Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Outgoing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's Advice: 'Choose Community'
The Hill: Surgeon General Offers 'Parting Prescription' For US
Outgoing U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy offered a “parting prescription” to the U.S. in a document released Tuesday. “As I finish my tenure as Surgeon General, this is my parting prescription, my final wish for all of us: Choose community,” Murthy said in the document, which People magazine first reported on. Murthy has served as the surgeon general in the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, but he was fired by President-elect Trump in 2017. At the time, the firing of Murthy sparked an accusation from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) that then-President Trump was politicizing the surgeon general position. President-elect Trump has picked former Fox News contributor and medical doctor Janette Nesheiwat as his nominee for surgeon general in his next administration. (Suter, 1/7)
In science and research —
Stat: Scientists Find Links Between Alzheimer's, Herpes, And Head Trauma
Decades of epidemiological data have shown that infections with herpes simplex virus type 1, or HSV-1 can raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in certain people. So can a history of head injury. The new research, published Tuesday in Science Signaling, is the first to connect the dots between them, and adds to mounting evidence that this most common form of dementia can be caused by an everyday microbe. ... The results suggest that athletes, military personnel, and other people suffering concussions could be triggering the reanimation of latent infections in the brain that can lead to Alzheimer’s later in life. (Molteni, 1/7)
The Guardian: Daily Glass Of Milk May Cut Bowel Cancer Risk By Fifth, Research Finds
Having a large glass of milk every day may cut the risk of bowel cancer by nearly a fifth, according to the largest study conducted into diet and the disease. An extra daily 300mg of calcium, about the amount found in half a pint of milk, was associated with a 17% lower risk of bowel cancer, researchers said, with non-dairy sources of calcium such as fortified soy milk having a similar protective effect. (Sample, 1/8)
The Guardian: Coffee Drinkers Reap Health Boost – But Only If They Do It In The Morning
People who get their coffee hit in the morning reap benefits that are not seen in those who have shots later in the day, according to the first major study into the health benefits of the drink at different times. (Sample, 1/8)
