Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Older People With Better Balance Tend To Live Longer: Study
CNN: The Ability To Balance Is Linked To A Longer Life, Study Finds
An inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in later life is linked to nearly double the risk of death from any cause within the next decade, according to a new study. The simple balance test may be useful to include in routine physical exams for people in middle and old age, the research, which was published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggested. While aging leads to a decline in physical fitness, muscle strength and flexibility, balance tends to be reasonably well-preserved until a person's 50s, when it starts to wane relatively rapidly, the research noted. Previous research has linked the inability to stand on one leg to a greater risk of falls and to cognitive decline. (Hunt, 6/21)
In other health and wellness news —
CNN: Sleeping With Any Light Raises Risk Of Obesity, Diabetes And More, Study Finds
Even dim light can disrupt sleep, raising the risk of serious health issues in older adults, a new study found. "Exposure to any amount of light during the sleep period was correlated with the higher prevalence of diabetes, obesity and hypertension in both older men and women," senior author Phyllis Zee, chief of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told CNN. "People should do their best to avoid or minimize the amount of light they are exposed to during sleep," she added. (LaMotte, 6/22)
KHN: New Weight Loss Treatment Is Marked By Heavy Marketing And Modest Results
First came the “edible billboard,” which appeared last year during the holidays in New York’s East Village loaded with cake treats. Then, in late January, came the national marketing campaign, with TV and digital media promoting the idea that trying to lose weight doesn’t mean a person can’t enjoy eating. Those advertising messages are pushing a product named Plenity as a potential liberation from dieters’ woes. It’s a $98-a-month weight loss treatment that looks like a drug: Patients take three capsules twice a day. But it isn’t a drug. And its success in racking up lost pounds, on average, is modest. (Appleby, 6/22)
NPR: Daily Harvest Recalls Lentil Dish Amid Food Poisoning Claims On Social Media
Daily Harvest, a food home delivery service, has issued a recall on its lentil and leek crumbles dish, after multiple customers complained on social media of stomach issues after consuming them. Users on Reddit, Twitter and Instagram reported experiences of nausea, vomiting and liver damage after consuming the dish. One Reddit user said their wife had symptoms, such as "extreme fatigue, dark urine, low-grade fever and whole-body itching with no rash." Another user said their mom "was as sick as a dog and puking a lot" a day after eating the beans. (Archie, 6/22)
Bloomberg: Mental Health Hotline 988 Offers Hope But Faces Challenges
A 2020 law creating a national mental-health hotline, 988, was hailed as a milestone in making crisis services more accessible and de-stigmatizing seeking help. But with less than one month ahead of its launch on July 16, state and local agencies seem unprepared for its rollout, according to a recent report from research group the Rand Corporation. Designed to be accessible through phone, text messages and web chat, the new emergency number will connect to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which links to some 200 local crisis centers. When that hotline debuted in 2005, it fielded 50,000 calls; in 2020, it took 2.4 million. (Yee, 6/21)
