Study links coffee consumption to metabolic health

 

 Coffee is one of the world's most widely consumed beverages, and previous research has linked its consumption to a lower risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the biological mechanisms behind these benefits remain unclear. A new Finnish study links habitual coffee consumption to healthier body composition and metabolic markers, while revealing distinct associations with sex hormones in men and women.

The study, conducted at the University of Oulu, analysed data from 2,264 participants aged 46 in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Researchers examined how habitual coffee consumption was associated with circulating metabolites, cardiometabolic risk markers and sex hormones.

Despite having a similar body mass index (BMI), individuals with higher coffee consumption had lower total and visceral fat and greater skeletal muscle mass than those who consumed less coffee.

In both men and women, higher coffee consumption was correlated with lower circulating levels of branched-chain amino acids, biomarkers that have previously been linked to insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes when chronically elevated.

The strongest sex-specific associations were observed in men. Higher coffee consumption was linked to a more favourable glucose–insulin profile, higher concentrations of total and bioavailable testosterone, and increased levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). At the same time, free testosterone and the free androgen index were modestly lower. In women, hormonal associations were more limited and were primarily characterised by higher SHBG and lower measures of free androgens.

"Coffee is consumed by millions of people every day, yet we still know surprisingly little about how it relates to our metabolism and hormones. What stood out in our findings was a distinct hormonal signature that didn't disappear even after we took into account BMI and lifestyle factors, with several of these associations differing between men and women," says Luca Verroest, lead author of the study and Doctoral Researcher at the University of Oulu.

The results suggest that hormonal pathways may partly explain the relationship between coffee consumption and metabolic health. However, as this was an observational study, the findings demonstrate associations rather than cause-and-effect relationships.

The study is particularly relevant in Finland, one of the world's highest coffee-consuming countries, where annual consumption averages around 11.8 kilograms per person.

The researchers say the findings provide a foundation for future studies aimed at determining whether coffee itself drives these biological changes and identifying the compounds responsible. These questions are currently being investigated in animal models, with the long-term goal of progressing to human intervention studies. Further research will be needed before the findings could inform dietary recommendations.

The study, Associations of habitual coffee intake with testosterone and cardiometabolic markers: the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study, has been published in the European Journal of Nutrition on 16 July 2026. 

A few minutes of sprinting could make a bigger impact than 90 minutes of moderate running

 

Three minutes of sprinting can do something that 90 minutes of moderate exercise apparently cannot: dramatically reshape the molecular contents of the bloodstream.

Rockefeller researchers comparing different intensities of exercise found that six sets of 30-second, all-out sprints altered nearly a quarter of the proteins measured immediately afterward. Moderate, continuous cycling for 90 minutes altered fewer than one-quarter of one percent. And while moderate running on a treadmill changed more proteins than cycling, it still altered far fewer than a quick sprint.

Sprinting triggered changes in more than 200 metabolites. It also caused an immediate surge of proteins involved in blood-vessel growth, tissue remodeling, and hormonal signaling. Some of these proteins appear to enter the bloodstream through an expedited cell signaling process known as ectodomain shedding—rather than being newly made and secreted, portions of proteins already sitting on the cell surface were cleaved off and rapidly released into circulation. The researchers also found that human fat cells exposed to blood collected after sprinting underwent extensive changes in gene activity, shifting how the cells process fuel, respond to hormones, and sense nutrient availability.

Not so with moderate exercise which produced a more modest response. It was not until three hours after completing that exercise that a meaningful wave of the fatty acids and liver-derived proteins that typically appear in response to the demands of endurance exercise were found in the bloodstream. Human fat cells exposed to blood collected after moderate cycling had only minor changes in gene activity.

When the researchers compared the exercise-responsive proteins with health data from more than 53,000 people in the UK Biobank, they found that many of these proteins were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. The connection was particularly striking for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders: of 33 proteins associated with lower risk, 32 were altered by sprinting, compared with just three by moderate exercise. More than a quarter of these proteins were also associated with slower biological aging.

