Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The American Diet Might Have Turned Corner, No Longer As Unhealthy: Study
CNN: America’s Diet Quality Moved From An F To A D. Here’s How To Turn Yours Into An A
There’s a crack of light shining through the dark clouds of America’s battle with poor nutrition and subsequent health issues, according to a new study that analyzed two decades of nutritional data. “There is good news. Americans are starting to hear the message about nutrition, and some companies and restaurants are starting to make healthier products. It’s a little bit of an improvement,” said senior study author and cardiologist Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University in Boston. (LaMotte, 6/17)
KFF Health News: Older Women Are Different Than Older Men. Their Health Is Woefully Understudied
Medical research has shortchanged women for decades. This is particularly true of older women, leaving physicians without critically important information about how to best manage their health. Late last year, the Biden administration promised to address this problem with a new effort called the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. That inspires a compelling question: What priorities should be on the initiative’s list when it comes to older women? (Graham, 6/18)
The Washington Post: Sitting And Drinking Coffee Healthier Than Sitting Without Coffee
Sedentary coffee drinkers had a 24 percent reduced risk of mortality compared with those who sat for more than six hours and didn’t drink coffee, according to the lead author of a study published recently in the journal BMC Public Health. The finding, which was not part of the original article, was calculated at The Washington Post’s request and provided by Huimin Zhou, a researcher at the Medical College of Soochow University’s School of Public Health in China and the lead author of the study on coffee and health. (McMahan, 6/17)
In cancer news —
Military.com: VA Designates Male Breast Cancer, 2 Other Cancers As Service-Connected Illnesses Under PACT Act
The Department of Veterans Affairs has added three rare cancers to its list of illnesses presumed to be caused by exposure to burn pits and other environmental toxins during the Persian Gulf War and post-9/11 combat operations. The VA announced Monday in the Federal Register that it has designated male breast cancer, urethral cancer and cancer of the paraurethral glands as presumptive diseases under the PACT Act, allowing affected veterans to file for expedited disability compensation and health care benefits. (Kime, 6/17)
The Wall Street Journal: OpenAI Expands Healthcare Push With Color Health’s Cancer Copilot
OpenAI is working with startup Color Health to expand the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare by applying its AI models to cancer screening and treatment. Color Health, which was founded as a genetic testing company in 2013, has developed an AI assistant or “copilot” using OpenAI’s GPT-4o model. The copilot helps doctors create cancer screening plans, as well as pretreatment plans for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. (Lin, 6/17)
