Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Olympian Throws Spotlight On Often-Overlooked Problem Of Eating Disorders In Men
The New York Times: Adam Rippon On Quiet Starvation In Men’s Figure Skating
Shortly before Adam Rippon’s breakthrough victory at the United States figure skating championships, Brian Boitano crossed paths with him and asked how he was doing. Boitano, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist, expected Rippon to rave about his jumps or his signature spins. Instead, Boitano said, Rippon pulled back his shoulders, puffed out his chest and proudly proclaimed, “I’ve never been thinner.” (Crouse, 2/13)
The Wall Street Journal: Is Chocolate A Healthy Choice For Valentine’s Day? That Depends On Which Kind
Valentine’s Day is known for two things: romantic love and chocolate. Romance is famously fickle—it comes and goes. But our love affair with chocolate never seems to wane. Americans spend more today on chocolate products than the gross national product of some of the countries where cacao is grown. The research group Euromonitor International reports that U.S. sales of chocolate went from $14.2 billion in 2007 to $18.9 billion in 2017, a period during which overall sales for candy declined, largely because of growing health concerns over sugar. (Schiffman, 2/13)
Stat: Pharma's Latest Alzheimer's Failure Comes With A Particular Sting
Ayear ago, when Merck’s (MRK) latest treatment for Alzheimer’s disease came up a dud, the company saw a silver lining. By targeting patients with early forms of the disease, yet to show major symptoms, researchers saw a winning pathway for the drug, which looked like it was hitting its molecular targets. They were wrong. (Garde, 2/13)
The Washington Post: A Potentially Powerful New Antibiotic Is Discovered In Dirt
The modern medical era began when an absent-minded British scientist named Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find that one of the petri dishes he forgot to put away was covered in a bacteria-killing mold. He had discovered penicillin, the world's first antibiotic. Ninety years later, the world faces an antibiotic crisis. Superbugs have evolved resistance to dozens of drugs in doctors' arsenals, leading to infections that are increasingly difficult to treat. (Kaplan, 2/13)
The New York Times: Obesity Tied To Survival In Men With Melanoma
Obese men treated for metastatic melanoma may survive longer than their normal-weight peers. Researchers did a retrospective analysis of 1,918 people, 1,155 of them men, under treatment for metastatic melanoma. The study is in Lancet Oncology. (Bakalar, 2/13)
Kaiser Health News: KHN Conversation On Living Well With Dementia
Dementia is one of the most challenging chronic conditions for individuals and their caregivers. More than 15 million family members in the U.S. provide care for people with dementia. Living well with this condition is important to both groups — and extremely difficult to achieve in practice. On Feb. 13, Kaiser Health News hosted an informative and important discussion about improving care and services for people with dementia and supporting their caregivers. (2/13)
