Cannabis Use Elevates Risk Of Heart Attack In Some Users, Study Finds
Healthy users younger than 50 are more likely to experience stroke, heart attack, or heart failure than people who don't use the drug, Fox News reports. Also: MRI images show "brain rot" is linked to smartphone usage; the U.S. hits the lowest levels of happiness on record; and more.
Fox News:
Marijuana Use Increases Heart Attack Risk In Young, Healthy Adults
While marijuana has been legalized in many states, research has shown that it could have detrimental health impacts for some — including a higher risk of heart attacks. Two recent studies have linked cannabis use to cardiac events, particularly among young, healthier people, according to a release from the American College of Cardiology (ACC). (Rudy, 3/18)
CBS News:
Smartphone Addiction Is Leading To "Brain Rot," Doctors Say
Katy Paige Rosenberg, a freshman at the University of North Carolina Asheville, recently realized what too much scrolling on her phone was doing to her. She estimates she was probably spending about nine hours a day on her phone. ... Stories like hers are familiar, but now it is possible to see the science behind it, according to Dr. Brent Nelson, a psychiatrist and the chief medical information officer for Southern California-based Newport Healthcare, which operates mental health treatment centers for teens nationwide. (Oliver, 3/19)
AP:
Lean Cuisine And Stouffer's Meals Recalled For 'Wood-Like Material' Linked To Choking
Nestle USA is recalling certain batches of its Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s frozen meals for possible contamination with “wood-like material” after a report of potential choking. The recall applies to limited quantities of meals with best-before dates between September 2025 and April 2026. They include Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli, Lean Cuisine Spinach Artichoke Ravioli, Lean Cuisine Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry and Stouffer’s Party Size Chicken Lasagna. (Aleccia, 3/19)
CBS News:
U.S. Falls To Lowest-Ever Ranking On 2025 World Happiness Report
The United States this year fell to its lowest-ever place on the World Happiness Report, which highlights the positive effects benevolence and social connections have on people's life satisfaction. Finland remained the happiest nation for the eighth year in a row, while Mexico and Costa Rico ranked among the top 10 for the first time since the report was first published in 2012. (Brown Chau, 3/19)
On bird flu —
CIDRAP:
USDA Launches Biosecurity Steps For Poultry Producers, Adds Details On H7N9 Avian Flu Detection
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the rollout of two biosecurity assessment programs available for commercial poultry farms, one targeting wildlife hazards and the other reviewing biosecurity plans and measures. The programs are part of plans to prevent the introduction and spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza and dovetail with up to $1 billion in emergency funding announced last month by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. (Schnirring, 3/19)
MedPage Today:
Here's What RFK Jr. Got Wrong About H5N1 Bird Flu
In two recent interviews on Fox News, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. downplayed concerns about H5N1 avian influenza in the U.S., raising alarm among public health and infectious disease experts. Chief among those concerns is that Kennedy said the genotype B3.13 -- the one currently circulating in U.S. dairy cattle and most poultry -- "is not dangerous to humans" because it causes only conjunctivitis and mild flu symptoms. But that's missing the bigger picture, experts told MedPage Today. (Fiore, 3/19)
