Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
BuzzBallz, Biggies, Boulders: Punchy Trend Stirs Buzz About Teen Drinking
The New York Times: BuzzBallz, High-Alcohol Mixed Cocktails, Are Taking Over Gen Z
BuzzBallz are hard drinks sold in bottles that resemble phosphorescent billiard balls. They contain around 15 percent alcohol by volume, more than double that of the average beer. And Lucy Rocca first heard about them from her 13-year-old daughter. (Holtermann, 4/10)
In other health and wellness news —
NBC News: Family Says Popular Energy Drink Played Role In Cheerleader's Fatal Heart Condition
The family of a 17-year-old Texas cheerleader has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a distributor of a popular energy drink, saying the teenager died from an enlarged heart caused by ingesting large amounts of caffeine. Larissa Nicole Rodriguez, a college-bound high school student in Weslaco, Texas, died in October. Benny Agosto Jr., her family’s attorney, said at a news conference Wednesday that the Hidalgo County medical examiner determined that her cause of death “was an enlarged heart due to stress and large amounts of caffeine.” Hidalgo County did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Silva and Lenthang, 4/10)
MedPage Today: Dementia Risk Tied To Quality Of Plant-Based Diets
People who followed a high-quality plant-based diet had a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, while those with a low-quality plant-based diet had a higher risk, prospective data showed. At baseline, people who ate the most plant foods overall had a 12% lower risk of dementia over nearly 11 years of follow-up compared with those who ate the least ..., reported Song-Yi Park, PhD, of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, and co-authors. (George, 4/9)
CIDRAP: Vampire Bats In Mexico May Feed On CWD-Positive Deer, Spreading Disease And Posing Species-Jump Threat
During a 2022 field expedition, Peter Larsen, PhD, was asleep in an open-air house in Guyana when he was awakened by the sensation of liquid on his feet, which were pressed against his mosquito net—except it wasn’t raining. He flicked on his headlamp, startled to find that the liquid was blood, and a vampire bat—a species he had gone there to study—was feeding on him. That experience, along with his work with vampire bats in several Central and South American countries, prompted Larsen to ponder the pathogens the bats might carry. (Van Beusekom, 4/9)
NPR: Wildlife Trade Ups The Risk Of Diseases Spilling Over To ... Us
In 2003, a shipment of exotic African rodents to a pet store in Illinois sparked the United States' first mpox outbreak. Gambian giant rats and other rodents infected prairie dogs, which in turn infected nearly 100 people who handled the animals. Ebola outbreaks are often triggered after contact with bats, which are sometimes eaten or used for traditional medicine. (Lambert, 4/9)
