Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Being Obese Changes Your Brain, Even If You Lose Weight Later
CNN: Obesity Changes The Brain, With ‘No Sign Of Reversibility,’ Expert Says
Obesity may damage the brain’s ability to recognize the sensation of fullness and be satisfied after eating fats and sugars, a new study found. Further, those brain changes may last even after people considered medically obese lose a significant amount of weight — possibly explaining why many people often regain the pounds they lose. (LaMotte, 6/12)
On alcohol use —
The Hill: Americans Are Drinking As Much Alcohol Now As In Civil War Days
The average American drinks 60 percent more hard liquor now than in the mid-1990s, an unheralded surge in spirit consumption that signals changing tastes in alcohol. Americans are drinking more wine, too: 50 percent more per person since 1995. Overall, the average American consumed 2.51 gallons of ethanol, the alcohol in wine, beer and spirits, in 2021, compared to 2.15 gallons in 1995, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. If 2.5 gallons in a year sounds low, consider that the figure covers only alcohol, not water and other ingredients in an alcoholic drink. (De Vise, 6/12)
CNN: Small Amounts Of Alcohol May Turn Down Stress In The Brain, Benefiting The Heart, New Study Finds
Researchers say they may be able to explain how light drinking benefits the heart, and its main effect doesn’t stem from changes in the blood – as scientists once thought – but from its actions in the brain. But because alcohol also raises the risk of cancer at any amount, however, researchers say they aren’t advising people to imbibe. Instead, understanding this mechanism may point to healthier ways to tap into the same benefit, such as through exercise or meditation. (McPhillips and Goodman, 6/12)
In mpox developments —
CIDRAP: Study Shows Detectable Mpox DNA In Skin Lesions For More Than 3 Weeks
In a study involving 16 men who have sex with men (MSM) infected with mpox, viral DNA remained detectable in skin lesions for 17 to 31 days after symptom onset. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. All MSM included in the study had contracted mpox through sexual transmission, and their median age was 36. None were treated with antivirals throughout the course of the study. (Soucheray, 6/12)
CIDRAP: AI Can Accurately Diagnose Mpox Using Photos Of Rash, Researchers Say
Researchers in India say they used artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose mpox using photos of skin lesions with an accuracy up to 99.5%. Their study, published last week in Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices, tested the ability of the trained deep-learning networks GoogLeNet, Places365-GoogLeNet, SqueezeNet, AlexNet, and ResNet-18 to diagnose mpox using photos of patients' skin lesions (mpox, chickenpox, and other viruses) and computer models designed to mimic human vision. Currently, mpox is diagnosed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, but the study authors noted that the results are not always accurate because the virus remains in the blood only a short time. (Van Beusekom, 6/12)
In other health and wellness news —
The Washington Post: Hockey's Frequent Fights May Shorten Lives, According To New Study
National Hockey League “enforcers,” those players who engage in frequent fights on the ice, tend to die about 10 years earlier than their teammates, according to a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open. It describes enforcers as hockey players who “engage in fights to intimidate opponents and gain momentum for their team.” (Searing, 6/12)
CNN: ‘Unbelievably Excited’ - Wheelchair Users React To New Delta Airplane Seat Design
A new airplane seat concept that allows wheelchair users to stay in their own chair throughout a flight was revealed this week by a subsidiary of US airline Delta, a move welcomed as a “huge step” by potential customers. (Street, 6/8)
CNBC: How LGBTQ+ Seniors Can Tackle Their Special Caregiving Challenges
Margaret Roesch, 67, and her wife, Pat McAulay, 68, wanted to have a supportive community around them as they grew older. So they helped to create a cohousing development for LGBTQ+ seniors and allies, making it easier to offer support to one another. “We said we don’t want to have to go back in the closet when we get older,” Roesch said from the front porch of her home in Durham, North Carolina. (Dhue and Epperson, 6/12)
