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News flashes are posted here frequently to keep you up-to-date with the latest advances in health and longevity. We have an unparalleled track record of breaking stories about life extension advances.

Resveratrol plus copper shows promise for brain cancer

December 22 2025. The outcome of a trial reported September 30, 2025, in the Nature journal BJC reports suggests a tumor-healing effect for a combination of resveratrol and copper in people with glioblastoma, one of the deadliest cancers of the brain.

The trial consisted of 20 men and women scheduled for surgical removal of glioblastoma tumors. Ten participants were given 5.6 milligrams resveratrol plus 560 nanograms copper four times per day for an average of 11.6 days, while the remaining control group participants received no resveratrol and copper.

Tissue samples from participants who received the nutrient combination showed deactivation of cell-free chromatin. "The cell-free chromatin particles, fragments of DNA released by dying cancer cells, inflame the surviving cancer cells," lead researcher Indraneel Mittra, PhD, explained. "This makes the disease more aggressive. If you eliminate the cell-free chromatin, which is what the resveratrol-copper tablets do, the cancer is subdued."

Compared with the control group, tumors from resveratrol-treated individuals had one-third lower levels of a protein that serves as a marker for glioblastoma growth, 57% fewer cells that contained cancer hallmarks, 41% lower levels of six immune checkpoints that prevent the immune system from attacking cancer cells, and 56% lower biomarkers of stem cells, which contribute to cancer spread.

Dr Mittra’s approach is based on a concept suggested by an article in which Dr Harold Dvorak observed that cancer is similar to a nonhealing wound. "We have been trying to kill cancer cells for 2,500 years, since the time of the ancient Greeks, without success," he remarked. "Maybe it is time to look at cancer treatment differently and work towards healing tumors, rather than annihilating them."

"Of course, the number of patients in this study was rather small," he observed. "However, the results were so striking that I’d fully expect them to be replicated in a larger sample of patients."

—D Dye

Sleep hormone could benefit lupus patients

December 19 2025. A review published in 2025 in Current Molecular Pharmacology suggested a benefit for melatonin in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, or lupus), an autoimmune disease whose symptoms include arthritis, dermatologic manifestations, inflammation of the kidneys and neurologic complications. While no one cause has been identified, genetic predisposition and abnormalities of stress response systems that include hormones and the sympathetic nervous system are likely contributors in addition to oxidative stress.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the brain's pineal gland and other tissues. The hormone has antioxidant and sleep-inducing effects. People diagnosed with lupus frequently exhibit lower serum melatonin levels than individuals who do not have the disease, and clinical trials have revealed reductions in markers of oxidative stress in lupus patients who were given melatonin. "Our findings suggest that melatonin could serve as both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic agent," first author Azam Hosseinzadeh of Iran University of Medical Sciences stated.

Dr Hosseinzadeh and colleagues suggested that enhanced antioxidant defenses could be an effective strategy to reduce the progression of lupus and alleviate symptoms. They observed that the secretion of melatonin follows a circadian rhythm, with lower daytime and higher nighttime levels that make sampling timing critical for accurate measurement. "Melatonin's safety profile and multifaceted effects make it a compelling candidate for adjunctive therapy, but we need to understand optimal dosing and timing," co-author Mohammad Sheibani noted.

"Future perspectives suggest that further investigations are necessary to explore melatonin's role in preventing organ damage and improving overall outcomes in lupus patients," Dr Hosseinzadeh and colleagues concluded. "As research progresses, understanding the mechanisms through which melatonin influences immune responses and oxidative stress could pave the way for innovative treatment modalities for lupus and related disorders."

—D Dye

High C-reactive protein levels predict cardiovascular events

December 17 2025. Findings from a study published December 11, 2025, in the European Heart Journal added evidence to the value of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) measurement as a predictor of cardiovascular events in men and women without known atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The study included 448,654 participants aged 40 and older enrolled in the UK Biobank population-based cohort study. Blood samples collected at enrollment from 2006–2010 and in a subset of participants at a repeat assessment during 2012–2013 were analyzed for serum hsCRP and other factors. During a median 13.7 year-follow-up, 23,624 individuals experienced major adverse cardiovascular events and there were 35,983 deaths from all causes, including 6,176 attributable to cardiovascular disease.

