Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Not So Sweet: Artificial Sweeteners Linked To Heart Disease
Press Association: Sweeteners Aspartame, Sucralose, Ace K Linked To Heart Disease In Study
Academics have identified a possible link between artificial sweeteners and heart disease in a new study. Researchers said that food additives "should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar". (Pickover, 9/7)
NPR: Forehead Thermometers Could Be Less Likely To Detect Fevers In Black Patients
The chances of a forehead thermometer detecting fevers in Black patients were 26% lower than oral thermometers. Though the differences were small, the researchers noted that fevers could slip under the radar if the number is below commonly used thresholds. (Archie, 9/8)
ABC News: New Apple Watch Feature Designed To Help Women Track Fertility: What To Know
The newest model of the Apple Watch will offer women features to track their menstrual cycles and when they may be the most fertile, Apple announced Wednesday at a launch event at the company's California headquarters. Among the Apple Watch Series 8's advanced features is a temperature sensor that offers an estimate for the last time a woman wearing the watch has ovulated. (Kindelan, 9/7)
CBS News: Technology Seeks To Save Firefighters From "Forever Chemicals"
The Environmental Protection Agency limits the safe threshold for exposure to two of the most common PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) to nearly zero, or less than one part per trillion. But firefighting foam, known as AFFF, contains concentrations of 10 million parts per trillion — more than a thousand times higher than EPA guidance — according to Amy Dindal, PFAS program manager for Battelle, a scientific nonprofit that has developed promising technology to eliminate the problem. (Strassmann, 9/7)
Stat: Juul Settlement Won’t Overhaul The E-Cig Landscape, Experts Warn
On Tuesday, a group of more than 30 attorneys general announced they had reached a “landmark” $438.5 million settlement with the e-cigarette maker Juul over its alleged marketing toward children. But the settlement doesn’t have nearly the scope or the import of earlier efforts to rein in tobacco companies’ marketing, experts told STAT. (Florko, 9/8)
Also —
The Washington Post: Scientists Find Evidence Of Oldest Known Surgery, From 31,000 Years Ago
Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a young hunter-gatherer in Borneo who survived the amputation of the lower left leg around 31,000 years ago, in a discovery that could rewrite the history of surgery. The findings, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, are believed to be the earliest known example of a complex amputation, predating other Stone Age surgeries by tens of thousands of years. (Pannett, 9/7)
