Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NIH Branch That Studies Alcohol Abuse Hasn't Funded Outside Studies On Advertising Since Current Director Started
Stat: New Alcohol-Advertising Research Stopped With NIH Branch Director's Arrival
The branch of the National Institutes of Health that studies alcohol abuse has not funded any new research by outside scientists specifically on the effects of alcohol advertising since its current director took over in 2014, according to a STAT analysis of grants. At least seven such studies were funded in the decade before George Koob became director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in 2014. No new grants have been awarded since. (Begley and Joseph, 4/4)
In other public health news —
The Hill: NIH Director: Sports Leagues Should Rethink Sponsoring Unhealthy Foods
The director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is calling on major sports leagues to re-examine their sponsorship deals with unhealthy foods, out of fear they are fueling the country’s obesity problem. Dr. Francis Collins in a blog post pointed to NIH-funded research showing that more than 75 percent of foods promoted by major sports leagues are unhealthy. (Sullivan, 4/3)
Kaiser Health News: Older Americans Are Hooked On Vitamins Despite Scarce Evidence They Work
When she was a young physician, Dr. Martha Gulati noticed that many of her mentors were prescribing vitamin E and folic acid to patients. Preliminary studies in the early 1990s had linked both supplements to a lower risk of heart disease. She urged her father to pop the pills as well: “Dad, you should be on these vitamins, because every cardiologist is taking them or putting their patients on [them],” recalled Gulati, now chief of cardiology for the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. (Szabo, 4/4)
The New York Times: All The Amenities Airlines Are Offering For Healthier Flights
Wellness isn’t a concept that seems synonymous with the ever-growing hassles of flying, but that could finally be changing. Some airlines are embracing the idea of healthier flying, offering calorie-conscious menus and new exercise videos. According to Beth McGroarty, research director for The Global Wellness Institute, a nonprofit organization for the wellness industry, even as seats shrink and flights get more crowded, many carriers want air travel to be more bearable (and even enjoyable). They believe wellness is the way to do that. “It’s part of the larger wellness movement happening in the travel industry,” she said. (Vora, 4/4)
