Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Another Bonus Of Weight Loss Drugs: They May Prevent Erectile Dysfunction
The Hill: GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs May Help Boost Testosterone, Study Shows
GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy could increase testosterone levels and help prevent erectile dysfunction in men, according to a new study. While more data is needed, researchers from St. Louis University Hospital saw significant increases in testosterone levels for men with obesity or Type 2 diabetes while taking GLP-1 medication. Men who experience obesity or have Type 2 diabetes often have lower levels of testosterone, which can impact sexual function, muscle mass and bone density. (O’Connell-Domenech, 7/31)
MedPage Today: Vaping Declined In States With Flavor Bans -- But It's Not All Good News
Flavor restriction policies at the state level were associated with reductions in e-cigarette use but "unintended increases" in cigarette use when compared with states that did not enact such policies, according to a cross-sectional study. (Firth, 7/31)
Newsweek: Study Finds Increased Miscarriage Risk After Exposure To This Chemical
A new study has found that exposure to certain frequently used chemicals that are classified as human carcinogens may increase the risk of recurring miscarriage. The researchers found that exposure to four different types of PFAS chemicals, also known as "forever chemicals," were associated with higher risks of "unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion"—meaning recurrent miscarriage where the cause is unknown. (Laws, 8/1)
MedPage Today: Study Reveals Link Between Junk Food And Lung Cancer Risk
High consumption of ultraprocessed food was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, according to an observational study. Based on the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, individuals in the highest quarter of self-reported, energy-adjusted ultraprocessed food consumption were 41% more likely to be diagnosed with any type of lung cancer over a decade later (adjusted HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.22 -1.60) than those in the lowest quarter, reported Yongzhong Wu, MD, PhD, of the Chongqing Cancer Hospital in China, and colleagues. (Bassett, 7/31)
KFF Health News: This Test Can See A Heart Attack In Your Future
A long list of Lynda Hollander’s paternal relatives had heart disease, and several had undergone major surgeries. So when she hit her mid-50s and saw her cholesterol levels creeping up after menopause, she said, “I didn’t want to take a chance.” A cardiologist told Hollander that based on factors like age, sex, cholesterol, and blood pressure, she faced a moderate risk of a major cardiac event, like a heart attack, within the next 10 years. (Span, 8/1)
In celebrity health news —
CBS News: Justin Timberlake Reveals Lyme Disease Diagnosis, Calling It "Relentlessly Debilitating"
Justin Timberlake has revealed he has Lyme disease and opened up about the health challenges that have come with it. In a post on Instagram Thursday, the pop singer, who wrapped up his two-year tour yesterday, called the tick-borne illness "relentlessly debilitating." ... Early symptoms of a Lyme disease can include headache, fatigue, muscle aches, joint aches or stiffness, chills, fever and swollen lymph nodes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says early diagnosis and proper antibiotic treatment is important to prevent the illness from getting worse. (Moniuszko, 7/31)
The New York Times: Kim Kardashian’s Skims Releases New Shapewear. For Your Face.
It’s a telling sign of current beauty standards that Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and underwear brand, Skims, has started selling a piece of headgear that bears a close resemblance to a post-surgery compression garment. Skims’ Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap, which was released on Tuesday and sells for $48, is billed as something that will scoop up the cheeks, neck and chin and hold them in place. The product generated much online chatter in the hours after the company unveiled it on Instagram and is now available only on a waiting list. (Haridasani Gupta and Mzizi, 7/30)
The New York Times: Cécile Dionne, Who Found Fame And Despair As A Quintuplet, Dies At 91
Cécile Dionne, who with her siblings found fame as the first quintuplets known to have survived infancy and who, of the five, was the most outspoken about the suffocating effects of celebrity, died on Monday in Montreal. She was 91. She and her sisters, only one of whom survives her, weighed a combined 13½ pounds when they were born at home shortly after dawn on May 10, 1934, to a struggling and already large farm family in Corbeil, about 215 miles north of Toronto. They became the center of a custody dispute involving their parents, the doctor who helped deliver them in the Dionnes’ home, and the province of Ontario, which feared for the babies’ welfare. (Gross, 7/31)