“What’s exciting here is that just a few minutes of intense exercise can trigger a significant molecular response,” says Cohen. “And we still see it after eight weeks of training, which tells us this response isn’t simply a product of the body struggling to keep up with unfamiliar stress. It may be that the responses we observed are intrinsic to intense exercise.”

“It’s well appreciated that different intensities of exercise stimulate distinct body-wide adaptations,” notes Luke Olsen, the postdoctoral fellow who conducted the studies. “However, the molecular mechanisms linking these intensity-dependent adaptations have remained largely elusive. Our work suggests that exerkines–proteins and metabolites released into the bloodstream following exercise–are highly sensitive to exercise intensity and may be the key mediators of the health-promoting effects of short bursts of vigorous exercise”.

Fulfilling friendships boost health and wellbeing

Fulfilling friendships and general close social relationships are strongly linked to excellent physical and mental health, finds a substantial global study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Mental Health.

 

Data from more than 200,000 adults shows good quality social connections and – to a lesser extent – positive family ties in childhood are associated with better perceptions of overall mental and physical health

 

The research, representing one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind, spanned 22 countries including the UK, US, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain, India, Japan, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Mexico and others.
The outcomes of the paper – carried out by Dr Veli Durmuş, from Kütahya Health Sciences University, in Türkiye – demonstrate the importance of social and family bonds.

 

Dr Durmuş is now calling on policymakers to ensure health strategies recognise the influence of these emotional and social connections on mental and physical health.

 

“I found that people who were more satisfied with their friendships and relationships also tended to report better mental and physical health,” says Dr Durmuş, whose research specialism focuses on health management, health policy, the determinants of health, and health law.

 

“These findings show why social connections should be considered an important part of overall health and well-being. With this in mind, public health planning and prevention strategies should include the impact on mental and physical wellbeing of how people connect with others and with their families.”

 

Evidence shows relationships protect against stress, boost self-esteem and help people manage their emotions in a positive way.

 

The number and quality of personal ties made by humans influence mental and bodily wellbeing from birth onwards, according to existing research. However, studies have focused only on individual countries and results have proved inconsistent.

 

To bridge this knowledge gap, Dr Durmuş analysed data on 204,907 adults aged 18 and over from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS). This project surveys individuals to determine what factors help humans to flourish throughout life.

 

The GFS covers countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa. For the purpose of this new study, the researchers used the first phase of the GFS to ensure religious and cultural diversity.

 

Participants were asked the extent to which they agreed or disagreed that they were content or satisfied with their friendships and relationships. Childhood connections with mothers and fathers were scored on a scale from ‘very good’ to ‘very bad’.

 

Those taking part in the survey also had to rate their mental and physical health from ‘poor’ to ‘excellent’. In addition, the researchers took into account income, education and other factors.

 

Results showed that individuals who reported the highest contentment with friendships and for satisfaction with relationships also tended to report better overall mental and physical health.

 

A similar, although weaker, pattern emerged among participants who reported very good childhood relationships with their parents.


Dr Durmuş explains that these findings suggest that early family relationships may be associated with health and well-being later in life, while adult social relationships may also play an important role.

 

“While these additional findings suggest that childhood relationships matter, they do not tell the whole story. People’s social environments continue to change throughout life, and friendships, partnerships and other relationships may strengthen or modify the influence of earlier experiences,” he adds.

 

Mental health scores were lower among people in their mid-thirties to late forties compared with those aged 18 to 34 years, but higher among those aged 65 and above.

 

Being married, having sufficient money, and identifying with a religion, especially Islam, was associated with better mental and physical health scores.

 

Marked variations existed between countries. People living in Indonesia scored highest for contentment with friendships and relationships, and lowest among those in Japan.

 

In conclusion, the findings demonstrate strong social relationships serve as a ‘universal pillar’ of well-being across cultural backgrounds. Dr Durmuş, emphasises that the strength of his research lies in the analysis of data from multiple countries with populations made up of people from diverse backgrounds.

 

A limitation of the paper is that it cannot prove cause-and-effect; being based on self-reported data, the findings depend heavily on people's subjective perceptions at that moment in time that they are asked.

