BEAUTY CARE WORKERS HEALTH & SAFETY
Potential health hazards associated with heat and hair care products 'worse than expected' say Purdue engineers
image:
Nusrat Jung, an assistant professor in Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, conducts research in the Purdue zero Energy Design Guidance for Engineers (zEDGE) tiny house.
view moreCredit: Purdue University photo/Kelsey Lefever
A typical morning hair care routine can expose you to as much immediate nanoparticle pollution as standing in dense highway traffic, report Purdue University engineers.
A Purdue research team led by Nusrat Jung, an assistant professor in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, and her PhD student Jianghui Liu found that a 10-20 minute heat-based hair care routine exposes a person to upward of 10 billion nanoparticles that are directly deposited into their lungs. These particles can lead to serious health risks such as respiratory stress, lung inflammation and cognitive decline. The team's findings were recently published in Environmental Science & Technology.
“This is really quite concerning,” Jung said. “The number of nanoparticles inhaled from using typical, store-bought hair care products was far greater than we ever anticipated.”
Until this study, Jung said, no real-time measurements on nanoparticle formation during heat-based hair styling had been conducted in full-scale residential settings. Their research addresses this gap by examining temporal changes in indoor nanoparticle number concentrations and size distributions during realistic heat-based hair styling routines.
“By providing a detailed characterization of indoor nanoparticle emissions during these personal care routines, our research lays the groundwork for future investigations into their impact on indoor atmospheric chemistry and inhalation toxicity,” Jung said. “Studies of this kind have not been done before, so until now, the public has had little understanding of the potential health risks posed by their everyday hair care routines.”
What makes these hair care products so harmful, Liu said, is when they are combined with large amounts of heat from styling appliances such as curling irons and straighteners. When combined with heat exceeding 300 degrees Fahrenheit, the chemicals not only rapidly release into the air but also lead to the formation of substantial numbers of new airborne nanoparticles.
“Atmospheric nanoparticle formation was especially responsive to these heat applications,” Liu said. “Heat is the main driver — cyclic siloxanes and other low-volatility ingredients volatilize, nucleate and grow into new nanoparticles, most of them smaller than 100 nanometers.”
In a study Jung published in 2023, her team found that heat significantly increased emissions of volatile chemicals such as decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (aka D5 siloxane) from hair care routines. D5 siloxane in particular was identified as a compound of concern when inhaled.
“When we first studied the emissions from hair care products during heat surges, we focused on the volatile chemicals that were released, and what we found was already quite concerning,” Jung said. “But when we took an even closer look with aerosol instrumentation typically used to measure tailpipe exhaust, we discovered that these chemicals were generating bursts of anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 nanoparticles per cubic centimeter.”
Jung said that D5 siloxane is an organosilicon compound and is often listed first or second in the ingredient lists of many hair care products, indicating it can be among the most abundant ingredients. It has become a common ingredient over the past few decades in many personal care products due to its low surface tension, inertness, high thermal stability and smooth texture.
According to the European Chemicals Agency, D5 siloxane is classified as “very persistent, very bioaccumulative.” And while the test results on laboratory animals are already concerning, Jung said, there is little information on its human impact. The chemical in wash-off cosmetic products has already been restricted in the European Union because of this.
“D5 siloxane has been found to lead to adverse effects on the respiratory tract, liver and nervous system of laboratory animals,” Jung said previously. However, under high heat, cyclic siloxanes and other hair care product ingredients can volatilize and contribute to the formation of large numbers of airborne nanoparticles that deposit efficiently throughout the respiratory system. These secondary emissions and exposures remain far less characterized than the primary chemical emissions.
“And now it appears that the airborne hazards of these products — particularly ‘leave-on’ formulations designed to be heat-resistant, such as hair sprays, creams and gels — are even greater than we expected,” Liu said.
According to the report, respiratory tract deposition modeling indicated that more than 10 billion nanoparticles could deposit in the respiratory system during a single hair styling session, with the highest dose occurring in the pulmonary region — the deepest part of the lungs. Their findings identified heat-based hair styling as a significant indoor source of airborne nanoparticles and highlight previously underestimated inhalation exposure risks.
As for how to avoid putting oneself at risk of inhaling mixtures of airborne nanoparticles and volatile chemicals, Jung and Liu said the best course of action is simply to avoid using such products — particularly in combination with heating devices. If that is not possible, Jung recommends reducing exposure by using bathroom exhaust fans for better room ventilation.
