Doctor’s offices, friends or social media – does it make a difference where consumers obtain information about food supplements? According to a recent survey by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), people who obtain information via social media take a greater number of different supplements and rate them more positively overall than people who obtain information from other sources. The study on the use and perception of food supplements in the context of social media is one of numerous articles published as part of the main topic “Micronutrients” in the current issue of the Federal Health Gazette (Bundesgesundheitsblatt). The magazine provides science-based insights into food supplements, among other things, and explains the complex relationships between their benefits and possible risks in an understandable way. “Social media also plays an important role in health communication nowadays, but the information found there is not always technically accurate,” says BfR President Professor Andreas Hensel. “For example, the majority of respondents mistakenly assume that food supplements are over-the-counter medicines, and almost half believe that they are tested for safety before they go on sale.” The special issue summarises the current state of scientific knowledge and provides important guidance in this complex subject area.

- Science learns from nature's methods

- Potential benefits for future therapies against cancer and Alzheimer's disease

- Joint research by TUM and Helmholtz Munich

In the fight against disease, programmed cell death – also known as apoptosis – is a key protective function of the body. It breaks down cells that are damaged or have undergone dangerous changes. However, cancer cells often manage to override this mechanism. A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now succeeded in identifying a new molecular switch in this process and elucidating how it works.

Living farther than 30 km from a family physician can negatively affect access to health care, found a new Ontario study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250265.

Provincial governments that partner with for-profit virtual health care companies need to be cautious to protect public trust in the health care system, according to an analysis article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250639.