Those who use both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes are at the highest risk

• Using e-cigarettes, cigarettes, or both is associated with higher risk for prediabetes and diabetes, with dual use being the riskiest.

• Risk is especially elevated in people who are overweight or obese, of Black, Hispanic or Asian background, or of lower income.

• Regular exercise seems to help reduce risk, even among smokers.

Youve likely heard that smoking is bad for your lungs. However, new research suggests it might also be quietly upping your chances of developing metabolic issues like prediabetes and diabetes.

As e-cigarette use grows, especially among younger people, scientists wanted to know: is vaping really a safer alternative or is it hiding other long-term risks?

In an era when e-cigarettes are marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, this suggests they may carry a hidden peril and may be quietly contributing to long-term health problems like prediabetes and diabetes, researcher Sulakshan Neupane said in a news release.

As the use of e-cigarettes rises rapidly, its vital we understand their broader health impacts. This is not just about the lungs anymore but the entire body and metabolic health.

The study

The researchers used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) a large-scale U.S. survey. They analyzed over 1.2 million responses to compare people who smoke traditional cigarettes, those who vape (i.e. use e-cigarettes), people who do both, and those who do neither. Key outcomes they looked for were diagnoses of prediabetes and diabetes.

They also considered demographic and health-related factors: body mass index (BMI), race/ethnicity, income, and whether respondents had existing health conditions. That allowed them to see not just if risk was higher in general, but how it varied depending on other characteristics.

The results

Heres what the study uncovered:

• Prediabetes risk:

  • Vaping alone was associated with about a 7% higher risk of prediabetes compared to non-users.

  • Smoking traditional cigarettes raised that to about 15%.

  • Using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes conferred a 28% higher riskthe largest increase seen.
    

• Diabetes risk (diagnosed disease, not just risk factors):

  • Smokers had higher odds of having diabetes than non-smokers.

  • Those who both smoked and vaped similarly showed elevated risk (roughly 7-9% more likely) of being diagnosed with diabetes.
    

• Other factors that make a difference:

  • Overweight or obesity amplified the risk: people with higher BMI who smoked or vaped fared worse.

  • Race/ethnicity mattered: Black, Hispanic, and Asian individuals using tobacco or vaping had higher rates of prediabetes or diabetes than white respondents in similar situations.

  • Income played a role: lower income categories were tied to greater risk for both conditions.

  • On a positive note, regular exercise appeared to reduce risk for smokersshowing that lifestyle can still make a difference.
    

These findings have important implications for public health efforts to curb smoking and improve diabetes outcomes, Neupane said in the news release."

Deceptive pricing, fake purchase limits, hidden fees alleged

By Truman Lewis of ConsumerAffairs

• FTC and seven states allege Ticketmaster conspired with brokers to inflate ticket prices.

• Lawsuit claims deceptive pricing, fake purchase limits, and billions in hidden fees.

• Trump administration calls the action a monumental step toward protecting fans.

The Federal Trade Commission and seven states filed a sweeping lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment and its Ticketmaster subsidiary, accusing the companies of coordinating with ticket brokers to illegally drive up the cost of live event tickets.

According to the complaint, Ticketmaster allowed brokers to harvest millions of dollars worth of tickets from the primary market, then profited when those tickets were resold on its own platform at inflated prices. The practice, regulators say, forced consumers to pay substantially more than face value for concerts, sports, and other events.

FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said the lawsuit follows President Donald Trumps March executive order directing federal agencies to protect consumers from ticketing abuses. American live entertainment is the best in the world and should be accessible to all of us, Ferguson said. It should not cost an arm and a leg to take the family to a baseball game or attend your favorite musicians show.

Alleged deceptive practices

The FTC complaint outlines a series of alleged violations, including:

• Bait-and-switch pricing: Ticketmaster advertised artificially low ticket prices that excluded mandatory feessometimes totaling 44% of the base pricethat were added only at checkout. Regulators say the company collected $16.4 billion in such fees from 2019 through 2024.

• Fake purchase limits: Although Ticketmaster claimed to impose strict limits on how many tickets consumers could buy, brokers allegedly bypassed those rules using thousands of fake accounts and proxy servers. Internal reviews showed just five brokers controlling more than 246,000 tickets across nearly 2,600 events.

• Collusion with brokers: Ticketmaster allegedly turned a blind eye to abuses because inflated resale prices boosted its profits. The company even provided brokers with tools like its TradeDesk software to help manage mass ticket resales.