“If you must use hair care products, limit their use and ensure the space is well ventilated,” Liu said. “Even without heating appliances, better ventilation can reduce exposure to volatile chemicals, such as D5 siloxane, in these products.”
To more fully capture the complete nanoparticle formation and growth process, Jung said future studies should integrate nano mobility particle sizing instruments capable of detecting particles down to a single nanometer. The chemical composition of these particles should also be evaluated.
“By addressing these research gaps, future studies can provide a more holistic understanding of the emissions and exposures associated with heat-based hair styling, contributing to improved indoor air pollution assessments and mitigation strategies,” Jung said.
Gathering the data
Jung and Liu’s experimental research was conducted in a residential architectural engineering laboratory that Jung designed: the Purdue zero Energy Design Guidance for Engineers (zEDGE) tiny house.
The zEDGE lab is a mechanically ventilated, single-zone residential building with a conditioned interior. A state-of-the-art high-resolution electrical low-pressure impactor (HR-ELPI+) from Jung’s laboratory was used to measure airborne nanoparticles in indoor air in real time, second by second. In parallel, a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS) was used to monitor volatile chemicals in real time.
The hair care routine emission experiments were conducted during a measurement campaign in zEDGE over a period of several months, including three experiment types: realistic hair care experiments that replicate actual hair care routines in the home environment, hot plate emission experiments that explore the relationship between the temperature of the hair care tools and nanoparticle formation, and surface area emission experiments that investigate how hair surface area impacts nanoparticle emissions during hair care events.
For the realistic hair care routine emission experiments, participants were asked to bring their own hair care products and hair styling tools to replicate their routines in zEDGE. Prior to each experiment, the participants were instructed to separate their hair into four sections. The hair length of each participant was categorized as long hair (below the shoulder) or short hair (above the shoulder). The sequence of each experiment consisted of four periods, to replicate a real-life routine.
After hair styling, the participants had two minutes to collect the tools and leave zEDGE; this was followed by a 60-minute concentration decay period in which zEDGE was unoccupied, and the HR-ELPI+ monitored the decay in indoor nanoparticle concentrations. The experiments and subsequent analysis focused on the formation of nanoparticles and resulting exposure during and after active hair care routine periods.
Writer: Drew Stone, Purdue University Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering
Journal
Environmental Science & Technology
Article Title
Indoor Nanoparticle Emissions and Exposures during Heat-Based Hair Styling Activities
Article Publication Date
20-Aug-2025
Industrial pollution’s imprint lasts generations
According to new analysis using Utah Population Database, a woman’s prenatal exposures can increase risk of intellectual disabilities in daughter’s children.
University of Utah
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A map of the industrial facilities that operated near the study's pregnant mothers.
view moreCredit: Grineski et. al. (2025)
In a groundbreaking study, University of Utah researchers found strong evidence that exposure to industrial pollution during pregnancy can shape a grandchild’s neurodevelopment. A child has a higher risk of an intellectual disability if their grandmothers lived near industrial facilities while pregnant with a parent, especially the mother. Higher density of industrial facilities corresponded to higher risk for the grandchild.
“We know that breathing polluted air is dangerous for our own health now, but it’s scary to imagine what it could do to people’s unborn grandchildren,” said Sara Grineski, professor in the Department of Sociology at the U and lead author of the study. “The evidence from this study and many others force us to ask: What will be the legacy of the decisions that we make today?”
About 1% of Americans have an intellectual disability. Previous research shows that a child’s risk of an intellectual disability is higher when directly exposed to toxins in the womb, for example, if the mother accidentally ingests lead or mercury. Research on intergenerational air pollution exposure is rarer, but Grineski is leading in this area. She and colleagues have published studies focused on Utah that link the risk of an intellectual disability to prenatal exposure to ozone, particulate matter and industrial pollution.
This study fills a significant knowledge gap—does industrial pollution impact future generations who were not directly exposed?
“It's much easier to study multigenerational effects on animals. The research in humans is much harder to do—we have longer lifespans, we’re not going to expose people to toxins on purpose, and it’s hard to get data on people who were alive 80 years ago,” said Grineski. “But it’s really important, especially as you think about intergenerational equity—What do we need to do to protect our future children and grandchildren?”
