Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Feeling Sleepy? You're Not Alone: Nearly Half Of US Adults Aren't Getting Enough Z's
MedPage Today: CDC Study Reveals A Sleep-Deprived Nation
Nearly half of U.S. adults may not be getting enough sleep, CDC survey data suggested. In 2024, 30.5% of adults slept less than 7 hours per night on average, falling short of recommended guidelines, said Amanda Ng, PhD, MPH, of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in Hyattsville, Maryland, and co-authors. Only 54.8% of Americans woke feeling well-rested most days or every day, Ng and colleagues reported in NCHS Data Brief. Overall, 15.4% had trouble falling sleep, and 18.1% had trouble staying asleep. Women were more likely than men to have trouble falling and staying asleep, and were less likely than men to wake up well-rested. (George, 4/29)
In other health and wellness news —
The Washington Post: Carbon Pollution Is Making Food Less Nutritious And Risking Health Of Billions
Surging concentrations of carbon in the atmosphere have produced potent changes in the way plants grow, draining the nutrients from food. (Ahmed and Kaplan, 4/30)
CIDRAP: Air Pollution Linked To Recurrent Respiratory Infections In Infants
Exposure to common urban air pollutants in the first year of life is associated with a higher burden of respiratory infections and wheezing, according to a longitudinal study led by the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. The findings were presented late last week at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2026 Meeting in Boston. (Bergeson, 4/29)
CNN: Even Small Amounts Of Ultraprocessed Foods Increase Risk For Dementia, Study Says
Increasing your daily consumption of ultraprocessed foods by 10% — basically the equivalent of a small bag of potato chips — may raise your risk of dementia even if you normally eat a healthy plant-rich diet, according to a new study. (LaMotte, 4/29)
San Francisco Chronicle: Ghirardelli Recalls More Than A Dozen Products
San Francisco-based chocolatier Ghirardelli has issued a voluntary recall of certain powdered beverage mixes after a supplier flagged potential Salmonella contamination in an ingredient, the company said Wednesday. The recall affects more than a dozen bulk products — including chocolate and white frappe mixes, hot cocoa powders and flavored drink bases — that were primarily distributed to restaurants and other food service customers. (Vaziri, 4/29)
