Health news round-up: endocrine research, binge eating on the pill and AI in the NHS

This week, The Pharmaceutical Journal has revealed that pharmacists are being investigated over gender drug prescribing, reported on the latest measles data and highlighted a safety warning about the risk of angioedema from ACE inhibitors.

Read on for more health news you might have missed this week.

Latest endocrine research

The results of a study presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual conference, ENDO 2026, suggest that hormone therapy reduces the risk of low bone mineral density in menopausal women by 69%, while the results of another study confirmed that the non-hormonal treatment fezolinetant improved hot flashes, depression and anxiety in menopause.

The findings of another study suggested that testosterone therapy in men may be overprescribed, which is inconsistent with US clinical guidelines. Researchers said improving guideline-concordant testosterone prescribing could help prevent avoidable risks in people who may not have a true clinical need for it, while future studies should evaluate whether targeted interventions are needed.

GLP-1 effects on bone health, adipose tissue and immune response

The results of another study presented at ENDO 2026 found that more than half of patients who stop taking GLP-1 inhibitors restart within one year, while nearly two-thirds restart within two years. Researchers also suggested that semaglutide was associated with a 15% reduction in bone fractures compared with other anti-obesity medications.

In another study, tirzepatide was shown to increase brown adipose tissue activity and volume — increasing calories burned — and potentially also converted white subcutaneous fat into more metabolically active ‘beige’ fat, according to researcher Rok Herman from the department of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolic diseases at University Medical Centre Ljubljana in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The findings of a separate literature review published in Pharmaceutics has suggested that GLP-1 drugs could have a dermatological application by tackling skin conditions, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and hidradenitis suppurativa, which are all influenced by chronic immune system activation.

“The anti-inflammatory effect of these drugs appears to be the most promising aspect. Increasing evidence shows that they may modulate immune responses rather than merely influence metabolism. This is particularly interesting in diseases where chronic inflammation is the main driver of disease progression,” commented Małgorzata Ponikowska from the University Center of General and Oncological Dermatology at Wroclaw Medical University.

GLP-1 response varies by sex and ethnicity

The results of a real-world study, published in PNAS Nexus, suggested that female and white patients on semaglutide and tirzepatide more frequently achieved significant weight loss, while male, black and Hispanic patients were overrepresented among patients with minimal weight loss. “These findings motivate precision medicine approaches to obesity pharmacotherapy that incorporate real-world treatment and response data,” researchers said.

Amira Guirguis, chief scientist at the Royal College of Pharmacy, said: “This observational study adds to the growing evidence on variability in weight-loss outcomes, but differences between demographic groups are likely to be complex and multifactorial. Further research involving larger and more diverse populations is needed to better understand these findings and support equitable access to effective weight management treatment.”

Binge eating and the contraceptive pill

A study published in JAMA Network Open found significantly increased emotional eating when women were taking active contraceptive pills versus inactive pills. Researchers highlighted previous research that suggested ovarian hormones (i.e. natural oestrogen and progesterone) play a significant role in binge-eating risk in females, while these new findings suggest that synthetic hormones in combined oral contraceptives may also heighten risk.

However, Kelly Klump, lead author of the study and professor of psychology at Michigan State University, noted: “Not every woman in the study developed binge eating — they are safe for many women, and it’s likely that the risk is targeted to those with other risk factors.”

Rachel Richardson, methods support unit manager at The Cochrane Collaboration, suggested that the small number of self-selected participants in the study limits its generalisability.

Could AI help the NHS retain staff?

Academics at the University of Reading have collaborated with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust to create an AI forecasting tool that predicts the likelihood of staff resigning, giving managers an early warning system to intervene before someone leaves. 

AI is also being used in drug discovery, including identifying new targets for medication in the fight against antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea.