THE ARISING · DAILY EDITION
The Arising — October 17, 2026
Download the PDF ↓Longevity & Healthspan
Napping Most Days Linked to 48% Higher Dementia Hazard in Older Adults
Older adults who napped most days had a 48% higher hazard of developing dementia over the next decade than those who rarely or never napped. Falling asleep without meaning to carried a separate, slightly smaller 39% higher hazard. That is the finding of a new study in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. It is an association, not proof of cause. Our own view, which the study does not test, is that frequent or unplanned daytime sleep may be worth raising with a doctor, not only changing as a habit.
Sleep →Helping Others Linked to Slower Memory Decline in High-Risk Gene Carriers
Among older adults who carry the best-known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, those who took up and kept up volunteering lost memory and thinking skills more slowly than carriers who did not. The finding comes from a large observational study in Alzheimer's & Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
Brain health →Big Dogs Age Faster Epigenetically, Science Study of 894 Dogs Finds
Big dogs die younger than small ones. A new study suggests their cells show it well before the end: larger dogs, and male dogs, appear to age faster at the molecular level.
Brain health →Low-Fat Vegan Diet Linked to Less Liver Fat in Type 2 Diabetes
Adults with type 2 diabetes who ate as much as they wanted of a lowfat, plant-based diet for 16 weeks lost about 6 kilograms and about a third of their liver fat, without counting a single calorie. That is the finding of a small, single-arm trial in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. The changes were associated with the diet, not shown to be caused by it, and the blood sugar figures come from press coverage rather than the study. The trial leaves one big question open: was it the food, or just the weight loss?
GLP-1 medicines →Old Bone Marrow Drains NAD+ From Bone-Building Cells, Preclinical Study Finds
Taking a precursor of NAD+ may not be enough if the surrounding tissue is busy breaking it down. A new preclinical study suggests that is what happens in aging bone marrow, where immune cells appear to use up the raw material that bone-building cells need.
Reading medical evidence →
Markets & Strategy
Arrowhead Reports Its Tau-Silencing Drug Lowers Spinal Fluid Tau by Up to 73%
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals says its tau-silencing drug lowered tau in the fluid around the brain and spine by an average of up to 73% in healthy volunteers. These are company-reported interim figures in healthy people, measured in spinal fluid rather than brain tissue, and they come to us secondhand. They put a different kind of drug into a race where rival approaches have reportedly stumbled.
Brain health →EU Drug Committee Backs Lilly's Daily Weight-Loss Pill Foundayo
Europe is one step from authorising a once-daily GLP-1 tablet from Eli Lilly for weight loss and type 2 diabetes. The European Medicines Agency's human medicines committee, the CHMP, recommended Foundayo (orforglipron) at its 12–15 October 2026 meeting, according to the agency.
GLP-1 medicines →England's Adult Social Care Workforce Grows at Slowest Rate in Four Years
England's adult social care workforce is still growing, but at the slowest pace in four years. According to Skills for Care, the number of filled posts rose by 1.4%, down from a peak of 4.9% between 2022/23 and 2023/24.
Strength and function →BioAge and Deep Origin Launch Multi-Target AI Drug Discovery Collaboration
BioAge Labs and AI drug discovery company Deep Origin have launched a multi-target collaboration that already reached its first milestone: Deep Origin's software produced lab-confirmed drug hits against a new BioAge target in under three months. Financial terms were not disclosed beyond Deep Origin's eligibility for milestone payments.
Reading medical evidence →Neko Health Brings $500 Body Scans to US With 300,000-Person Waitlist
Neko Health, the Swedish startup behind a one-hour preventive body scan, has opened in New York with a price tag of $500 and a global waitlist the company says tops 300,000 people.
Care and connection →