The study published on Aug. 10, 2025 in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Utah’s polluting past
The researchers had to get creative. They used the Utah Registry for Autism and Developmental Disabilities and the Utah Population Database to identify children diagnosed with an intellectual disability, and a control population with no record of a diagnosis, born in any Utah county between 2000 and 2014.
The Utah Population Database is a repository of in-depth Utah family histories that chronicle decades of medical records and demographic information. It’s the only one of its kind in the U.S. and one of very few worldwide. The database provided birth certificates with the residential addresses of the children’s parents and grandparents, allowing the researchers the rare opportunity to assess the how industrial the neighborhood was during pregnancy.
Roger Renteria, doctoral candidate in the U’s Department of Sociology, and Kevin Ramos, former undergraduate researcher who majored in GIS, led efforts to calculate industrial exposures experienced by the child’s mother while they were pregnant with the child; the maternal grandmother while they were pregnant with the child’s mother; and the paternal grandmother while they were pregnant with the child’s father.
“It’s easy to overlook how much our surroundings influence our development and overall health. While working with the data, I discovered polluting industries near my own home that I hadn’t known about,” said Ramos, now a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “Very few studies have explored this issue, and we believe our work is only beginning to uncover the long-term impacts industrial pollutants may have across generations.”
The historical data on polluting Utah businesses came from Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) business directories. In addition to location and years of operation, the D&B also had every Utah industrial facility’s North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. They used the NAICS codes to estimate potential health risks that may be associated with facilities of that type. They calculated facility densities within 3 km and 5 km during the maternal and grandmothers’ pregnancy.
“Industrial activity often produces concentrated releases of toxic pollutants that can persist in soil, air, and water for decades,” Renteria said. “Linking facility data to historical residential addresses makes industrial exposure data especially valuable for studying multigenerational health impacts, which is rarely possible with other environmental hazards.”
The child was at higher risk of an intellectual disability if any grandparent was exposed to pollution during pregnancy with either parent. However, the odds were highest with exposure to the maternal grandmother pregnant with the child’s mom. Higher density of industrial facilities corresponded to higher risk for the child.
Grineski’s research will further explore pollution exposure’s impact on descendants.
“Ancestral exposures, with present-day exposures, may contribute to cumulative health risks in people,” said Grineski. “The multigenerational impacts of toxics must be taken seriously by medical professionals, government agencies and anyone concerned with protecting future generations.”
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Other authors include Timothy Collins of the U’s School of Environment, Society & Sustainability; James VanDerslice of U of U Health’s Department of Family and Preventative Medicine; and Deborah Bilder and Amanda Bakian of U of U Health’s Department of Psychiatry and the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. The work was funded in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant R25 ES031497.
The study is Grineski et. al. (2025). Multigenerational exposures to polluting industries and developmental disabilities (2025). Science of the Total Environment. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179888.
The Geneva Steel mill under construction in 1942 in Vineyard, Utah. The mill was among Utah’s biggest polluters before it closed in 2001.
Credit
Andreas Feininger/U.S. Library of Congress
Journal
Science of The Total Environment
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Multigenerational exposures to polluting industries and developmental disabilities
Article Publication Date
20-Aug-2025
Punitive laws on substance use in pregnancy may do more harm than good
August 19, 2025-- U.S. states are increasingly adopting legislation to address substance use among pregnant and postpartum individuals. But a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health finds that punitive laws are largely ineffective and may actually harm those they aim to protect. These laws can undermine trust between patients and clinicians and disproportionately affect lower-income women and women of color—groups already facing systemic barriers to care.
The study, published in the journal of the New York State Association Bar, is among the first to analyze how different legal strategies influence outcomes for pregnant people who use substances. Many policies focus on deterrence and isolated behavior, rather than connecting people to harm reduction services, addiction treatment, or comprehensive healthcare.
“Modernizing this area of law is critical to improving outcomes for pregnant people, their infants, and families,” said Silvia Martins, MD, PhD, senior author and professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School. “There is an urgent need for evidence-based regulation.”
The U.S. maternal mortality rate—about 22 deaths per 100,000 live births—is one of the highest among peer nations and disproportionately affects women of color. More than 80 percent of deaths among pregnant people may be preventable, and mental health and substance use are important contributing factors. However, rarely have U.S. states specifically imposed criminal penalties on people who use drugs while pregnant although many states have enacted legislation to categorize prenatal drug use as child abuse or neglect.