---

Journal

Journal of Mental Health

DOI

10.1080/09638237.2026.2695973 

Study links ultra-processed foods to significantly higher prostate cancer risks

 Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) account for nearly 60% of adults’ and 70% of children’s energy intake in the United States. These industrially manufactured products – such as soft drinks, packaged cereals and snacks, and processed meats – are made with refined fats, oils, sugars, starches, salts and other additives that can enhance flavor, texture, and shelf life while reducing nutritional value.

Growing evidence links higher consumption of UPFs to a range of health problems. Research has identified several potential biological pathways through which UPFs may contribute to cancer. These include metabolic disruption, inflammation, oxidative stress, and changes to the gut microbiome. However, data are sparse about whether men who consume high amounts of UPFs have greater risks of prostate cancer.

Now, new research from Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine provides evidence that men with higher consumption of UPFs have increased risks of prostate cancer. In the U.S., prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer death among men after lung cancer.

Published in The American Journal of Medicine, the study provides analyses from a large and nationally representative data from 17,024 U.S. men ages 18 and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 through 2023. Researchers used two 24-hour dietary recalls to calculate the percentage of daily calories participants consumed from UPFs. Using the validated and widely used NOVA classification system, they divided participants into four groups, ranging from less than about 20% of calories from UPFs to more than 44%.

Men in the three higher-consumption groups of UPFs had a 29% greater risk of prostate cancer, while those in the two highest-consumption groups had a 30% greater risk, compared to those in the lowest consumption group. After adjustments for age, race and ethnicity, smoking, and poverty status, the increased risk remained significant, ranging from 24% to 31%. Men with the highest UPF intake alone had a possible 34% higher risk, although the finding did not reach statistical significance, potentially reflecting the smaller number of prostate cancer cases in that group.

“Among adult men in this nationally representative U.S. population, those who consumed higher amounts of UPFs had significantly higher risks of the subsequent development of prostate cancer,” said Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., FACPM, FACC, senior author and the First Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Population Health at FAU’s College of Medicine. “These findings add to emerging evidence that UPFs have major adverse health effects and underscore the need for large-scale observational studies and randomized trials to adequately test the hypothesis.”

Previous studies have shown that people who consume larger amounts of UPFs have higher risks of overweight and obesity, metabolic disease, markers of inflammation, cardiovascular disease, principally heart attacks and strokes, as well as premature death.

This original research adds to the armamentaria of a major battle in which the priorities of the food  industry do not align with the needs of the U.S. public. The authors opine that just as the dangers of tobacco began to emerge during the middle of the prior century, decades passed before the preponderance of evidence and the efforts of forward-thinking health officials prompted policy changes to discourage cigarette use. The authors believe that this is likely to be a similar path for UPFs.

“Reducing consumption of UPFs is a complex public health challenge, particularly given how prevalent and accessible these products are,” said co-author Timothy De Ver Dye, Ph.D., professor and chair of FAU’s Department of Population Health. “Healthcare providers should recognize that many patients face barriers to accessing and affording healthier food options. Addressing these challenges will require efforts that extend beyond individual choices to support greater access to nutritious, minimally processed foods.”

Prostate cancer is a major health concern in the U.S. and worldwide. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 333,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the U.S. in 2026, with more than 36,000 expected to die from the disease. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, nearly 1.5 million men worldwide were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022, and nearly 400,000 died from the disease.

“All healthcare professionals should encourage patients to adopt healthy lifestyle practices and evidence-based therapies, while also helping them reduce their consumption of ultra-processed foods,” Hennekens said. “Patients and their healthcare providers should consider this finding as part of broader efforts to promote healthier dietary choices.”

Parents who run with a stroller have lower risk of overuse injury

 Anyone who has run while pushing a stroller knows stroller running can feel cumbersome and hard on the body. But does it increase the risk of injury? According to a new study from researchers at Penn State Berks, the answer appears to be no.

The study, published TODAY (Aug. 12) in the journal PLOS One, found that parents who ran with a stroller were less likely to sustain an overuse injury during the first three years after becoming a parent compared to those who ran without a stroller. For every 1,000 miles run, parents who ran with a stroller saw a 55% lower injury rate compared to those who ran without a stroller.