Having a hsCRP level that was greater than 3 milligrams per liter (mg/L) was associated with a 34% higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, a 54% greater risk of death from all causes and a 61% higher risk of cardiovascular death. Among those whose hsCRP levels were 2 mg/L or less, the risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiovascular event was 22% greater than those whose levels were less than 2 mg/L and risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease were 34% and 37% greater. The predictive performance of hsCRP was greater than that of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors.

"Taken together, this analysis of 448,653 individuals without known atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease from the population-based UK Biobank demonstrates a strong and independent association of hsCRP and long-term cardiovascular outcomes," authors Berkan Kurt of University Hospital Aachen in Germanyand colleagues concluded. "These data confirm hsCRP as a clinically relevant predictor of cardiovascular events in individuals without known atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and support its assessment in primary prevention."

—D Dye

Brain choline diminished in people with anxiety disorders

December 15 2025. The December 2025 issue of Molecular Psychiatry reported the results of a meta-analysis that affirmed lower levels of the nutrient choline in the brains of people with anxiety disorders in comparison with individuals who did not have anxiety.

"Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting about 30% of adults," senior author Richard Maddock, MD, of the University of California Davis School of Medicine commented. "They can be debilitating for people, and many people do not receive adequate treatment."

The meta-analysis included 25 published datasets that compared the brain neurometabolites of 370 people with social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder with 342 individuals who were free of the disorders. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy measured n-acetlyaspartate, total creatine, GABA, myoinositol, glutamate, glutamate plus glutamine, lactate and total choline.

Among individuals with anxiety disorders, choline was lower in the prefrontal cortex and in all brain cortical regions in comparison with participants without anxiety. The difference in choline averaged 8%. "An 8% lower amount doesn't sound like that much, but in the brain it's significant," Dr Maddock noted.

"Someone with an anxiety disorder might want to look at their diet and see whether they are getting the recommended daily amount of choline," he added. "Previous research has shown that most people in the U.S., including children, don't get the recommended daily amount."

"This is the first meta-analysis to show a chemical pattern in the brain in anxiety disorders," coauthor and assistant professor Jason Smucny, of the University of California Davis announced. "It suggests nutritional approaches . . . may help restore brain chemistry and improve outcomes for patients."

—D Dye

Deficient vitamin D associated with increased risk of mortality after hospitalization for pneumonia

December 12 2025. The December 2025 issue of Open Forum Infectious Diseases published the findings of researchers at the University of Copenhagen of a greater risk of death within 180 days following hospital admission for community-acquired pneumonia among adults with vitamin D deficiency.

Maria Hein Hegelund and colleagues investigated the association between having insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D and the risk of 30-day, 90-day and 180-day mortality, and in-hospital mortality. They evaluated data from 514 men and women who participated in the ongoing, prospective Surviving Pneumonia Study conducted from January 2019 to April 2022. Participants were enrolled within 24 hours of admission to the emergency department and medical wards and were followed for 180 days.

Blood samples collected at admission were analyzed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and other factors. Three hundred fifty individuals had vitamin D levels of 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) or higher that were categorized as sufficient, 130 participants had levels of 10 ng/mL to less than 20 ng/mL which were classified as insufficient and 29 participants had deficient levels of less than 10 ng/mL. Individuals who were deficient in vitamin D were younger than the remainder of the group and over half were smokers. Deficiency was associated with more than three times the risk of dying within 90 or 180 days of admission compared with vitamin D sufficiency.

"Our results showed that among adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, a deficient vitamin D status was associated with a higher risk of 90-day and 180-day mortality after adjusting for age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, smoking history, body mass index, and initial community-acquired pneumonia severity," the authors wrote. They noted that participants are being recruited for a large, randomized trial to evaluate the effects of high-dose vitamin D on 28-day mortality among critically ill individuals.

—D Dye

Polyphenols, found in apples, green tea, support healthy inflammatory response

December 10 2025. An analysis of a randomized trial reported October 20, 2025, in Microbiome Research Reports revealed an improved inflammatory response among participants with high levels of inflammation who received a polyphenol-rich diet compared with individuals assigned to a diet that was lower in polyphenols.