Researchers reviewed 14 state Maternal Mortality Review Committees (2008–2017), examining how states use laws, prosecutions, and court decisions to address substance use in pregnancy. They categorized laws as either punitive -- relying on threats of punishment to deter drug use, or prosocial -- which prioritize access to care and harm reduction.
“Prosocial laws are more likely to recognize the complex, socially influenced nature of substance use,” said Martins, who is also director of the Substance Use Epidemiology Unit at Columbia Mailman.
Approximately 11 percent of maternal deaths with known causes were related to mental health, and more than two-thirds involved people with current or past substance use.
“Substance use during pregnancy is linked to complications including severe morbidity, lack of prenatal care, domestic violence, and parenting challenges,” observed Emilie Bruzelius, postdoctoral fellow at Columbia Epidemiology and co-author of the study.
“Many U.S. states have undertaken legislation with the goal of minimizing harms related to prenatal substance use,” said Martins. “But to truly improve outcomes, we need a comprehensive understanding of how legal strategies interact and how they may affect the lives of pregnant people and their families -- and the evidence shows that punitive approaches may be doing more harm than good.”
Co-authors are Kristen Underhill, Cornell Law School; and Weill Cornell Medical College; Megan E. Marziali, Sam D. Gardner, and Emilie Bruzelius, Columbia Mailman School; and Morgan Philbin, UC San Francisco School of Medicine.
The study was supported by grant R01 DA053745.
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Founded in 1922, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health pursues an agenda of research, education, and service to address the critical and complex public health issues affecting New Yorkers, the nation and the world. The Columbia Mailman School is the third largest recipient of NIH grants among schools of public health. Its nearly 300 multi-disciplinary faculty members work in more than 100 countries around the world, addressing such issues as preventing infectious and chronic diseases, environmental health, maternal and child health, health policy, climate change and health, and public health preparedness. It is a leader in public health education with more than 1,300 graduate students from 55 nations pursuing a variety of master’s and doctoral degree programs. The Columbia Mailman School is also home to numerous world-renowned research centers, including ICAP and the Center for Infection and Immunity. For more information, please visit www.mailman.columbia.edu.
Article Title
From Punitive to Prosocial: A Typology of State Laws Addressing Prenatal and Postpartum Drug Use
Article Publication Date
19-Aug-2025
International collaboration on nursing and midwifery in the Caribbean deemed a success, according to new study
PHILADELPHIA (August 20, 2025) – A new publication highlights the success of an international partnership working to strengthen nursing and midwifery in the Caribbean. “Fostering International Collaborations to Inform Nursing and Midwifery Policy: A Caribbean Initiative,” appears in the International Nursing Review. It was led by Penn Nursing’s Eileen T. Lake, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor in Gerontology, with Carmen Alvarez, PhD, CRNP, CNM, FAAN, Associate Professor of Nursing, serving as co-author.
The initiative was created to support the strategic goals of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) for nursing and midwifery workforce development in the Caribbean region. The Caribbean faces significant challenges in this area, including high rates of migration and critical workforce shortages. Together, the CC collaborative streamlined the process for collecting comprehensive (i.e., (education, practice, and policy), region-wide data and reduced the burden on survey respondents.
The publication details the development, implementation, and impact of the initiative. Key structures, displayed in the colorful Figure 2, included the Pan American Collaborating Centers for Nursing and Midwifery (PANMCC) network, formal leadership, and support from PAHO. The process involved regular communication, stakeholder engagement, and a collaborative approach to survey design.
The collaboration led to the successful creation and implementation of a comprehensive survey to 20 Caribbean countries, which resulted in a 100% response rate from the country Chief Nursing Officers and a 60% response rate from directors of higher education. Unexpected benefits of the initiative included the strengthening of the PANMCC network and the creation of new opportunities for collaboration.
“The paper’s findings demonstrate the potential for coordinated efforts to inform nursing and midwifery human resources for health policy and practice in regions with limited resources,” said Lake, who also serves as Associate Director of Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research.
Lake and Alvarez represent Penn Nursing’s Collaborating Center (CC) for Nursing and Midwifery, which is designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to fulfill activities to address WHO priorities. Lake spearheaded this initiative that included six other Pan American CCs and staff of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), comprising a total of 15 co-authors who collaborated over 18 months.
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About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) is one of the world’s leading nursing schools. It has been ranked the #1 nursing school in the U.S. by QS University for a decade. Our Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is among the top-ranked programs in the nation, according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. Penn Nursing also consistently earns high rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of best graduate schools and is a top recipient of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for nursing research. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through innovation in research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, & Instagram.
Journal
International Nursing Review
Article Title
Fostering International Collaborations to Inform Nursing and Midwifery Policy: A Caribbean Initiative
Article Publication Date
12-Aug-2025
Endometriosis affects more systems in women’s bodies than previously understood
Women with the condition displayed lower blood pressure responses to stress than other women in new study
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In endometriosis, cells similar to uterine tissue grow outside the uterus. According to researchers in the Penn State Department of Kinesiology who study the disease, endometriosis is often treated as a purely gynecological condition. In a new study, however, they demonstrated how the condition, which affects 10% of women around the world, alters how the body responds to feedback.
In a new study published in the journal Hypertension, the research team revealed that endometriosis alters how the autonomic nervous system functions — which regulates aspects of the body that are not typically managed through conscious thought, including blood pressure, digestion, breathing and heart rate.
When exposed to exercise or submerging their hand in cold water, women with endometriosis experienced a lower blood pressure response compared to women without the condition. This finding — opposite of what the researchers expected — may have significant implications for both the diagnosis and management of endometriosis, the researchers said.
“In this study, almost every prediction we made was wrong, but we were wrong in the most interesting and impactful ways possible,” said Auni Williams, postdoctoral fellow in kinesiology at Penn State. “Medical science understands very little about endometriosis, so in order to diagnose and treat the disease effectively, we need to grasp the full scope of the disease and what it is doing to women throughout their bodies.”
Understanding and treating endometriosis
During the menstrual cycle, uterine tissue thickens and sheds in response to fluctuating hormones. In endometriosis, tissue similar to the uterine lining develops outside of the uterus throughout the pelvic region. When this tissue grows where it doesn’t belong, it can form lesions and cause systemic inflammation and scarring, leading to severe chronic pain, infertility or heavy bleeding.
One of the most common treatments for endometriosis is surgery to remove the lesions. Surgery is effective at providing pain relief, but it does not address other symptoms of endometriosis like the decreased blood pressure response identified in this study, according to the researchers.
Blood pressure differences in response to stress
To assess the blood pressure responses of women with endometriosis under mild stress, the researchers conducted two experiments on 21 participants — 12 women with endometriosis and nine without the condition. After two weeks, all women participated in both experiments a second time.
In one experiment, the researchers measured heart rate and blood pressure before the experiment started and then when participants placed their right hand in cold water — between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius — for three minutes. Once the women removed their hands from the water, the researchers monitored their heart rate and blood pressure for an additional 15 minutes.
The other experiment also involved continuously monitoring blood pressure and heart rate, but this time, women began by squeezing a tool that measures grip strength as hard as they could. Once their maximum force was established, the women rested to allow their blood pressure and heart rate to recover. The women then squeezed with 30 percent of their maximum hand strength for two minutes. Just before the two minutes expired, the researchers inflated a blood pressure cuff around the women’s squeezing arm for three minutes. After the cuff deflated, blood pressure was measured for another five minutes.
When a person experiences stress, like the water or exercise in the experiments, it increases blood pressure in response, like a reflex. The researchers expected that women with endometriosis would experience higher increases in blood pressure. Prior research has shown that endometriosis is also associated with higher risk of artery disease, diabetes and high cholesterol, and people with these conditions typically display higher blood pressure responses to things like physical activity.
In both experiments in this study, however, the researchers found the opposite. When women with endometriosis stuck their hands in cold water or squeezed the grip strength device, their blood pressure increased a lower amount compared to women without the condition when exposed to the same stressors.
A whole-body condition?
The decreased blood pressure response among women with endometriosis suggests a reduced neurological response to the stress and may be the cause of lightheadedness, which has been previously reported as a symptom of endometriosis, the researchers explained.
