Medical Bulletin 25/July/2026 - Video

Here are the top medical news for today:

Lifestyle Modifications May Slow MASLD Through Key Molecular Mechanism: Study

Exercise and meal timing may protect your liver by switching off a harmful molecular pathway, new research suggests.

Lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and healthy eating are the main treatments for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a condition previously known as fatty liver disease. Now, researchers have discovered how these habits may protect the liver at a molecular level.

The study, published in eGastroenterology, found that exercise and time-restricted eating improve liver health by lowering the levels of a small molecule called miR-802.

MASLD is more than just fat building up in the liver. It can also cause inflammation, liver cell damage, and long-term metabolic problems.

Researchers found that miR-802 levels were much higher in mice and people with MASLD. Higher levels of this molecule caused liver cells to store more fat, cholesterol, and triglycerides, making the disease worse.

However, when researchers blocked miR-802, the liver stored less fat and showed fewer signs of damage.

The team then studied mice fed a high-fat diet. Mice that exercised regularly or followed an 8-hour time-restricted eating schedule had lower levels of miR-802, less fat in their livers, and better overall liver health.

When researchers artificially increased miR-802 again, many of these benefits disappeared, suggesting that lowering this molecule is one way exercise and meal timing protect the liver.

The researchers also identified a chain of events behind this effect. A protein called PPARγ increases miR-802 levels. In turn, miR-802 blocks another protein called Psmd2, which normally helps maintain healthy fat metabolism. This chain of events eventually leads to excess fat building up in the liver.

The researchers say this pathway could become a future treatment target for MASLD. They also believe that measuring miR-802 in the blood could one day help doctors monitor how well lifestyle changes are working. However, larger human studies are still needed to confirm these findings.

REFERENCE: Liu, Y., et al. (2026) Exercise and dietary interventions ameliorate MASLD via the hepatic PPARγ-miR-802-Psmd2 axis. eGastroenterology. DOI: 10.1136/egastro-2025-100334. https://egastroenterology.bmj.com/content/4/1/e100334

Coffee May Protect Heart Health While Energy Drinks Could Increase Cardiac Risk: Study

Coffee and energy drinks may both contain caffeine—but they don't affect your heart in the same way.

A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published in Circulation, says that most healthy adults can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day. That's about 3 to 5 cups of regular black coffee, and for many people, this amount may even be linked to a lower risk of heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

However, researchers warn that not all caffeine sources are equally safe.

Unlike coffee, energy drinks and energy shots often contain much higher concentrations of caffeine along with other ingredients that may speed up caffeine absorption. These products have been linked to high blood pressure, heart palpitations, and irregular heart rhythms, even in young, healthy adults.

Researchers explain that coffee is a complex drink containing natural compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help protect the heart. This could explain why coffee and energy drinks, despite both containing caffeine, may have different health effects.

The review also found that filtered black coffee was generally associated with better heart health. However, adding large amounts of sugar, flavored syrups, cream, or sweeteners may reduce these potential benefits.

In the short term, caffeine can temporarily increase blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar, and alertness. Some people may also experience anxiety, sleep problems, or heart palpitations, especially if they are sensitive to caffeine.

The researchers stress that people respond to caffeine differently based on age, genetics, medications, and existing health conditions. While moderate coffee consumption appears safe for most adults, they recommend avoiding high-dose caffeine products, especially energy drinks, until more research is available.

REFERENCE: Gregory M. Marcus, Frank B. Hu, Rob M. van Dam, Marilyn C. Cornelis, Thomas A. Dewland, JungHee Kang, Susanna C. Larsson, Robert L. Page, Niyati Parekh. Caffeine and Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 2026; DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001454

Study Links Popular Childhood Beverages to Higher Blood Pressure in Adulthood

That daily soda or even too much fruit juice in childhood could affect your heart years later.

A new study published in Circulation suggests that children who regularly drink sugary beverages or large amounts of fruit juice may have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure as adults.

Researchers followed more than 25,000 participants from childhood for up to 25 years. They tracked how often participants drank sugary beverages, fruit juice, and ate whole fruits, then looked at who later developed high blood pressure.

The results showed that people who drank two or more sugary drinks every day had a 52% higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared with those who drank fewer than three servings a week. Different drinks showed different risks. Every daily serving of soda was linked to a 23% higher risk, while each daily serving of sports drinks increased the risk by 36%.

Fruit juice also showed an effect when consumed in large amounts. People who drank 1.5 or more glasses of fruit juice daily had a 35% higher risk of high blood pressure than those who drank it less than once a week. Researchers noted that moderate amounts of 100% fruit juice are generally considered acceptable, but drinking large quantities may not be beneficial.

On the other hand, whole fruits appeared to protect heart health. Replacing one daily serving of a sugary drink with whole fruit was associated with a 22% lower risk of high blood pressure. Replacing fruit juice with whole fruit reduced the risk by 19%.

Because this was an observational study, it cannot prove that sugary drinks or fruit juice directly caused high blood pressure. However, researchers say the findings highlight the importance of building healthy drinking habits early in life and choosing whole fruits over sugary beverages whenever possible.

REFERENCE: Michelle Nguyen, Hala B. AlEssa, Andrea J. Glenn, Deirdre K. Tobias, Jorge E. Chavarro, Walter C. Willett, Frank B. Hu, Anthony J. Hanley, Catherine S. Birken, John L. Sievenpiper, Vasanti S. Malik. Consumption of Fructose-Containing Food and Beverage Sources in Childhood Through to Adulthood and Risk of Hypertension: A Prospective Cohort Study. Circulation, 2026; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.125.077666