Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Supplements Can Be Dangerous Without FDA Oversight
Chicago Tribune: The FDA Needs More Information On Supplements. Consumers’ Safety Is At Risk
The COVID-19 quarantine changed everyday life for Americans, including many aspects of our diet, health and exercise regimens. One change that has not received enough scrutiny is that during the pandemic, millions of Americans turned to dietary supplements. In 2020, sales of dietary supplements were 14.5% higher than the previous year — the largest growth spurt since 1997, according to the Nutrition Business Journal’s 2021 report on supplement sales. (Liz Richardson, 5/17)
NBC News: Britney Spears Announced A Miscarriage, And Broke A Pregnancy Taboo
I cringed when I saw Britney Spears announce last month that she was newly pregnant. As someone who went through four miscarriages before the birth of our daughter, I know how tenuous pregnancy is — and how many end in early miscarriages. Ten to 20 percent of known pregnancies result in loss. And older women like Spears have an even higher risk of miscarriage: At 35, there’s a 20 percent risk, according to the Mayo Clinic, and at 40 (Spears’ age), the risk is 40 percent. (Amy Klein, 5/16)
The Lancet Neurology: No Area Of Stroke Research Should Be Left Behind
More than 12 million incident cases of stroke are thought to have occurred in 2019, when stroke was also the second-leading cause of death and the third-leading cause of death and disability combined. Thanks to the efforts of stroke researchers and study participants, many advances that might help to reduce this burden have been made over the past two decades. Much of this progress has been in acute management and secondary prevention of ischaemic stroke, and as this issue of The Lancet Neurology was going to press, results from several trials testing such approaches were scheduled to be presented at the 8th European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC), on May 4–6, 2022, in Lyon, France. If such progress is to continue, and similarly impressive advances are to be made in primary prevention, haemorrhagic stroke, and longer-term care, all areas of stroke need to be a higher priority for research funding. (6/1)
Scientific American: The Antiscience Supreme Court Is Hurting The Health Of Americans
These are tumultuous times for the Supreme Court. Since Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the Court in October 2020, the justices have issued a series of unprecedented decisions that have reshaped health law and policy in ways that will impede the health of all Americans. Among these decisions are orders blocking Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium, halting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s order requiring large employers to mandate vaccination or testing and masking, lifting a lower court injunction allowing medication for abortions to be prescribed via telehealth and enjoining several state COVID-mitigation measures as violations of religious liberty. (Wendy E. Parmet, 5/17)
Miami Herald: Alzheimer’s Toll Increasing In Florida
Imagine watching someone you love with all your heart slowly disappear. All the memories, all the happy moments, all the joy you shared together … gone. The smiles they once had are replaced with worry and fear. Over the past few years, I’ve watched someone I consider my second mother succumb to the grips of Alzheimer’s disease. Gloria has been there for me in so many moments of my life. But piece by piece, watching her lose herself has been devastating. (Tracey Wekar-Paige, 5/17)
The Tennessean: Learning How Drug Tests Can Lead To Understanding Opioid Crisis
While the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated headlines for the past two years, an ongoing epidemic has worsened due to an emerging threat: the rise of designer drugs. These drugs, also known as novel psychoactive substances (NPS), are developed to have effects similar to commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals, such as fentanyl or alprazolam, and are sold on the street as prescription medications or illicit drugs. They are insidious, potent, and too often, deadly. (Dr. Joshua Schrecker, 5/17)
The Washington Post: How To Think About Severe Hepatitis Cases In Children
As if parents don’t have enough to worry about — a global pandemic, a baby formula shortage — there is a new mysterious ailment afflicting young children in the form of severe hepatitis. Here’s the bottom line: This is not reason for panic, but it does deserve vigilance. Parents should also be wary of speculation about the illness. There is still much we don’t know. (Leana S. Wen, 5/17)
