Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
60% Of Supermarket Baby Foods Packed With Sugar, Salt: Study
CNN: Nearly Two-Thirds Of Supermarket Baby Foods Are Unhealthy, Study Finds
The supermarket baby food aisle in the United States is packed with non-nutritious foods containing far too much sugar and salt and misleading marketing claims, a new study found. Sixty percent of 651 foods that are marketed for children ages 6 months to 36 months on 10 supermarkets’ shelves in the US failed to meet recommended World Health Organization nutritional guidelines for infant and toddler foods, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients. (LaMotte, 8/21)
More health and wellness news —
Stat: Defunct Pear's Substance Abuse Treatments Get A Second Life
Over a year after Pear Therapeutics filed for bankruptcy and shut down, its smartphone apps for people with substance use disorder and opioid use disorder are again available to patients. (Aguilar, 8/22)
KFF Health News: A Teen’s Murder, Mold In The Walls: Unfulfilled Promises Haunt Public Housing
Blocks from where tourists stroll along the cobblestoned riverfront in this racially divided city, Detraya Gilliard made her way down the dark, ruptured sidewalks of Yamacraw Village, looking for her missing 15-year-old daughter. Like most other people living in one of the nation’s oldest public housing projects, Gilliard endured the boarded-up buildings and mold-filled apartments because it was the only place she could afford. (Clasen-Kelly and Rayasam, 8/22)
The Washington Post: Rick Steves Announces Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
Guidebook author and PBS personality Rick Steves will take a break in his busy travel schedule to have surgery for prostate cancer. Steves, 69, announced his diagnosis Wednesday night in a statement posted to social media, saying he will film two new TV shows in France before returning home to Washington state for a procedure in September at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. (Hiatt, 8/21)
AP: Spanish Woman Believed To Be The Oldest Person In The World Has Died At Age 117
Maria Branyas, an American-born Spaniard considered the world’s oldest person at 117 years old, has died, her family said on Tuesday. ... At age 113, Branyas tested positive for COVID-19 during the global pandemic, but avoided developing severe symptoms that claimed tens of thousands of older Spaniards. (8/20)
AP: A Japanese Woman Who Loves Bananas Is Now The World's Oldest Person
Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman, became the world’s oldest living person at age 116, following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Guinness World Records. Her age and birthdate — May 23, 1908 — were confirmed by the Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, and put her at the top of its World Supercentenarian Rankings List. (McGill and Kageyama, 8/21)
