United States: Experts in Nature Metabolism indicate that consuming sugar substitutes could trigger appetite stimulation, which might result in people eating more than necessary. 

Artificial Sweeteners May Fuel Hunger 

According to senior investigator Dr. Kathleen Page, who leads the University of Southern California Diabetes and Obesity Research Center, the brain reacts strangely because sucralose in Splenda offers sweetness without typical calorie content, as stated in the news release. 

According to Dr. Page, “If your body is expecting a calorie because of the sweetness, but doesn’t get the calorie it’s expecting, that could change the way the brain is primed to crave those substances over time,” US News reported. 

Researchers in background notes revealed that approximately four in ten Americans frequently use artificial sweeteners mainly as a method to lower their sugar consumption. 

“But are these substances actually helpful for regulating body weight?” Page enquired. 

“What happens in the body and brain when we consume them, and do the effects differ from one person to the next?” 

How was the study conducted? 

Investigators watched 75 participants respond using brain imaging following water consumption and the consumption of sucralose-sweetened beverages and regular sugar-sweetened beverages. 

Healthcare personnel obtained MRI brain scans together with blood draws and hunger assessment results from study participants twice following each drink’s ingestion. 

The test participants consumed each drink type one after another. The use of sucralose as a beverage sweetener led to higher hypothalamus brain activity than both neutral water and sugar-sweetened drinks, according to research outcomes. 

The consumption of sucralose enhanced the hypothalamic connections toward brain regions, which control sensory input and motivation functions. 

The results indicate sucralose might possibly affect human cravings or eating reactions, according to Page. 

Sucralose purportedly increased hunger indications after sweet drink consumption yet yielded similar hunger reports as the water did among the participants, according to the study investigators. 

Studies identified that obesity patients exhibited the most intense responses from sucralose consumption among all test groups. 

Testing blood samples demonstrated that drinking sugar elevated both blood sugar quantities and hormone levels such as insulin as well as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which modern weight loss medications replicate, US News reported. 

The consumption of sucralose produced no change in hormone levels based on research findings. 

United States: Rabies infected the recipient following their organ transplant, which took place in a Michigan hospital in December, according to the state health department declaration on Wednesday. 

More about the news 

According to Lynn Sutfin, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, “A public health investigation determined they contracted rabies through the transplanted organ,” NBC News reported. 

According to the statement from the department, the patient underwent the transplant at an Ohio hospital in December before passing away in January. 

The release failed to provide any details about the receiver’s identity along with the exact nature of the transplanted organ. 

The donor who donated the organ was not registered as either a Michigan resident or an Ohio resident. 

Patient dies from rabies after organ transplant from infected donor:
A Michigan resident has died of rabies after receiving an organ transplant.

The patient, who received the transplant at an Ohio hospital in December 2024, died of the fatal virus in J… https://t.co/rrCowWNdGF

— Elwin Sidney (@ElwinSidney) March 27, 2025

Sutfin stated that Michigan health officials, along with Ohio department employees and the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, jointly investigated the patient’s fatal condition. 

The Rabies Laboratory at the CDC diagnosed the infection. 

According to the statement, “Health officials worked together to ensure that people, including health care providers, who were in contact with the Michigan individual were assessed for possible exposure to rabies,” NBC News reported. 

“Post-exposure preventive care, if appropriate, has been provided,” they added. 

The department stated it would not release further information to NBC News. 

The agencies responsible for comments, including the Ohio Health Department and CDC, stayed silent when approached for interviews. 

The disease spreads from animals to humans through direct contact with their saliva or blood, which comes from bats, raccoons, skunks, and stray dogs. 

People may not recognize immediate rabies infection because the early signs mimic flu symptoms, which include headaches followed by fever and nausea. 

When rabies advances in patients, it causes swallowing problems, and they also experience heavy drooling along with hallucinations. 

Failure to obtain prompt medical care after being scratched or bitten by an infectious animal will result in death due to rabies. 

Data from the CDC indicates that the annual rabies deaths have fallen below 10 since 1960 despite previous numbers of at least 500 mortalities annually before that period. 

The United States screens potential organ donors for viral infections as well as bacterial diseases along with other pathogens, yet rabies testing is usually excluded due to slow results and minimal person-to-person occurrence of the infection. 

United States: According to an expert report, a diet consisting of plant foods and including minimal ultra-processed foods and moderate fish and dairy amounts leads people to avoid developing chronic disease until age 70, according to new study findings. 

More about the news 

According to Nature Medicine research, which revealed diet information from more than 105,000 middle-aged adults, less than 9 percent of these individuals would reach age 70 with normal cognitive functioning, no major health problems, and standard mobility abilities. 

Participation in research demonstrated that maintaining nutritious eating choices would help individuals reach their life goals. 

Research on healthy aging diets involved eight different food plans, including Mediterranean diets alongside strictly plant-based diet options and diet plans designed for lowering blood pressure and inflammation control. 

According to the study author, Marta Guasch-Ferré, an adjunct associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “What most of these diets had in common was that they were rich in fruit and vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fat, nuts, legumes and then low in processed meat, sugars and trans fat,” NBC News reported. 

Research has demonstrated that eating diets loaded with fruits and vegetables leads to reduced cholesterol profiles and blood pressure and decreased probabilities of heart disease along with cancer. 

What more are the experts stating? 

The majority of studies have failed to analyze the complete life impact on aging individuals, according to Guasch-Ferré. 

“It’s not just about living longer but also maintaining good health in the later stages of life,” she added. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. uses his platform to assert that Americans should stop using food additives and eating processed foods because these practices are causing the United States to experience increasing rates of chronic diseases. 

A 30-year examination involving people aged 39 to 69 was conducted during the time period from 1986 through 2016. 

The group utilized in the study came from healthcare databases, which implies that they might represent healthier individuals than usual populations. 

The researchers conducted assessments for mental and physical capability alongside screening evaluations for 11 various chronic illnesses, including cancer and diabetes, together with stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease.