Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Obesity Crisis The Likely Culprit Of Slow-Down In Progress Against Cardiovascular Disease
The Washington Post: Heart Disease Progress Is Slowing Or Stalling, Study Says. Obesity Is Likely To Blame.
Progress in reducing the number of deaths related to cardiovascular disease has been waning in recent years, heightening concerns that the obesity epidemic in the United States is undoing improvements in heart health. A research letter published Tuesday in Journal of the American Medical Association confirms that although the death rates from heart disease, diabetes, stroke and related disorders have been decreasing for decades, the rates have recently slowed or stalled. (Bever, 8/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Mayo Clinic Uses AI To Glean Patients’ Overall Health From EKG Heart Test
Artificial intelligence could help doctors learn more than the condition of a patient’s heart from an electrocardiogram: Applying AI to the heart test data could indicate overall health status, researchers at the Mayo Clinic have discovered. (McCormick, 8/28)
The New York Times: For A Longer Life, Get Moving. Even A Little.
Men and women who move around throughout the day, even if they just stroll or clean the kitchen and do not formally exercise, are less likely to die prematurely than people who almost never leave their chairs, according to a heartening new study of physical activity and mortality. The study, the largest of its kind to date, finds that any activity, no matter how modest, can reduce mortality risks, with some of the greatest gains seen when people shift from being almost completely sedentary toward rising and ambling for even an extra hour each day. (Reynolds, 8/28)
Stat: FDA Warns Testing Companies: Don’t Tell Patients How Their DNA Influences Response To Specific Drugs
Amid a boom in genetic testing that aims to predict a person’s response to medication, the Food and Drug Administration has been quietly pressuring a handful of companies to stop reporting results to patients about how their genes may interact with specific drugs. The agency’s concern? That unsupported claims about gene-drug links could be dangerous, if they spur patients to start, stop, or switch medications in ways that aren’t appropriate. (Robbins, 8/28)
Reuters: U.S. To States: School Lunch Changes None Of Your Business
As schools begin reopening their doors to children nationwide, the U.S. government has told a federal judge that states have no power to sue over new rules they say make school meals less healthy. In a Monday night court filing, the government said New York, five other states and Washington, D.C., could not sue based on speculation that changes to the federally funded National School Lunch Program could cause health problems for children and require more spending on treatment. (Stempel, 8/27)
The New York Times: Do You Have Low Testosterone? Many Companies Would Like You To Think So
“When I took a testosterone test, I got my score and panicked,” said Eugene, a 42-year-old film director and editor in Beverly Hills who started noticing hair and energy loss in 2016 and realized he was suffering from low testosterone. That’s when he started a two-year regimen of DHEA, a supplement that promises to boost testosterone, taking the pills daily. “Unfortunately, I didn’t notice much of a change,” he said. His doctor told him to stop taking any supplements. (Popescu, 8/28)
NPR: Researching Medical Marijuana May Soon Get Easier
Researchers hoping to study marijuana for scientific and medical purposes are one step closer to expanding their limited supply of the plant. This week, the federal government announced it would begin processing dozens of pending applications for permission to cultivate the plant for scientific research. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's decision comes after several years of delay for some applicants and a lawsuit filed against the agency by one cannabis researcher. (Stone, 8/27)
The New York Times: The Deadly Toll Of Air Pollution
Air pollution, even at modest levels, is deadly. An international team of researchers used data from 652 cities in 24 countries to correlate levels of particulate matter pollution with day-to-day mortality rates. They measured the concentrations of two microscopic particles of soot, PM 2.5 and PM 10, particles small enough to enter the lungs or the bloodstream. (Bakalar, 8/27)
NPR: The Scientific Debate Over Teens, Screens And Mental Health
More teens and young adults — particularly girls and young women — are reporting being depressed and anxious, compared with comparable numbers from the mid-2000s. Suicides are up too in that time period, most noticeably among girls ages 10 to 14. (Kamenetz, 8/27)
NPR: 'Vagina Bible' Dispels Myths And Marketing Schemes In A Guide To Women's Bodies
Hey, women: Dr. Jen Gunter wants you to understand your own vagina. The California gynecologist is on a quest to help women get the facts about their own bodies. It isn't always easy. In an era of political attacks on women's reproductive choices and at a time when Internet wellness gurus are hawking dubious pelvic treatments, getting women evidence-based information about their health can be a challenge, she says. (Gordon, 8/27)
