Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Stroke, Heart Attack Risks Rise For Any Marijuana Use: Study
CNN: Any Use Of Marijuana Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke, Study Says
Smoking, vaping or eating marijuana is linked to a significantly higher risk of heart attack and stroke, even if a person had no existing heart conditions and did not smoke or vape tobacco, a new study found. (LaMotte, 2/28)
CBS News: FDA To Develop New "Healthy" Logo This Year – Here's What Consumers Could See, And Which Foods Could Qualify
The Food and Drug Administration could roll out a new logo as soon as this year for companies to stamp on the packaging of "healthy" foods they make, aimed at clearing up confusion on what products actually should count as good for you. The new symbol will follow a long-awaited update to the FDA's definition, due to be published this April, of what foods can claim to be healthy to eat under federal rules. It comes as the agency is also working on another major new rule: front-of-package nutrition facts. (Tin, 2/27)
The New York Times: Why Is Mercury Stubbornly High In Tuna? Researchers Might Have An Answer.
Old accumulations of the toxic metal in the deep sea are circulating into shallower waters where the fish feed, new research found. (Tabuchi, 2/27)
Chicago Tribune: Can Mixed Reality Technology Help Solve The Blood Shortage?
Samantha Peterson sat in a reclining chair with a headset stretched across her face. Colorful lights danced over her eyes as she peered around the room. Through the glasses, a holographic garden bloomed. Meanwhile, a narrow tube protruded from her forearm into a blood bag dangling below. She was the latest donor to try mixed reality technology at a blood drive at the Field Museum on Tuesday. (Armanini, 2/27)
Fox News: Cancer Prevention For The Esophagus Could Be Just A Pill Away, Doctor Says: ‘Tremendous Benefit’
A vitamin-sized diagnostic could be the future of esophageal cancer prevention. Cancer of the esophagus — the muscular tube that moves food from the mouth into the stomach — has just a 20% five-year survival rate. Yet there are no standard or routine screening tests for the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Lucid Diagnostics, a New York-based biotech company, is looking to change that with its newly developed test, which only requires taking a single, pill-sized diagnostic. (Rudy, 2/27)
Mayo Clinic News Network: Why Confirmed Cases Of Lyme Disease Have Increased
Recent tracking rule changes led to a significant increase in reported Lyme disease cases in the U.S. The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated definitions to better understand the tick-borne disease. In 2022, reported cases rose by 68.5% after the new definition went into effect. (Balzer, 2/28)
KFF Health News: Say That Again: Using Hearing Aids Can Be Frustrating For Older Adults, But Necessary
It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration. Every time my husband called his father, who was 94 when he died in 2022, he’d wait for his dad to find his hearing aids and put them in before they started talking. Even then, my father-in-law could barely hear what my husband was saying. “What?” he’d ask over and over. (Graham, 2/28)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Pain specialists say injections for kids don’t have to hurt so much, and states overwhelmed by the housing crisis are using Medicaid funds to curb homelessness. (2/27)
