The LSNA 40 Under 40 list celebrates 40 future leaders of nursing in Louisiana who are 40 years of age and under, exemplify dedication to the nursing profession, and demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities.

Compared to sugar, consuming sucralose—a widely used sugar substitute—increases activity in the hypothalamus, a brain region that regulates appetite and body weight, according to new USC research. Sucralose also changes how the hypothalamus communicates with other brain regions, including those involved in motivation. The study was just published in the journal Nature Metabolism. Researchers tested how 75 participants responded after consuming water, a drink sweetened with sucralose or a drink sweetened with regular sugar. They collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans, blood samples and hunger ratings before and after participants consumed the drink. Sucralose increased hunger and activity in the hypothalamus, especially in people with obesity. It also changed the way the hypothalamus communicated with other brain regions. Unlike sugar, sucralose did not increase blood levels of certain hormones that create a feeling of fullness. The findings show how sucralose confuses the brain by providing a sweet taste without the expected caloric energy and suggest that sucralose could impact cravings or eating behavior.

In a prospective cohort study of more than 85,000 adults in the United Kingdom, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University of Oxford found that individuals who engaged in light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity daily physical activity had a lower risk of cancer than individuals who were more sedentary. The findings, published March 26, 2025, in British Journal of Sports Medicine, are among the first to evaluate the cancer risk reduction associated with light-intensity activities such as doing errands and performing household chores.