Nature Reviews Endocrinology, Published online: 03 November 2026; doi:10.1038/s41574-026-01315-zThis Review examines the associations between diabetes mellitus and some common cardiovascular diseases that are often overlooked in research and clinical care.

Can gut bacteria influence heart health? Research suggests gut dysbiosis may fuel atherosclerosis by promoting inflammation and altering bile acid signaling. Can treatments like probiotics help? #Athe...

Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease of the arterial tree that often assumes variable forms across vascular territories. As a result, atherosclerotic plaques in different vascular beds differ in frequency, composition, stability and propensity to rupture. Here, we argue that this territorial variability is a manifestation of partially predictable principles. Embryological origin and developmental programming create regionally distinct smooth muscle cell lineages and extracellular matrix architectures, predisposing vascular segments to characteristic modes of injury and repair. Local hemodynamic processes and vessel structures further influence this architecture, leading to distinct atherosclerotic plaque evolution. Microvascular and macrovascular calcification contribute to these processes by amplifying local signals, including inflammation and environmental cues, and by driving the chondrogenic and osteogenic transformation of vascular cells. By synthesizing evidence on divergent ath

Peripheral cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists that lack central nervous system effects are emerging as promising therapies for metabolic disease, yet the role of endothelial CB1 signaling in atherosclerosis remains unclear. Here, we show that endothelial CB1 is expressed in human atherosclerotic plaques, is induced by oscillatory shear stress in atheroprone flow regions, and promotes vascular inflammation, permeability and lipid uptake. Endothelial-specific Cnr1 deletion or peripheral CB1 antagonism in mice attenuates atherosclerosis, reduces endothelial caveolae–dependent low-density lipoprotein uptake by downregulating caveolin-1 and ALK1 expression, and improves metabolic parameters in brown and white adipose tissue and the liver. The anti-atherogenic and metabolic effects are more pronounced in females, which is possibly linked to estrogen signaling. These findings identify endothelial CB1 as a proatherogenic, sex-biased regulator of vascular lipid transport and plaque developmen

For decades, scientists believed that plastics were some of the safest materials around. Now it's clear how flawed that view was.

Atherosclerotic plaques cause many acute cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke. Diseases of this type are effectively the leading causes of death worldwide. Plaqu...