Polyphenols are plant compounds that are fermented by microbiota in the colon during digestion. Metabolites resulting from fermentation are involved in managing inflammation via several mechanisms.

The Microbiomics mAnipulation through Polyphenols for managing the Leakiness in the Elderly trial was a randomized, controlled, crossover study in which 50 participants aged 60 years or older received diets that were high or low in polyphenols for eight weeks. The high polyphenol diet provided such polyphenol-rich foods as pomegranate juice, green tea, Renetta Canada apples and apple purée, blood orange and blood orange juice, dark chocolate, mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) and derived products. The initial eight-week period was followed by eight weeks during which no special diets were received. This was followed by another eight-week period during which the dietary regimens of each group were switched. Markers of inflammation, gut microbes and other factors were analyzed before and after each treatment period.

Investigators involved in the current study examined the participants according to whether they had higher or lower indicators of inflammation at the beginning of the trial. They observed significant reductions in markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, in association with consuming a high-polyphenol diet among those who initially had high inflammatory markers. Microbial diversity also improved in this group.

"These findings suggest that polyphenol-rich-diets may beneficially modulate inflammation and the gut microbial ecosystem in subjects aged greater than or equal to 60 years with elevated baseline inflammation," authors Giorgio Gargari and colleagues concluded. "Stratification by inflammatory status may improve the targeting and personalization of dietary interventions to support healthy aging."

—D Dye

Resveratrol associated with improved obesity indices

December 08 2025. Findings from an umbrella review of 18 meta-analyses of randomized, controlled trials and controlled clinical trials reported November 29, 2025, in the journal Eating and Weight Disorders revealed an association between the use of resveratrol and lower body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body fat compared with control groups that did not receive the nutrient.

Resveratrol is a compound that has antioxidant effects and occurs in red grapes and other foods.

For their review, Ahmed Abu-Zaid of Alfaisal University and colleagues identified 18 meta-analyses of trials that compared resveratrol-treated individuals to control groups amonga total of 6,871 participants. The trials were of five to 32 weeks duration and resveratrol doses ranged from 200 mg to greater than 1,300 mg per day.

The 12 meta-analyses that evaluated resveratrol's effects on body weight found a small but statistically significant benefit among treated individuals in comparison with the control groups. Subgroup analyses revealed significant effects for resveratrol at doses higher than 400 milligrams per day and in trials of a duration of greater than 12 weeks. Similar results were revealed when the 16 meta-analyses that examined BMI, the 14 meta-analyses evaluating waist circumference and the five meta-analyses examining body fat were analyzed. Mechanisms proposed for resveratrol's effects included activation of AMPK.

"The major strength of this critical umbrella review is that it is the first to synthesize evidence exclusively from interventional meta-analyses assessing the effects of resveratrol supplementation on obesity-related indices," Abu-Zaid and associates announced. "Our review confirms that resveratrol supplementation reduces body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and body fat, particularly on doses greater than 400 mg/day and interventions lasting greater than 12 weeks, with small effect sizes. Based on our findings, resveratrol supplementation could be considered as a complementary therapy in the management of obesity."

—D Dye

Selenium improves ICU survival

December 05 2025. A study reported in the Nature journal Scientific Reports found worse clinical outcomes among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with low selenium levels compared with patients who had higher levels. However, patients whose levels increased after being given this essential mineral experienced significantly improved ICU mortality.

Authors Hung-His Tan and colleagues at Chi Mei Medical Center in Taiwan observed that The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) has noted the importance of selenium in the critically ill due to its support of immune function and antioxidant defense.

Serum selenium levels were measured in 144 men and women admitted to the Chi Mei Medical Center adult ICU from March 2022 through October 2023. Deficient selenium levels of less than 70 micrograms per liter (mcg/L) were revealed in 40 participants, who exhibited significantly higher illness severity scores and C-reactive protein levels (a marker of inflammation), as well as longer hospital stays than those with higher selenium levels.

