Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
To Untangle Differing Diet Trends, NIH Spends $190 Million On National Study
The Washington Post: What’s The Best Diet? A Federal Study Aims To Find Out
The federal government wants you — yes, you — to join a large and ambitious diet study that could change the way we think about the best foods to eat for optimal health. ...The National Institutes of Health is spending $189 million over five years and recruiting 10,000 adults. The goal of the study, called Nutrition for Precision Health, is to find out how different people metabolize and respond to various diets. ...Enrollment in the Nutrition for Precision Health study is open online. (O'Connor, 10/24)
NBC News: Around 20 Minutes Of Exercise A Day May Balance Out The Harms Of Sitting, Study Finds
People who have no choice but to sit at a desk for hours on end may have seen, in recent years, a slew of headlines about the scary consequences of sitting for long periods of time — and how even regular exercise couldn’t undo the damage. Research published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, however, finds that about 22 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity may provide an antidote to the ills of prolonged sitting. What’s more, the researchers found that, as a person’s activity level increases, the risk of dying prematurely from any cause goes down. (Carroll, 10/24)
Fox News: Jam Out! Listening To Your Favorite Music Can Reduce Pain, New Study Suggests
Listening to your favorite music might be beneficial to your health after all. A new study has found that those who listen to their favorite songs and performances were far more effective in reducing pain they might be feeling. Scientists published findings in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research after conducting a study in which participants received moderately painful thermal stimuli in their inner forearm, according to SWNS. Kasko, 10/25)
USA Today: Bee Pollen For Breast Growth Causing Anaphylaxis And Period Changes
On the hunt for bigger breasts, women on TikTok this summer buzzed over bee pollen: a mixture of plant and flower pollen, as well nectar and bee saliva, that accumulates on the insects’ bodies and is used for honey production. ... Now, about four months after the trend dominated women’s #FYP, videos detailing mild to severe allergic reactions and changes to menstruation, such as heavier bleeding and more painful cramps, are springing up online. These unintended consequences, experts say, serve as a reminder that “natural” isn’t always safe. (Camero, 10/24)
Stat: Parkinson's Disease Symptoms Can Now Be Tracked Via Apple Watch Apps
Since the Apple Watch was unveiled in 2014, it has been trumpeted not only as a high tech fashion accessory, but also as a way for people to track their own health and fitness. It has evolved as a popular cardio tool for such uses as heart rate monitoring, recording your ECG, and measuring the oxygen saturation of your blood. But now, after nearly a decade of development, the Apple Watch is being leveraged on an entirely new health frontier: Parkinson’s disease, the degenerative brain disorder that affects more than a half million Americans. (Aguilar, 10/24)
USA Today: Maryland Man On Road To Recovery One Month After Pig Heart Transplant
As he works hard to recover, Lawrence Faucette maintains his dream of soon returning home one month after he became the second person to receive the transplanted heart of a pig. Though highly-experimental, the procedure was seemingly the 58-year-old man's last hope to extend his life after health problems made him ineligible for a traditional heart transplant. But so far, his doctors at the University of Maryland School of Medicine say Faucette's new heart is functioning well and showing no signs of rejection. (Lagatta, 10/24)
The New York Times: What To Know About Dengue Fever As Cases Spread To New Places
Cases of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral illness that can be fatal, are surging around the world. The increase is occurring both in places that have long struggled with the disease and in areas where its spread was unheard-of until the last year or two, including France, Italy and Chad, in central Africa. Last week, health officials in Pasadena, Calif., reported a first case of locally transmitted dengue. Dengue, a viral fever, is transmitted by Aedes species of mosquitoes. It can cause excruciating joint pain; is also known by the grim nickname “breakbone fever.” (Nolen, 10/24)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Addiction experts worry a lifesaving overdose reversal drug is still too hard to get despite no longer requiring a prescription, and California bans a medical diagnosis critics say is used to cover up police misconduct. (10/19)
