Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Want To Lower Risk Of Death? Try Moving Vigorously A Few Times A Day
NBC News: Just A Couple Minutes Of Vigorous Activity Several Times A Day Might Lower One's Risk Of Death
Just one to two minutes of such activity three to four times daily, the results showed, was associated with an up to 40% lower risk of death over the course of seven years, relative to the people who did not engage in any vigorous activity. The risk of dying from heart disease was reduced even further: up to 49%. (Bendix, 12/8)
In other health and wellness news —
The Washington Post: Heart Attacks And Fatty Foods: Pity The Sports Fan Whose Team Loses
It’s not easy being a sports fan. Major sporting events often are linked with heart attacks, high stress, over-drinking and unhealthy eating habits. ... During the 2006 World Cup in Germany, researchers studied the relationships between emotional stress and cardiovascular events. ... They found that, overall, viewing a stressful soccer match more than doubles the risk of an acute cardiovascular event. The risk was greater for men, who were 3.3 times as likely to have a heart event on a match day than at other times. For women’s sports fans, the risk was 1.82 times higher. (Parker-Pope, 12/8)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: ‘It’s Killing Our Babies’: 12-Year-Old From Richmond Heights Dies Attempting TikTok Challenge, Family Says
A 12-year-old boy from Richmond Heights died Tuesday after trying a dangerous game from social media that has gone viral, his family says. Tristan Casson died attempting the “blackout challenge” on TikTok, one of the world’s most popular apps, the boy’s mother, Taylor Davis said. As part of it, participants are challenged to hold their breath or asphyxiate themselves until they pass out. (Walsh, 12/8)
Newsweek: Lethal Injections Are To Blame For Over 100 Botched Executions In America
A total of 1,377 inmates have been put to death with a lethal injection in the past 40 years, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). In those four decades, experts told Newsweek that at least 100 inmates have endured botched procedures. (Rahman, 12/8)
CBS News: What Is Stiff-Person Syndrome, The Disorder Impacting CéLine Dion's Ability To Sing?
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, stiff-person syndrome, otherwise known as Moersch-Woltman syndrome, is a "rare neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease." The illness causes the body to become rigid and more sensitive to noise, touch and emotional distress. That heightened sensitivity can cause muscle spasms, as well as "hunched over and stiffened" postures," according to the institute. (Cohen, 12/8)
The Colorado Sun: How Bad Are Public Toilets? Terrifying, CU Boulder Researchers Say
Intrepid and iron-stomached researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder are using laser light and green dye to show the cloud of aerosols that erupts when you flush a high-powered public toilet. It’s almost beautiful. But it’s definitely not pretty. Toilet plumes emit a cloud at once putrid and pathogenic. (Booth, 12/9)
