Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Concerned About Microplastics In Your Tap Water? Consider Boiling It
The Hill: Boiling Tap Water May Be Solution To Microplastics
Worried about plastic pollution in your tap water? Try boiling in it, a new study suggests. Boiling tap water can destroy at least 80 percent of three of the most common plastic compounds that can be found in your water, according to findings published Wednesday in Environmental Research Letters. (Elbein, 2/28)
NBC News: FDA Says Toxic Chemicals In Pizza Boxes And Popcorn Bags No Longer Used In Food Packaging
Chemicals once commonly found in a range of products, including pizza boxes and microwave popcorn bags, are no longer being used in food packaging in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. Eliminating the grease-proofing substances ends a yearslong campaign by the agency to phase out per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, toxic chemicals that may be linked to serious health problems, including cancer, birth defects and immune system suppression. (Lovelace Jr., 2/28)
The Washington Post: New Review Links Ultra-Processed Foods To 32 Health Problems: What To Know
A review of research involving almost 10 million people has found a direct association between eating too many ultra-processed foods — those breads, cereals, snacks and frozen meals that have been industrially manufactured with flavors and additives to make them more palatable — and more than 30 health conditions, including heart disease, anxiety and early death. (Pannett, 2/29)
Fox News: Fasting-Like Diet Could Slow The Aging Process, Study Suggests: ‘Living Longer And Healthier’
Could adopting a fasting-like diet help slow down aging? That’s the claim of researchers from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology in Los Angeles, who led a study on the benefits of a "fasting-mimicking diet" (FMD). In addition to reducing biological age and immune system aging, the diet was linked to reductions in insulin resistance and liver fat, according to a press release from the university. (Rudy, 2/29)
