Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
American Cancer Society: Skipping All Alcohol Is Best Bet To Prevent Cancer; Probiotics May Be A Waste Of Time
GMA: New Cancer Prevention Guidelines Call For No Alcohol Consumption
In a major change, the American Cancer Society is now saying that cutting alcohol out of your diet completely is best for cancer reduction and prevention. "For the first time they’re saying not one drink a day for women, not two drinks a day for men," said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified OBGYN. "They’re saying the best thing you can do for your health is to avoid alcohol completely." (Kindelan, 6/9)
CNN: Probiotics Don't Do Much For Most People's Gut Health, Review Finds
Whether contained in yogurt or stuffed into capsules and sold on pharmacy shelves, probiotics are popular among the health conscious, with millions of people around the world thought to use them. But a new report from the American Gastroenterological Association said that these so-called good bacteria don't do much for gut health — including digestive conditions like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome. (Hunt, 6/9)
CNN: A Woman's Eggs Choose Lucky Sperm During Last Moments Of Conception, Study Finds
"Swipe right. Swipe left." On an evolutionary level, the finger flick of choice in the human mating game is often influenced by subconscious input from our most primal instincts. In females, for example, hormones present at ovulation can drive a woman to choose a cocky, confident man with a slight stubble and more masculine features... A fascinating new study finds those chemical-based preferences continue even after sex. Human eggs appear to "choose" which sperm will become the lucky winner in conceiving a baby. (LaMotte, 6/9)
Stat: As Biotech Drifts From Amyloid Hypothesis For Alzheimer's, Some Cling On
Two biotech CEOs are cautiously optimistic about the controversial amyloid hypothesis, which suggests a sticky brain plaque causes Alzheimer’s — a departure from most of the rest of the industry, which has largely abandoned the theory, once dogma, after a long string of clinical trial failures. But Susan Catalano, the co-founder and CSO of Cognition Therapeutics, said her company is still indirectly targeting it for drug development, in part because she thinks other researchers didn’t appreciate the different forms the plaque-forming substance can take. (Sheridan, 6/9)