Sixty-seven participants, including 23 of the 40 with deficient levels, were subsequently given 1000 mcg intravenous selenium for five days, after which selenium levels were remeasured. Individuals who received selenium experienced a 91.3% survival rate compared with a rate of 64.7% among those who did not receive it. Among selenium-treated survivors, an increase in selenium levels of greater than 50 mcg/L was measured in 45 (77.6%) participants, compared with three participants (33.3%) among those who did not survive.

"Lower selenium levels were associated with greater illness severity, and adequate selenium repletion may be linked to improved outcomes," Tan and associates concluded. "Multicenter randomized trials are needed to validate these associations, explore optimal dosing strategies, and incorporate mechanistic biomarkers to better understand the immunomodulatory and antioxidant effects of selenium in critical illness."

—D Dye

Vitamin D deficiency linked with reduced life expectancy

December 03 2025. A recent study affirmed the association between insufficient or deficient vitamin D levels and decreased life expectancy compared with healthy levels of vitamin D. The findings were published November 22, 2025, in the Archives of Public Health.

"Thus far, no study has quantified potential linkage of vitamin D to life expectancy, an absolute quantitative metric for population health," Quong Wang of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and colleagues wrote. "To fill in gaps in knowledge, we aimed to investigate how serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations could correlate with premature mortality and life expectancy in a nationally representative cohort of US adults."

Wang and associates examined data from 62,704 men and women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). National Death Index information provided information concerning mortality through 2019.

In comparison with individuals who had sufficient serum vitamin D levels of 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) or higher, men and women who had insufficient levels between 20 ng/mL and 30 ng/mL had a risk of premature mortality that was 18% greater. Moderately deficient levels between 10 ng/mL and 20 ng/mL were associated with a 60% greater risk and severely deficient levels of less than 10 ng/mL more than doubled the risk of premature mortality compared with vitamin D-sufficient individuals. At 50 years, men and women who had insufficient, moderately deficient or severely deficient vitamin D levels lived respective averages of 0.7, 2.1 and 4.4 fewer years compared with those who were sufficient. The association between low vitamin D levels and diminished life expectancy was stronger in women and in white adults.

"This finding underscores the importance of monitoring vitamin D in circulation for primary prevention of chronic diseases and premature mortality in the US," the authors concluded. "This is a call for action that renewed focus on vitamin D and life expectancy is warranted."

—D Dye

Meta-analysis review affirms multivitamin/mineral benefits

December 01 2025. A review of meta-analyses that included a total of 5,535,426 men, women and children added evidence to the effectiveness of the use of multivitamin/mineral formulas, yet concluded that targeted, personalized approaches are needed. The findings were reported in the January 2026 issue of Ageing Research Reviews.

Weilan Wang and colleagues at National University of Singapore reviewed 19 meta-analyses which included a total of 214 case-control, cohort and interventional studies that examined the effects of multivitamin/minerals on cardiovascular, cognitive, psychologic, immunologic, oncologic, ophthalmologic, musculoskeletal and reproductive systems, as well as pediatric health, mortality and viral respiratory illness.

Analysis of randomized, controlled trials determined that multivitamin/mineral use was associated with better global cognition, episodic memory and immediate recall in cognitively intact or older adults, decreased psychologic symptoms in healthy individuals and lower systolic blood pressure among people with high blood pressure or chronic diseases.Multivitamin/minerals decreased the number of infections in adult trial participants who were younger than 65 years of age and in older adult participants who were undernourished.

Among observational studies, the use of multivitamin/minerals was associated with lower risks of cataracts, coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer in adults, and hip fracture in adults, including those hospitalized with osteoporotic hip fracture. Meta-analyses of studies that evaluated the use of multivitamin/mineral formulas among pregnant women found reductions in the risks of giving birth to infants that were small for their gestational age, had neural tube defects or developed cancer.

"Subclinical micronutrient deficiencies, often undetectable without biomarker testing, can compromise long-term health and accelerate aging," Wang and associates observed.

"Future studies should prioritize well-designed randomized controlled trials and personalized approaches that account for individual nutritional status, mobility limitations, and chronic health conditions," they recommended. "Such strategies may better optimize the role of multivitamin/minerals in supporting healthy longevity."

—D Dye

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