (C-section) are more likely to suffer from intense postpartum pain and develop sleep disorders, according to new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2025 annual meeting. The findings highlight the need for greater attention to sleep and pain management in the postpartum period, particularly among mothers recovering from surgical births.

The study combined qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how childbirth type affects sleep and pain. In the qualitative portion, researchers interviewed 41 mothers—24 who had vaginal deliveries, 11 with planned C-sections, and six with unplanned C-sections—about their postpartum experiences. Among the C-section group, over two-thirds reported severe pain that interfered with sleep and daily functioning (73% of planned and 67% of unplanned), compared to just 8% among vaginal deliveries.

The quantitative analysis examined data from over 1.5 million mothers who gave birth between 2008 and 2021 using a national insurance database. It revealed that women who had C-sections were 16% more likely to be newly diagnosed with sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep deprivation, or obstructive sleep apnea within the first year after delivery.

"Sleep is often overlooked in postpartum recovery, but it is central to a mother's physical and mental health," said Moe Takenoshita, M.B.B.Ch., the study’s lead author and postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University Center for Academic Medicine. "Cesarean delivery in particular appears to increase the risk for severe pain and sleep disorders, which can lead to postpartum depression, thinking and memory problems, and fatigue, as well as disrupt bonding with their babies and relationships with family and friends."

Dr. Takenoshita emphasized that new mothers, especially those recovering from C-sections, should proactively manage pain and adopt strategies to improve sleep, such as resting when the baby sleeps, avoiding stimulants late in the day, and practicing relaxation techniques before bed.

Reference: https://www.asahq.org/annualmeeting

Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Changes Cut Type 2 Diabetes Risk by 31%: Study Finds

A large-scale Spanish clinical trial has found that simple lifestyle changes like eating a Mediterranean-style diet with fewer calories, engaging in regular physical activity, and receiving weight management support can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 31%. The study, PREDIMED-Plus, is the largest nutrition trial ever conducted in Europe and was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Led by the University of Navarra and supported by more than 200 researchers from 22 institutions, PREDIMED-Plus followed 4,746 overweight or obese adults aged 55–75, all with metabolic syndrome but no previous history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Participants were divided into two groups: one adopted a calorie-reduced Mediterranean diet, engaged in moderate exercise (such as brisk walking and strength training), and received professional counseling; the other group followed a traditional Mediterranean diet with no calorie restrictions or exercise guidance.

Over six years, the intervention group not only lowered their diabetes risk significantly but also experienced greater weight loss, on average, 3.3 kg and 3.6 cm from the waist compared to just 0.6 kg and 0.3 cm in the control group. This equated to preventing roughly three new diabetes cases per 100 participants.

“Diabetes is the first solid clinical outcome for which we have shown using the strongest available evidence that the Mediterranean diet with calorie reduction, physical activity and weight loss is a highly effective preventive tool,” said Professor Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, principal investigator of the project.

Experts noted that while medications for obesity and diabetes are making headlines, this study underscores the powerful effect of modest, sustained lifestyle changes.

Reference: Miguel Ruiz-Canela, Dolores Corella, Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, et al. Comparison of an Energy-Reduced Mediterranean Diet and Physical Activity Versus an Ad Libitum Mediterranean Diet in the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. [Epub 26 August 2025]. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-25-00388