Launch offer: full deHype evidence reports are £4.99 for a limited time.

Check a headline
Search deHype

Search health and science claims

Find evidence reports, topic hubs, guides and explainers without needing to know the internal labels behind them.

Dementia Animal studies Overstated claims Human evidence Biomarkers

Suggested content

Browse public deHype content

Report

Evidence check: Copper drug clears toxic Alzheimer’s proteins and restores memory

This article reports that a copper-based drug, Cu(ATSM), improved clearance of amyloid-beta proteins and restored memory in a laboratory (mouse) model of Alzheimer’s disease. The results suggest the drug may work by repairing the brain's waste-removal system (P-glycoprotein pumps of the blood-brain barrier). While Cu(ATSM) has previously undergone human safety testing for diseases like Parkinson’s or ALS, no data currently show efficacy or safety for Alzheimer’s patients.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: Millions take calcium and vitamin D for stronger bones. A major review finds little benefit

The article reports on a major systematic review and meta-analysis published in The BMJ, which found that calcium and vitamin D supplements, alone or combined, don't significantly reduce the risk of fractures or falls among most older adults. The evidence comes from over 69 randomised controlled trials involving nearly 154,000 participants and generally shows no clinically meaningful benefit for the general older population, though applicability to high-risk groups or those on osteoporosis medication remains uncertain.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: Silica Nanoparticles Induce Ferroptosis, Reprogram Immunity in Prostate Cancer Models

This GEN article covers a preclinical (animal model) study where ultrasmall fluorescent silica nanoparticles, called C’ dots, targeted to prostate tumors, both kill tumor cells through ferroptosis and reprogram immune cell populations within the tumor. When combined with immunotherapy (and in some experiments, additional myeloid cell blockade), these nanoparticles led to marked survival benefits and, in some cases, complete remissions in mouse models of advanced prostate cancer. The article describes these findings as a promising new strategy for making immunotherapy effective in prostate cancer, but all results are limited to animal (not human) studies.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: Dementia: Joint pain supplement may speed progression

The article summarises a new study published in Nature Metabolism, suggesting that glucosamine supplementation is associated with faster progression of dementia and increased mortality among people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The evidence provided is a combination of mechanistic findings in mouse models, analysis of post-mortem human brain tissue, and a retrospective cohort analysis of electronic health records, though causality is not demonstrated and the data are preliminary. Experts cited in the article highlight methodological strengths but emphasize that more research is needed, and no clinical recommendations should be made yet.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: COVID Shots Tied to Lower Risks of Heart Attack, Cardiac Death

The article summarises three recent studies indicating that updated COVID-19 vaccines (2024-2026) are associated with lower risks of COVID-associated and all-cause major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including heart attack and cardiovascular death, mostly in older adults and particularly those above 75. While absolute risk reductions are modest and most findings come from observational data among older, predominantly male populations, the evidence suggests a net benefit for vaccination on cardiovascular outcomes, especially for those at high risk.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: Cancer jab can eradicate entire tumours in patients, trial shows

The article reports on early results from an international clinical trial (OrigAMI-4), presented at the ASCO conference, testing the drug amivantamab in 102 patients with head and neck cancers that are resistant to standard treatments. The trial found that tumours shrank or disappeared in about a third of patients, with complete eradication in 15 cases. The jab is a targeted therapy that blocks EGFR and MET and activates immune response. Most side effects were mild to moderate, and ongoing evaluation is being conducted in additional cancer types.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: Scientists finally crack an “undruggable” pancreatic cancer target and nearly double survival

The article claims that a new targeted therapy—daraxonrasib—for metastatic pancreatic cancer patients with KRAS mutations almost doubles overall survival compared to chemotherapy, based on a phase 3 trial of 500 patients, with secondary claims that this represents a paradigm shift, offering improved quality of life and milder side-effects versus standard care.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: Poor sleep linked to rising cancer risk in under-50s

The Guardian article reports on two large US studies, presented at a major cancer conference, that found an association between poor sleep and increased rates of cancer in under-50s. While people diagnosed with insomnia appeared to have up to three times higher risk of some cancers within five years, experts stress that these are observational findings and do not prove that poor sleep causes cancer. Potential confounding factors (such as drinking, smoking, and obesity) and the possibility of reverse causality (cancer affecting sleep before diagnosis) are noted. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship and potential biological mechanisms.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: New ovarian cancer drug gives women more time and better quality of life - BBC News

The article reports that mirvetuximab soravtansine, now available on the NHS, extends average survival in patients with specific hard-to-treat ovarian cancers from 12.8 to 16.5 months, with improved quality of life and fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy. It is only suitable for cancers with the folate receptor alpha marker, reportedly benefiting about 30-40% of those whose cancers are resistant to standard chemotherapy. Patient and clinician testimonials support these claims, but no direct link to the clinical trial publication is given in the article.

Open report
Report

Evidence check: Your nose could detect Alzheimer’s years before symptoms begin

The article reports that loss of smell may be an early indicator of Alzheimer's, based on research showing the brain's immune cells destroy connections between the olfactory bulb and locus coeruleus in both animal models and human tissue. The immune activity is thought to begin before visible cognitive decline, which could permit earlier identification and interventions against Alzheimer's. However, while there is supporting animal evidence and some human tissue and imageing data, prospective clinical validation for smell loss as a biomarker is lacking.

Open report