HEALTH NEWS

• Study links low vitamin C levels in the blood plasma to reduced brain connectivity
• Study: Tart Cherry Supplementation Alters Muscle Protein Profile After Exercise
• Socioeconomic factors may leave more lasting imprint on children’s brains than IQ or parenting style
• Fasting-mimicking diet reduces gum disease inflammation
• Low blood pressure shows strongest link to Alzheimer’s disease

Study links low vitamin C levels in the blood plasma to reduced brain connectivity

Hirosaki University (Japan), June 10 2026 (News-Medical)

Previous research has uncovered associations between diets higher in vitamin C and lower risk of cognitive impairment in older adults. However, few studies have looked directly at vitamin C levels in blood plasma and potential associations with brain structure and connectivity within brain networks. To help fill that gap, Nagaya and colleagues analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and plasma vitamin C levels of 2,044 adults over the age of 64.

Specifically, they measured the volume of each participant’s gray and white brain matter (accounting for individual differences in total brain volume between participants). They also evaluated connectivity within the default mode network, which is associated with several cognitive functions, such as attention and autobiographical memory.

After statistically accounting for other factors the researchers found that participants with lower plasma vitamin C levels tended to have lower gray matter volume, as well as lower connectivity within the default mode network.

These findings suggest the possibility that optimal levels of vitamin C in blood plasma could potentially support cognitive function and counteract cognitive decline. However, the findings do not confirm any such cause-effect relationship between vitamin C levels and brain health.

Study: Tart Cherry Supplementation Alters Muscle Protein Profile After Exercise

University of Exeter (UK), June 11 2026 (Natural News)

Researchers recruited 34 healthy, recreationally active young men and assigned them to receive either a placebo, a low-dose tart cherry concentrate, or a high-dose tart cherry supplement, according to the study report. Participants consumed their assigned supplement for seven days before completing a muscle-damaging workout and continued supplementation for three days afterward, for a total intervention of 10 days.

The study found that tart cherry supplementation significantly altered the muscle’s protein profile following exercise-induced damage. Changes were observed in proteins involved in muscle structure, contraction, cellular repair processes, and immune-cell activity within muscle tissue. These findings suggest that tart cherry polyphenols may influence the way muscles respond to and recover from the stress of exercise.

Researchers also detected significant increases in hippuric acid, a compound produced when gut microbes break down polyphenols from tart cherries and other plant foods. Participants with higher levels of hippuric acid tended to maintain better muscle function following exercise-induced damage.

Socioeconomic factors may leave more lasting imprint on children’s brains than IQ or parenting style

Washington University in St. Louis, June 11 2026 (Medical Xpress)

After analyzing hundreds of biological, psychological, social and environmental factors related to children’s development, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that a family’s financial situation and the resources and opportunities in a child’s neighborhood had the strongest connection to brain development.

Socioeconomic factors accounted for about 16% of the variability in measures of children’s brain function—far more than IQ, parenting style and health history.  As part of the study, the researchers analyzed brain scans from nearly 12,000 children ages 9 to 10 to see how a child’s environment, health and regular activities are related to brain development. Of the hundreds of factors examined, the team found that the socioeconomic status of a child’s family had the strongest relationship with that child’s brain structure and function.

Further, the parts of the brain that reflect socioeconomic factors were the same areas most sensitive to sleep and stress, suggesting that socioeconomic disadvantage affects the brain indirectly through disrupted sleep and chronic stress.

Of the top 40 variables linked to brain function, 37 were socioeconomic, and of the top 40 tied to structure, 35 were socioeconomic. These included the social and economic resources in the child’s neighborhood, akin to the overall wealth of an area. Strong influences included family income, homeownership, poverty rates and access to transportation. The remaining top variables were related to sleep, screen time and stress.

Fasting-mimicking diet reduces gum disease inflammation

Kings College London, June 11 2026 (Eurekalert)

People who follow a short-term low-calorie diet may have reduced markers of inflammation associated with gum disease. A new study by King’s College London highlights how lifestyle modifications could be important alongside plaque control in managing gum disease.

The research included 28 patients from across hospitals in Spain, split into two groups – those who followed a five-day restrictive diet, versus a control group who continued their usual diet. Patients who fasted ate 1,100 calories for two days, then 750 calories for three days. The sixth day gently introduced more calories with soft foods – then their diets returned to normal by the seventh day. This was repeated three times in six months, with patients reporting the diet easy to stick to.

After six months, samples were analysed from the patients’ blood and gingival crevicular fluid – liquid that comes from the small space between your tooth and gum, which helps gums stay healthy and fight germs.

Those who fasted had reduced markers of inflammation in samples from blood and gum tissue compared to those whose diets stayed the same, including lower levels of C-reactive protein, a general indicator of inflammation around the body. The fasting group also had reduced molecules linked to inflammation specifically in the gums, compared to controls.

Low blood pressure shows strongest link to Alzheimer’s disease

Michigan Technological University, Jun 10 2026 (News-Medical)

Numerous types of cardiovascular disease and CVD risk factors were linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, with low blood pressure showing the strongest connection, according to a new analysis published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association

What are the key findings of the analysis?

• Adults with hypotension (low blood pressure) were about three times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and nearly twice as likely in the All of Us study when compared to individuals who did not have low blood pressure.
• Across both datasets, adults with high blood pressure (hypertension) were 1.6 times more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease, compared to people without hypertension.
• Participants who had a previous stroke had a 1.5 times higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease in the UK Biobank and 1.85 times in All of Us.
• Those with irregular heartbeat (or atrial fibrillation, also called AFib) were about 1.5 times more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease compared to those without AFib.

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