The surprising link between tattoos and melanoma risk; NIH launches whole-person health research project; wildfire smoke deaths may skyrocket by 2050 – Morning Medical Update

Study links multiple tattoos to lower melanoma risk

People with two or more tattoo sessions may have a reduced risk of melanoma compared to those with only one tattoo, according to new research from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. The study of 7,000 Utahns found melanoma risk, including early in situ cases, declined with multiple tattoos, while individuals with just one tattoo session had higher odds of developing the skin cancer. Researchers caution the findings are preliminary, though, noting that tattooing involves exposure to carcinogens and may also trigger protective immune responses. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, underscores the need for more research into tattoos as a potential cancer risk — or defense — factor.

NIH launches whole-person health research project

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a five-year initiative to build an integrated model of whole-person health, aiming to map how diet, exercise, stress management and other factors interact across body systems. The project, led by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, will draw on resources like the Human Reference Atlas to connect clinical measures such as blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol to broader physiological functions. NIH officials say the effort could shift biomedical research from focusing solely on disease to understanding health as an interconnected process, laying groundwork for prevention and restoration strategies.

Wildfire smoke could drive tens of thousands more U.S. deaths by 2050

Smoke from increasingly frequent and intense wildfires is already linked to more than 40,000 U.S. deaths each year — and climate change could push that toll to 70,000 annually by midcentury, according to a Stanford-led study in Nature. Researchers found no region is spared, with projected smoke-related deaths rising most in California, New York, Washington, Texas and Pennsylvania. The team estimates the economic costs of these deaths could top $600 billion a year, eclipsing all other climate-driven damages combined. Even under aggressive emissions cuts, the death toll is expected to remain above 60,000 annually, underscoring the urgent need for stronger air quality protections and wildfire management.