“This study is among the first to look at injury patterns in parents who run,” said senior author Allison Altman-Singles, associate professor of kinesiology and of mechanical engineering at Penn State Berks. “We saw that running with a stroller is safe and can help sustain physical activity during early parenthood.”

According to the researchers, previous studies have shown that running with a stroller alters the way a person runs. Stroller runners tend to have shorter strides, lean forward more, twist less through the torso and run slower. In this study, the researchers explored if and how running with a stroller influenced running habits and injury risk compared to running without a stroller.

The researchers recruited participants who had been a parent to children aged 0 to 3 within the last 20 years, who ran more than five miles per week before becoming a parent and who ran when their child was between six months and three years of age. Using a web-based survey, participants reported their running mileage from the time their child was born until age 10 and any injuries suffered during the first three years after becoming a parent.

The parents were then separated into two groups — those who ran regularly with a stroller and those who didn’t. The two groups were similar in age, height, weight, age when they had their first child and number of children. Most participants were female, particularly among the stroller running group.

Among 196 stroller runners and 53 non-stroller runners included in the final data analysis, 30% of those who ran without a stroller reported an overuse injury, compared to 19% of those in the stroller running group. The rate of injury for every 1,000 miles run was lower among stroller runners, too. Non-stroller runners were also more likely to experience multiple injuries during the first three years after becoming a parent.

“When you run with a stroller, you unweight the body a little bit, taking away some of the downward force by pressing on the handlebar, so you experience lower vertical loading,” Singles said. “This change in biomechanics may relieve some of the stress on weight-bearing joints, which may explain why we see fewer injuries among stroller runners, particularly knee injuries, which are common among runners.”

Prior research, led by Singles, found that running with a stroller decreases the force and impact of each step. The researchers explained that running with a stroller may also encourage parents to regulate their pace and run with a consistent cadence, or steps per minute — both of which are associated with lower injury risk, Singles said.

Both groups did report a high incidence of plantar fasciitis, a condition where the connective tissue along the bottom of the foot becomes inflamed, accounting for 15% of all reported injuries in the stroller-running group and 16% of all reported injuries in the non-stroller-running group. Given that most participants in both groups were women and were the birthing parent, Singles said that the incidence of plantar fasciitis may potentially be linked to physiological changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period, rather than the act of running with a stroller. For instance, factors like weight gain as well as hormonal shifts during pregnancy and the postpartum period, which can affect elasticity of connective tissues, could increase injury risk.

The study also tracked how running mileage changed based on a child’s age. Between birth and six months, neither group ran much, but by one year, both groups were running similar mileage. Stroller use peaked when children were between six months and three years old before declining as the child got older.

“The stroller also allowed people to run more when their child was between 6 and 12 months old,” Singles said, with stroller runners logging 34% more miles than non-stroller runners. “The stroller can help runners get out and exercise.”

The research team noted several limitations to the study including the relatively small study population for an injury study. The survey didn’t tease out factors that could potentially contribute to injury risk such as breastfeeding status and whether participants had additional children during the study period.

Taking the stairs could cut risk of early death

Taking the stairs will help you live longer - according to new research from the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

A major new study published today reveals that climbing the stairs significantly reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

Over the course of the study, people who regularly climb stairs were 39 per cent less likely to die from heart-related problems and 24 per cent less likely to die from any cause - compared with people who don't climb stairs as often.

The study also reveals that people who climbed the stairs were less likely to develop major cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

Prof Vassilios Vassiliou, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide - with cases nearly doubling between 1990 and 2019.

“But it is largely preventable through a healthy lifestyle - including regular physical activity, a heart-healthy diet, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.

“Taking the stairs is a practical and often overlooked way to build physical activity into daily life.

“We wanted to better understand how this everyday activity could have life-saving potential.”

Strong evidence from large-scale analysis

The research team investigated whether climbing stairs could play a role in reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death.

After reviewing nearly 1,900 studies, they analysed data from more than 480,000 participants across nine high quality studies with a median follow-up period of 14 years.

The study population included both healthy participants and those with a previous history of heart problems. Ages ranged from 35 to 84 years old and 53 per cent of participants were women.

