This Week in Medical News - June 7, 2025
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🏃♂️ Colon Cancer Knocked Down by Cardio
The New England Journal of Medicine just dropped a bombshell: A structured, long-term exercise program cut deaths by 37% in colon cancer survivors.
The study followed 889 patients post-chemo. Half got generic health advice. The other half had real human coaching—every two weeks for a year, then monthly for two more. And the result?
28% fewer cancers
37% fewer deaths
80% disease-free after 5 years vs. 74% in the control group
1 death prevented for every 14 participants
Weight loss? Identical in both groups. So it’s not about fat. It’s about fitness. Insulin sensitivity, inflammation, immune modulation—this is what exercise does when it’s actually prescribed, not just recommended.
Bottom line: If exercise were a pill, it’d be a blockbuster drug with zero lobbyists.
🧬 Can mRNA Help Cure HIV?
Researchers are now using mRNA—the same tech behind COVID vaccines—to flush out dormant HIV hiding in CD4 cells.
Published in Nature Communications, this early-stage work aims to “wake up” the virus from its latent slumber so that it can be targeted and eradicated. It's still theoretical, but it opens the door to an mRNA-powered cure—not just lifelong management.
If it works, this changes everything.
If not? At least it’s not another supplement with a cult following.
🧠 Dieting May Shrink More Than Your Waistline
A new study in BMJ Nutrition found that calorie- and nutrient-restrictive diets are linked to increased depression, especially in men.
Calorie restriction → higher PHQ-9 depression scores
Men on nutrient-restricted diets saw a 0.40-point increase in cognitive-affective symptoms.
Just a reminder: food isn’t just fuel. It’s also brain chemistry. And starving yourself thin isn’t exactly a serotonin booster. And yes, Hangry can be depressing.
🤖 AI Still Doesn’t Get You
A study comparing over 7,000 responses from clinicians and AI models found that while AI nailed the facts (and sometimes outperformed humans in clarity), it tanked hard on empathy and nuance—especially with mental health, end-of-life questions, or emotionally weighted concerns.
And yes, AI still loves jargon like a med student with a thesaurus.
💉 Teenagers and Wegovy: Growing Interest in Shrinking Waistlines
Data from Truveta show a 50% increase in teen Wegovy prescriptions last year, up to 14.8 per 100,000 adolescents.
That’s just for Wegovy— Zepbound wasn’t even included, because it is not approved for pediatric obesity.
GLP-1s are officially in the youth market. Cue the debates—and hopefully, the data to back it all up.
🌿 Seniors + Cannabis = ER Visits + Dementia?
Cannabis use in adults over 65 jumped from 4.8% in 2021 to 7% in 2023. With that came an explosion in cannabis-related ER visits in California—from 21 to 395 per 100,000 between 2005 and 2019.
Worse: A JAMA Neurology study found these visits were linked to a 1.5x increased risk of dementia within five years.
Maybe Grandma shouldn't hit that edible before her water aerobics class.
🦠 Measles: A Travel Companion You Don’t Want
Texas now has 738 measles cases, with over 1,000 nationwide. The CDC is pleading with travelers: check your MMR status before flying.
Meanwhile, a JAMA study showed that 78% of U.S. counties have seen drops in childhood MMR vaccination since the pandemic. Herd immunity? It’s limping.
💉 Moderna’s New COVID Shot: Small Dose, Big Protection
The FDA just approved Moderna’s mNexspike, a next-gen COVID vaccine, using only 1/5th the dose of Spikevax. It’s cleared for:
Adults 65+
People 12–64 with risk factors
The lower dose, same immune punch, and fewer side effects? We'll take it.
🌱 Vegan Diet Slashes Hot Flashes
A study in Menopause found that a low-fat vegan diet reduced severe hot flashes by 92% over 3 months—even if the plant foods were ultra-processed.
Oh, and the women also lost 8 pounds. So yes, soy milk and frozen veggie burgers might just be better than hormone therapy. Who knew?
🍹 Sugar in Drinks Is Worse Than Food
A meta-analysis in Advances in Nutrition reviewed data from 800,000+ adults and found that sugar from beverages (soda, juice) is significantly worse for long-term health than sugar from food.
That fruit juice cleanse? Might want to chew your fruit instead.
🧠 TL;DR This Week:
Exercise beats recurrence in colon cancer
mRNA may take on HIV
Restrictive diets = sad brains
AI still doesn’t “get” you
Teen Wegovy use surges
Seniors + weed = trouble
Measles is back—thanks, antivaxxers
Moderna's low-dose COVID vax is here
Vegan diets nuke hot flashes
Soda sugar is worse than donut sugar
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