The Lancet Pulse

In this special episode of The Lancet Pulse, recorded at ESC Congress 2026 in Munich, host Chloe Wilson is joined by colleagues Alexandra Tosun and Flávia Geraldes to share their highlights from the conference. They discuss standout sessions on women's heart health, including a practical talk on building sustainable business plans for women's heart clinics, and dig into new research on statins — from a study linking early statin initiation after type 2 diabetes diagnosis to a lower dementia risk, to the STAREE trial's findings on primary prevention in patients over 70.    Artificial Intelligence was the dominant theme of this year's Congress, so of course they also discuss its growing role in interventional cardiology, the risk that AI tools can replicate biases and inequities present in the data used to train them, and why human oversight remains essential in patient care.    Among the studies discussed in this episode, you can find:   Association between timing of statin treatment after diabetes diagnosis and risk of dementia: a nationwide observational study https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(26)00226-7/fulltext Ternhamar, Johansen, Nordestgaard, et al   Safety and efficacy of the 0/1 h pathway for myocardial infarction in the emergency department: an international, pragmatic, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised, controlled trial https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01654-5/fulltext Boeddinghaus, Bima, Crisanti, et al     The Lancet Pulse is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Chloe Wilson, Ben Abbott, Matthew Gilbert, and Jonathan Pimm Podcast editing and production: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at https://www.thelancet.com Follow us today at... https://thelancet.bsky.social/ https://instagram.com/thelancetgroup https://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournal https://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancet https://youtube.com/thelancettv

In this episode, The Lancet reports from the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference at ExCeL London, which brought together more than 10,000 attendees from 111 countries. Neurology Editor, Beatriz Gómez Pérez-Nievas speaks with LatAm FINGERS authors right after the study’s launch, as well as with other Lancet authors, to discuss the conference highlights and what excites them most about the future of Alzheimer's Disease and dementia research. Their conversations explore advances in biomarkers that could support earlier detection and prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, alongside growing evidence for multidomain lifestyle interventions to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. They also discuss the new treatments targeting tau and what researchers are continuing to learn about anti-amyloid-β monoclonal antibodies. Together, these developments reflect growing momentum across Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia research. And the hope that scientific progress will translate into better care for patients and families. Click here to read the LatAm FINGERS full article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01278-X/abstract The Lancet Pulse is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Chloe Wilson, Ben Abbott, Matthew Gilbert, and Jonathan Pimm Podcast editing and production: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at https://www.thelancet.com Follow us today at... https://thelancet.bsky.social/ https://instagram.com/thelancetgroup https://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournal https://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancet https://youtube.com/thelancettv

What happens when a drug people can buy in everyday stores behaves like an opioid—yet regulators still treat it as a “gray zone”? In The Lancet Pulse episode, host Matthew Gilbert and co-host Niall Boyce are joined by Dr. Liza Hutchison, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan, an addiction medicine physician overseeing services at a federally qualified health center in Washtenaw County, Michigan, and supervising a statewide telehealth on-demand buprenorphine service. Dr. Hutchison explains how natural leaf kratom contains multiple alkaloids (serotonergic, noradrenergic, and opioid-acting), with only about 1% opioid-active component, while concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products are reported to be 15–20 times more potent and can drive rapid tolerance, opioid-like withdrawal, and overdose risk. They also discuss the clinical use of buprenorphine/Suboxone (reducing overdose death risk by 50%+ in traditional opioid use disorder), policy proposals in Michigan (including a prohibition bill), and why naloxone reverses the opioid-like breathing suppression but not other causes like seizure or liver injury. The Lancet Pulse is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Chloe Wilson, Ben Abbott, Matthew Gilbert, and Jonathan Pimm Podcast editing and production: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at https://www.thelancet.com Follow us today at... https://thelancet.bsky.social/ https://instagram.com/thelancetgroup https://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournal https://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancet https://youtube.com/thelancettv

In this episode of The Lancet Pulse, Chloe Wilson joins Helena Teede and Terhi Piltonen to discuss a recent health policy published in The Lancet that details a global consensus process that puts forward a new name for PCOS - termed PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome) to more accurately reflect the disease process. Listen now to hear more about the process and how it is hoped the name change will lead to better care for those affected by the condition. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00717-8/fulltext The Lancet Pulse is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Chloe Wilson, Ben Abbott, Matthew Gilbert, and Jonathan Pimm Podcast editing and production: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at https://www.thelancet.com Follow us today at... https://thelancet.bsky.social/ https://instagram.com/thelancetgroup https://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournal https://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancet https://youtube.com/thelancettv

In this episode of The Lancet Pulse, Niall Boyce and Matt Gilbert speak with Professor Daniel Smith about the emerging connection between diet and mental health, with a focus on the ketogenic diet and bipolar disorder. Together, they explore what bipolar disorder is, why its depressive phases can be so difficult to treat, and why researchers are beginning to investigate whether changes in metabolism and brain energy use could play a role in improving symptoms. The conversation also looks at the bigger picture: how much evidence is there so far, what makes this area of research so promising, and where caution is still needed. From early feasibility studies to questions about long-term safety, affordability, and dietitian support, this episode offers a thoughtful look at a fast-evolving field — and asks whether nutritional approaches could become a meaningful add-on to mental health care in the future. The Lancet Pulse is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Chloe Wilson, Ben Abbott, Matthew Gilbert, and Jonathan Pimm Podcast editing and production: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at https://www.thelancet.com Follow us today at... https://thelancet.bsky.social/ https://instagram.com/thelancetgroup https://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournal https://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancet https://youtube.com/thelancettv