The FTC also cited internal company documents showing Ticketmaster declined to implement stronger anti-fraud measuressuch as third-party ID verificationbecause such steps would reduce revenue.

Market Dominance

Ticketmaster controls as much as 80% of ticketing at major U.S. concert venues and has steadily expanded into the resale market. Between 2019 and 2024, consumers spent more than $82.6 billion buying tickets through the company.

Publicly, Ticketmaster has claimed to oppose broker practices that undermine ordinary fans. But in private, regulators say, executives admitted the company benefited from brokers ability to manipulate ticket availability and pricing.

The lawsuit accuses Ticketmaster and Live Nation of violating the FTC Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales Act. Regulators are seeking civil penalties and additional monetary relief. If successful, the case could reshape how tickets are sold for concerts, sporting events, and other live entertainment in the U.S.

Lawsuit and governmental pressure are driving the changes

OpenAI has been working on updated policies to protect young ChatGPT users when suicide is being discussed. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said it "may be reasonable" for the company to notify authorities when minors express thoughts about suicide and parents can't be reached. The changes follow growing pressure from Congress and federal agencies and a lawsuit by the parents of an adolescent who killed himself.

OpenAI said in a memo forwarded to ConsumerAffairs that it isrolling out parental controls intended to link minors accounts to their parents, allow parents to receive distress alerts, manage usage times, and disable certain features. Those tools are expected by end of September and is alsodeveloping anageprediction system: If a user is identified (or estimated) to be under 18, the system will give them an ageappropriate version of ChatGPT. This version will restrict graphic sexual content, avoid flirting, and limit discussion of suicide or selfharm.

OpenAI acknowledges that its current safety guardrails do not always hold up inlonger or more emotionally intense conversations; safety mechanisms may degrade over time or with extended usermodel backandforth.

If you need help ...

U.S.: Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at988lifeline.org

UK & Ireland: Samaritans, 116 123 (freephone), jo@samaritans.org / jo@samaritans.ie

Australia: Lifeline, 13 11 14

Elsewhere: Visitbefrienders.orgfor international hotlines

Pressure for action mounts

The company's move come as governments step up pressure. The Senate is holding a hearing with parents of teens who died or were harmed after interacting with chatbots and the Federal Trade Commission hasbegun an inquiry into AI chatbots (including OpenAI) about harms to children and how safety is tested and overseen. At the state level, agroup of Attorneys General has formally warned OpenAI, saying existing safeguards have failed in some cases, and demanding stronger protections.

Raine lawsuit

Driving the intensifying pressure is the case of Adam Raine, 16. A lawsuit filed by his parents alleges thatChatGPT cultivated a relationship with the teenager, provided instructions for selfharm, discouraged him from seeking external help, and failed to stop potentially harmful content in long conversations. The lawsuit seeks not only damages but regulatory changes: e.g. improved ageverification, blocking selfharm content, psychological warnings, etc.

Researchers discovered that a few days of eating high-fat junk can disrupt brain cells involved in memory

• A high-fat diet, similar to typical saturated fatrich junk food, causes certain brain cells in the hippocampusto become overly active after only a few days.

• This overactivity stems from reduced glucose (sugar) availability in the brain, and is linked with impaired memory performance.

• Interventions like restoring glucose levels or dietary changes (for example, intermittent fasting) were shown in mice to reverse these negative effects and improve memory.

We all know diet matters for physical health, but a new study shows the impact of junk food may catch up with your brain surprisingly fast.

Research from UNC School of Medicine, published recently in Neuron, reveals that eating foods high in saturated fat (think fries, cheeseburgers) can alter memory circuitry very quickly even before things like weight gain or diabetes set in.

The investigation zeroes in on the brains hippocampus, the area responsible for many aspects of memory, and describes how specific brain cells respond when the diet is poor.

We knew that diet and metabolism could affect brain health, but we didnt expect to find such a specific and vulnerable group of brain cells, CCK interneurons in the hippocampus, that were directly disrupted by short-term high-fat diet exposure, researcher Juan Song, PhD, said in a news release.

What surprised us most was how quickly these cells changed their activity in response to reduced glucose availability, and how this shift alone was enough to impair memory.

The study

The scientists used mice as their model. They fed some of these mice whats called a high-fat diet (HFD) meant to mimic the saturated-fat heavy junk food many people eat.

They then tracked what happened in the hippocampus, especially focusing on a type of neuron called a CCK (cholecystokinin) interneuron. These neurons are important for shaping how memories are formed and maintained. They also monitored how the brain was using glucose basically, how well brain cells were getting fuel.

Behavioral tests were conducted to see how well mice remembered things after being on the high-fat diet. The researchers also manipulated glucose levels and tried dietary-change interventions (including periods of fasting) to see if the impairments could be reversed.

The study design allowed comparison among mice that stayed on the high-fat diet, those whose glucose was restored, and those who underwent diet modifications.

The results

Within just four days on the high-fat diet, the CCK interneurons in the hippocampus showed abnormally high levels of activity a sign things are going off-balance.

This overactivity seemed connected to lower glucose availability in the brain, meaning the brain wasnt getting enough fuel. As a result, memory performance worsened in the mice, even though other markers of illness (like weight gain or diabetes) werent yet evident.

Encouragingly, the researchers found that restoring glucose availability could calm down those overactive neurons and improve memory. Also, dietary strategies (for example, introducing intermittent fasting after the high-fat diet) helped to normalize neuron activity and rescued memory performance in the animals.

The power of early intervention

The take-away?

It appears that the brains memory circuits are more sensitive to diet than many people assume and even shortterm indulgence in high-fat junk food can trigger measurable changes. But, on the positive side, early interventions might reverse or prevent harm before it becomes.

This work highlights how what we eat can rapidly affect brain health and how early interventions, whether through fasting or medicine, could protect memory and lower the risk of long-term cognitive problems linked to obesity and metabolic disorders, Dr. Song said.

In the long run, such strategies could help reduce the growing burden of dementia and Alzheimers linked to metabolic disorders, offering more holistic care that addresses both body and brain.

Researchers identified slower gains in longevity, especially in young ages

• Life expectancy increases in many high-income countries are decelerating: the rapid gains seen earlier in the 20th century are tapering off.

• A big part of this slowdown comes from diminishing improvements in child and infant mortality once a major driver of longer lives.

• According to the forecasts, no cohort born after 1939 is projected to reach an average lifespan of 100 years.

For decades, many of us have assumed that each successive generation will live longer than the last and maybe even average 100 years someday.

But recent research suggests we might be approaching the limits of how much life expectancy can keep increasing, at least under current conditions.

A new study, drawing on data from multiple high-income countries, shows that improvements in longevity are not just slowing; they may be slowing permanently, especially for people born in more recent decades. If you were born after 1939, the odds are you wont live to see your 100th year on average.

The unprecedented increase in life expectancy we achieved in the first half of the 20th century appears to be a phenomenon we are unlikely to achieve again in the foreseeable future, researcher Pifarr i Arolas said in a news release.

In the absence of any major breakthroughs that significantly extend human life, life expectancy would still not match the rapid increases seen in the early 20th century even if adult survival improved twice as fast as we predict.

The study

The research looked at cohort life expectancy among individuals born between 1939 and 2000 in 23 high-income, low-mortality countries.

Cohort life expectancy accounts for the actual mortality experience of a generation across its life span. Period life expectancy, on the other hand, estimates how long someone would live if current death rates at each age stayed the same.

The researchers used six different forecasting methods to predict future mortality and importantly, they performed robustness checks to make sure their findings were not due to odd data quirks or biases. They also decomposed age-specific trends to see which age groups drove the slowdown.

The results

Heres a look at how the results broke down:

• Slower increases in life expectancy. Historically, cohorts born early in the 20th century saw life expectancy rise by about 0.46 years per generation (thats about 56 months). But for those born later (19392000), that gain has dropped by 37% to 52%, depending on the forecast method.

• Young-age mortality improvements taper off. Over half of the slowdown in gains comes from weak or diminishing gains in mortality under age 5; more than two-thirds come from under age 20. In other words, early childhood mortality was once a major lever for increasing life expectancy and that lever has already been heavily pulled.

• Universal 100-year lifespans are unlikely for newer generations. Based on these forecasts, the researchers conclude that none of the cohorts born after 1939 are expected to reach an average life expectancy of 100. Even people born around 1980 are predicted to fall short.

• Why this matters. These findings suggest that unless something major changes new medical breakthroughs, better public health in older ages, etc. we shouldnt expect life expectancy to keep shooting up as fast as it once did. For people planning for retirement, health systems preparing for ageing populations, or governments budgeting for pensions, this shift could have real implications.