“Compared to the crippling pain that endometriosis can cause, the lightheadedness associated with a decreased blood-pressure response is trivial,” said Williams, who conducted this research as part of her doctoral studies at Penn State. “What matters here is the evidence that the autonomic nervous system functions differently in women with endometriosis. Most of the women with endometriosis in our study had undergone surgery to remove lesions. While the gynecological issues had been addressed, the changes to their nervous systems were still present, so they demonstrated lower blood pressure increases than women without endometriosis.”
The findings are an example of how endometriosis can lead to symptoms outside of the reproductive system. In addition to lightheadedness, Lacy Alexander, professor of kinesiology at Penn State and coauthor of this study, and others have previously demonstrated that the cardiovascular system function is impaired by endometriosis. The combination of these findings demonstrates that endometriosis needs to be treated systemically, the researchers said.
“Any time women experience a symptom of any kind, they should tell their endometriosis-care provider. A side effect like lightheadedness may not seem related to a gynecological condition, but this study demonstrated that it very well could be,” said Alexander, who was Williams’s doctoral adviser and is currently her postdoctoral mentor.
To address low blood pressure, women with endometriosis should drink more water and potentially increase their salt intake, in consultation with their doctor, the researchers said. Doing so may help prevent lightheadedness, especially during exertion.
A less invasive way to diagnose endometriosis
It can take over six and a half years — and visits to three different medical specialists — for a woman to receive a diagnosis for endometriosis, according to the researchers. Currently, ultrasounds and MRIs can help doctors identify endometriosis lesions, but the only approved way to diagnose the condition is with surgery.
“These results may point to less invasive methods for diagnosing endometriosis,” Alexander said. “If — as this study shows — women with endometriosis have predictably lower blood-pressure increases in response to mild stressors, then there may be less invasive tests that would allow women to be diagnosed sooner. Tests like these could be conducted during a routine office visit and potentially prevent years of unnecessary suffering.”
The value of federal research support
Alexander said this project underscored the importance of federal research support. The project began when Williams came to Alexander’s office, expressing an interest in the potential effects of endometriosis on blood pressure responses. Together, they decided that Williams would apply for a research-training grant from the National Institutes of Health.
“This funding was intended to train Auni to conduct research at the intersection of gynecology and cardiovascular disease,” Alexander said. “It did that, but it also provided insights that might someday improve the lives of the millions of women who live with endometriosis in the United States. None of that would have been possible without federal funding.”
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute funded this research.
At Penn State, researchers are solving real problems that impact the health, safety and quality of life of people across the commonwealth, the nation and around the world.
For decades, federal support for research has fueled innovation that makes our country safer, our industries more competitive and our economy stronger. Recent federal funding cuts threaten this progress.
Learn more about the implications of federal funding cuts to our future at Research or Regress.
Journal
Hypertension
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Altered Blood Pressure Reflexes in Women With Endometriosis
Article Publication Date
20-Aug-2025
Omega-3’s could protect women against Alzheimer’s
Omega fatty acids could protect against Alzheimer’s disease in women, new research has found.
Analysis of lipids – fat molecules that perform many essential functions in the body – in the blood found there was a noticeable loss of unsaturated fats, such as those that contain omega fatty acids, in the blood of women with Alzheimer’s disease compared to healthy women.
Scientists found no significant difference in the same lipid molecule composition in men with Alzheimer’s disease compared to healthy men, which suggests that those lipids have a different role in the disease according to sex. Fats perform important roles in maintaining a healthy brain, so this study could indicate why more women are diagnosed with the disease.
The study, published today in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association by scientists from King’s College London and Queen Mary University London, is the first to reveal the important role lipids could have in the risk for Alzheimer’s between the sexes.
Senior author Dr Cristina Legido-Quigley, from King’s College London, said: “Women are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease and are more often diagnosed with the disease than men after the age of 80. One of the most surprising things we saw when looking at the different sexes was that there was no difference in these lipids in healthy and cognitively impaired men, but for women this picture was completely different. The study reveals that Alzheimer's lipid biology is different between the sexes, opening new avenues for research.”
The scientists took plasma samples from 841 participants who had Alzheimer’s Disease, mild cognitive impairment and cognitively health controls and and were measured for brain inflammation and damage.
They used mass spectrometry to analyse the 700 individual lipids in the blood. Lipids are a group of many molecules. Saturated lipids are generally considered as ‘unhealthy’ or ‘bad’ lipids, while unsaturated lipid, which sometime contains omega fatty acids, are generally considered ‘healthy’.