Dr Sophie Paddock, also from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and a cardiology specialist registrar at the NNUH, said: “After pooling results from over 450,000 participants, we found a consistent association between stair climbing and lower risk of both cardiovascular death and overall mortality.

“Unlike going to the gym or doing a workout, climbing the stairs is something you can easily fit into your day at home, at work or when you're out. It's a good option for people who don't have much time or easy access to exercise.

“So if you have the choice of taking the stairs or the lift, go for the stairs as it will help your heart.

“Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts, and short bouts of stair climbing should be an achievable target to integrate into daily routines.”

Previous research cited in the study showed that just minutes of stair climbing several times a week can improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lower cholesterol.

One large cohort study included in the analysis suggested that climbing around six flights of stairs per day may deliver the greatest benefit, although researchers say the optimal “dose” requires further investigation.

Dr Paddock said: “Some of the studies we looked at showed that the more stairs climbed, the greater the health benefits. But even small changes had a measurable impact.”

A simple step forward

The findings reinforce broader evidence that even short bursts of physical activity can have meaningful health benefits.

Prof Vassiliou said: “With more than a quarter of adults worldwide failing to meet recommended activity levels, choosing to take the stairs offers a realistic, scalable intervention.

“Encouraging people to take the stairs in workplaces, public buildings and homes could form part of a wider strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease at population level.”

Not for everyone

While the benefits are clear, researchers caution that stair climbing may not be suitable for everyone - particularly those with mobility issues or joint conditions.

They also highlight the need for future research using wearable technology to measure activity more accurately and determine optimal recommendations.

‘Evaluating the Impact of Stair Climbing on Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis’ is published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.

Couples who exercise together report stronger communication and conflict resolution

Research has long shown that exercise benefits both physical and mental health. Now a new study from researchers at BYU suggests that it may also strengthen marriages, especially when couples exercise together.

The study, recently published in Family Relations, found that couples who participated in shared physical activity reported better communication, stronger conflict resolution and lower levels of marital stress than couples who did not exercise together.

The research was conducted by BYU School of Family Life professor Jeremy Yorgason alongside co-author Ashlyn Hiatt Mildenhall, who began the project as an undergraduate researcher at BYU.

“Our findings suggest that conjoint exercise facilitates, in a small but significant way, the ability to resolve conflict peacefully,” Yorgason said. “People reported more positive outcomes in communication and conflict resolution when they exercised together.”

Researchers analyzed survey data from nearly 1,700 young married couples participating in the nationally representative Couple Relationships and Transition Experiences (CREATE) study, a BYU project that has followed newly married couples across the United States for more than a decade.

The team compared the effects of individual workouts and physical activity performed together as a couple on three relationship outcomes: communication, conflict resolution and marital stress.

While both forms or exercise were associated with healthier marriages, exercising together consistently showed stronger associations with positive relationship outcomes than exercising alone.

“About 60% of husbands and wives in the sample said they exercised, but only about a third exercised together,” Yorgason said. “That means about half the people who exercise are not exercising with their spouse. While the impact is not necessarily large, it is very consistent, which gives me confidence that it is influencing relationships in some meaningful way.”

Other research shows that couples benefit from spending leisure time together, but this study focused specifically on shared physical activity. Researchers say exercising together likely created opportunities for positive interactions and conversation. These can strengthen relationships over time.

“Out of all three outcomes, exercise had the biggest impact on communication,” Mildenhall said. “That’s why it was interesting that walking was the number one reported exercise. It naturally provides opportunities to communicate.”

Walking was the most commonly reported form of shared exercise among couples in the study, suggesting that couples don’t need expensive gym memberships or elaborate weight racks in the garage to reap the potential relationship benefits.

Researchers also found that couples who exercised together reported better listening and greater feelings of being heard and supported by their spouse. Yorgason says these interactions may help explain why shared exercise was associated with healthier communication and conflict resolution.

The researchers caution that shared exercise is not a cure for relationship challenges. For many young couples, especially those raising children, exercising together may require intentionally carving out time together. However, researchers say conjoint exercise is one of the many healthy habits families can do to create regular opportunities for connection amid the demands of school, life and parenting.