Legumes Over Lipids?

Researchers from Illinois Institute of Technology served up some tasty science at NUTRITION 2025, showing that a daily cup of chickpeas or black beans might help adults with prediabetes lower cholesterol and inflammation. In a 12-week randomized trial with 72 participants, chickpeas trimmed total cholesterol from 200.4 to 185.8 mg/dL (P = .006), shaving off low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the process. Meanwhile, black beans took down the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 from 2.57 to 1.88 pg/mL (P = .010)—beating out both chickpeas and rice. Glucose levels didn’t budge, but beans still earned gold stars for heart and metabolic health. The study was funded by the USDA/ARS and highlights how affordable pantry staples could offer real health perks, especially for those at risk for chronic disease.

Source: EurekAlert, NUTRITION 2025

Tickling: Medicine’s Most Overlooked Reflex? 

Despite being one of the oldest gags in the book, tickling—aka gargalesis—is still a total enigma to neuroscience. A new review dove into five classic but unanswered questions: Why are some parts of our bodies more ticklish than others? Why do we laugh even if we hate it? Why can’t we tickle ourselves? Why are some people more ticklish than others? And why do we even experience a tickling sensation at all? Turns out, tickle responses emerge in infancy, resist automation in the lab, and show up in rats, apes, and toddlers alike. While some people are highly ticklish and others immune, patients with autism or schizotypal traits often perceive self-touch just like external tickles. The kicker? We currently have no consistent definition, no standardized tests, and very little imaging data to explain any of it. But with the right tools (think: robot fingers), tickling might finally get the scientific respect it deserves. Time to take the feather out of the joke drawer and into the lab.

Source: Science Advances

Work Stress Goes to the Dogs (Literally)

Turns out, your 9-to-5 might be stressing out your four-legged roommate. Researchers surveyed 85 employed dog owners and found that pups aren’t immune to the emotional fallout of your job. Owners who ruminated more about work during off-hours had dogs showing more behavioral signs of stress—like pacing, whining, or acting restless. Even after controlling for home stress, job stress linked to dog stress only when owners couldn’t stop thinking about work. Interestingly, dogs’ behavior might have told the story better than their owners’ perceptions—meaning, you might not even realize your dog’s picking up your stress. Bottom line: less stewing over spreadsheets, more fetch. Your inbox can wait—your pup’s peace of mind can’t.

Source: Scientific Reports

Caffeine on the Brain 

This week in tea talk, apparently, your favorite pick-me-up—whether it’s coffee, tea, soda, or chocolate—doesn’t just keep you awake, it also stirs up your brain while you’re asleep. In a study of 40 adults, a 200-mg dose of caffeine (about 2 cups of coffee) increased brain complexity and shifted neural activity toward a “critical” state—basically, the brain’s sweet spot for processing info. This effect showed up mainly during non–rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and was especially strong in younger adults during REM. Electroencephalography data showed flatter power spectra, reduced long-range temporal patterns, and a boost in entropy—translation: your brain stays lively even when you’re supposed to be off-duty. So, yes, that afternoon green tea or cola might be making your dreams a little more chaotic than you think.

Source: Communications Biology

Lullabies for the Win 

In a 10-week randomized trial with 110 families (infants averaged just under 4 months old), parents who were encouraged to sing more often—thanks to a gentle music enrichment push—saw real gains in infant mood. Using smartphone-based check-ins three times per day, the study showed that singing frequency jumped from 64% to 89% in the intervention group. Even better? Those caregivers started using singing more to soothe fussy babies—up from 42% to 61%—without being told to do so. While parent mood didn’t budge, infants in the singing group showed a significant mood lift, averaging +0.18 standard deviations over the control group by post-test. No fancy gear, no music degrees—just a few tunes and a lot of heart.

Source: Child Development

The intersection of medicine and the unexpected reminds us how wild, weird, and wonderful science can be. The world of health care continues to surprise and astonish.