Scientists saw a steep increase in lipids with saturation – the ‘unhealthy lipids’ – in women with Alzheimer’s compared to the healthy group. The lipids with attached omega fatty acids were the most decreased in the Alzheimer’s group.
Now, the scientists say there is a statistical indication that there is a causal link between Alzheimer’s Disease and fatty acids. But a clinical trial is necessary to confirm the link.
Dr Legido-Quigley added: “Our study suggests that women should make sure they are getting omega fatty acids in their diet – through fatty fish or via supplements. However, we need clinical trials to determine if shifting the lipid composition can influence the biological trajectory of Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Dr Asger Wretlind, first author of the study from King’s College London, said: “Scientists have known for some time that more women than men are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Although this still warrants further research, we were able to detect biological differences in lipids between the sexes in a large cohort, and show the importance of lipids containing omegas in the blood, which has not been done before. The results are very striking and now we are looking at how early in life this change occurs in women.”
Dr Julia Dudley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK says: “In the UK, two in three people living with dementia are women. This could be linked to living longer, or other risk factors like social isolation, education, or hormonal changes from the menopause being at play.
“While this study shows that women with Alzheimer’s had lower levels of some unsaturated fats compared with men, further work is needed. This includes understanding the mechanisms behind this difference and finding out if lifestyle changes, including diet could have a role. Future research should also be carried out in a more ethnically diverse population to see if the same effect is seen.
“Understanding how the disease works differently in women could help doctors tailor future treatments and health advice. Alzheimer’s Research UK is proud to be funding this work that will bring us a step closer to a cure.”
The research was supported by funding from LundbeckFonden and Alzheimer's Research UK.
Journal
Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Lipid profiling reveals unsaturated lipid reduction in women with Alzheimer’s’ disease
Article Publication Date
20-Aug-2025
Menopause misinformation is harming care, warn experts
Commercial hormone testing is unnecessary and does not improve care; Symptoms should be prioritised ahead of testing
BMJ Group
Many direct to consumer menopause services are unnecessary and do not improve care, warn experts in The BMJ today.
They argue that the sharp rise in commercial services for women seeking relief for menopausal symptoms raises concerns about the reliability and potential commercial bias of the information, and that symptoms are best assessed by a thorough clinical history with treatment decisions guided by clinical response and patient preferences.
One of the most troubling trends arising from this surge is the promotion of routine hormone panel testing for the evaluation of menopausal symptoms, they write. These tests can cost hundreds of dollars and are marketed to patients and clinicians as necessary for “individualising” hormone therapy.
Yet in reality, these tests are of limited clinical use because there is no clearly defined therapeutic window for menopausal hormone therapy, and some testing techniques do not offer accurate or precise assessment of hormone levels.
For perimenopause and menopause, hormone testing offers no reliable way to determine who will benefit from treatment, when the final menstrual period will occur, or whether it is safe to discontinue contraception, they explain.
Clinical guidelines from the British Menopause Society, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others agree: in women over age 45 presenting with validated symptoms of menopause, including menstrual irregularity, menopause is a clinical diagnosis, and hormone testing is unnecessary.
Despite this, many women now present with detailed hormone panels from wellness providers or online services that are often used to justify taking custom-made hormone preparations or supplements based on marginal deviations from hormone thresholds that are not grounded in evidence, write the authors.
Such custom-made hormone preparations (known as compounded hormone regimens) are not regulated in the same way as standard menopausal hormone therapy and have not been tested for effectiveness and safety.
There is also concern that inconsistencies in the quantities of oestrogen or progestogen in compounded hormone regimens can result in abnormal cell growth or cancer in the womb (uterus) lining, they add.
Until we can establish individualised target hormone levels, there is no role for commercial hormonal panel testing to guide therapy, they argue. In the meantime, such testing offers only a false sense of precision.
They acknowledge that innovation is needed but suggest that the normalisation of hormone panel testing could be a symptom of a larger problem: the commercialisation of women’s health and a movement away from evidence based practice.
For midlife women, effective treatment begins not with numbers, but with listening, they conclude.
Journal
The BMJ
Method of Research
Commentary/editorial
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Editorial: Menopause misinformation is harming care
Article Publication Date
20-Aug-2025
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