Sugar-Free, Cognition Fee?

Looks like “sugar-free” might not be brain-free after all. In the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health, more than 12,700 civil servants (average age 52 years, 55% women) were followed for 8 years to test whether low- and no-calorie sweeteners — like aspartame, saccharin, erythritol, and xylitol — affect cognition. Daily intake averaged 92 mg, and those aged younger than 60 years who landed in the top consumption tertiles showed a faster slide in verbal fluency (β = −0.040) and global cognition (β = −0.024). The pattern held across people with and without diabetes, with impacts on memory and fluency, while those aged 60 years and older seemed less vulnerable. Though based on self-reported diets and with the usual confounders lurking, the findings add weight to the concern that “diet” choices may carry long-term brain costs.

Source: Neurology

Selfies: A Mortality Risk Factor

Selfies may be good for the ‘Gram, but not always for survival. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi cataloged 127 selfie-related deaths worldwide between 2014 and 2016, outpacing shark attacks in lethality. India led the tally (52% of cases), often involving water accidents, while US and Russian deaths were more likely linked to firearms or trains. About 75% of “killfile” victims were men, with those aged 20 to 24 years being the riskiest group. The team built a machine-learning classifier that analyzed 3,155 Twitter/X selfies and could predict “dangerous” ones—think cliffs, rivers, train tracks—with about 73% accuracy, especially when image and location data were combined.  Beyond these sobering statistics, the study serves as a caution and points toward practical tech that could warn users before their next high-risk snapshot. Ultimately, while selfies capture the moment, they can also cut it short.

Source: arXiv

Phubbing: The New Third Wheel

Researchers at the University of Southampton followed 196 adults (average an age of 36 years) for 10 days to see how often partners felt “phubbed”—phone snubbed—by their significant other. The findings weren’t pretty. On high-phubbing days, relationship satisfaction slid (p<0.001), anxiety ticked up (p=0.009), and anger flared (p<0.001). Those with high attachment anxiety felt it most, with self-esteem dropping (β =−0.12; p=0.004) and depressed mood rising (β =0.09; p<0.001), even though their long-term relationship commitment remained stable. Instead of brushing it off, partners often got curious, resentful, or went tit-for-tat with their own phones, while ignoring the behavior decreased (p=0.004). Retaliation motives spanned revenge, boredom, support-seeking, and approval-chasing; anxious partners leaned on their phones for validation, while avoidant partners used them to fish for approval. So even though a glowing screen at the dinner table may be small, it has a knack for creating outsized drama in modern romance.

Source: Journal of Personality

Warm Tea, Cooler Liver Odds?

We’re back again with Medical Oddities tea-time, and a case–control study from UCLA and Fudan University brewed up some intriguing evidence that tea may do more than perk you up—it might shield the liver. Among 2,011 liver cancer cases and 7,933 controls in Jiangsu Province, China, current tea drinkers had roughly half the odds of liver cancer (aOR, 0.51), while those who quit tea faced higher risk (aOR, 3.56). The protection held across hepatitis B status, alcohol use, and smoking. The sweet spot appeared to be about one cup of fresh leaves daily, re-brewing once or twice, and sipping light-to-medium strength tea. Even drinking tea warm—rather than scalding or cold—seemed favorable. Interactions mattered: skipping tea while consuming alcohol or raw water pushed risk higher, while tea reduced hepatitis B risk. While recall bias and case–control limits remain, the evidence suggests liver-friendly prevention might start with a teacup.

Source: Nutrients

When Knees Start Talking Back

At La Trobe University, researchers tuned in to the soundtrack of post-ACL reconstruction knees—those snap, crackle, pop moments that make patients (and clinicians) wonder what’s brewing. In 112 young adults (median age, 28 years; 41 women) tracked for 5 years, reporting crepitus at 1 year was linked with full-thickness patellofemoral cartilage lesions. The crackly knees were also associated with more pain (β -6.42), worse quality of life (β -10.39), and lower function (β -5.49) at 1 year.  However, surprisingly,those same creaky knees didn’t predict worsening osteoarthritis over the next 4 years, and actually showed bigger gains in pain and function than their quieter peers. In other words, crepitus may be a warning rattle worth noting, but it's not necessarily the opening act to progressive osteoarthritis.

Source: Arthritis Care & Research

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.