Research Round-Up
How Using ChatGPT Changes Your Brain Activity
A new study has found that the brains of people writing an essay with ChatGPT are less engaged than are those of people blocked from using any online tools for the task, a new study finds. The investigation is part of a broader movement to assess whether artificial intelligence (AI) is making us cognitively lazy.
Computer scientist Nataliya Kosmyna at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and her colleagues measured brain-wave activity in university students as they wrote essays either using a chatbot or an Internet search tool, or without any Internet at all.
Although the main result is unsurprising, some of the study’s findings are more intriguing: for instance, the team saw hints that relying on a chatbot for initial tasks might lead to relatively low levels of brain engagement even when the tool is later taken away.
Low-carb Diets Finally Get The Respect They Deserve
After decades of controversy, the science is now crystal clear: low-carbohydrate diets are one of the most effective tools we have for improving metabolic health. A new meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials found that people with type 2 diabetes who followed a low-carb approach had better blood sugar control, bigger reductions in waist size, and more favorable lipid profiles—all without raising LDL cholesterol.
This is high-quality evidence that should put to rest any lingering doubts. Despite past skepticism, low-carb diets don’t just work in theory—they work in real life, and they work better than the standard dietary advice most people still receive.
FDA Exposed - Hundreds of Drugs Approved With No Proof They Work
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved hundreds of drugs without proof they work—and in some cases, despite evidence they cause harm.
That’s the finding of a blistering two-year investigation by medical journalists Jeanne Lenzer and Shannon Brownlee, published by The Lever.
The latest health research news from around the world, compiled by Lead Instructor and Program Director Leanne Scott, FNTP.
