Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Americans Are Seeking Mental Health Care In A 'Therapy Boom'
Americans of all ages are seeking far more mental-health care for conditions including anxiety, depression and substance-use problems. (Wilde Mathews and Seal, 7/14)
More Americans across age, gender and race are seeking mental health treatment than they were just two decades ago. The boom in demand reflects a growing mental health crisis and a national uptick in anxiety and depression 鈥 but also reflects healthier attitudes about therapy and more honest conversations about mental health. (Pandey, 7/15)
On other public health developments 鈥
After 26 cases and 4 hospitalizations in six states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday declared its investigation over into a聽Salmonella聽outbreak tied to raw cookie dough sold at Papa Murphy's pizza outlets. The CDC noted an increase of 8 cases and 2 hospitalizations since it first reported the outbreak in May. (Wappes, 7/14)
A study of 19,000 people has doctors taking a closer look at aspirin. The study, published last month in Annals of Internal Medicine, looked at a huge group of people 65 and older. Half were given 100 mg of aspirin daily, while the other half were given a placebo. (Boyd and Martichoux, 7/14)
A lot of Americans want to lighten their skin.聽Skin lightening, also called whitening or bleaching, is a multibillion-dollar industry with products that can damage the skin and that, researchers say, promote a dangerous message about beauty and social value. But people who use these products 鈥 primarily marketed to women 鈥 seldom understand the health risks of using the over-the-counter chemicals, Northwestern University researchers found in a study recently published in the International Journal of Women鈥檚 Dermatology.聽(Adams, 7/14)
杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News: In Older Adults, A Little Excess Weight Isn鈥檛 Such A Bad Thing
Millions of people enter later life carrying an extra 10 to 15 pounds, weight they鈥檝e gained after having children, developing joint problems, becoming less active, or making meals the center of their social lives. Should they lose this modest extra weight to optimize their health? This question has come to the fore with a new category of diabetes and weight loss drugs giving people hope they can shed excess pounds. (Graham, 7/17)
In the first global assessment of tuberculosis rates in prisons, researchers estimate that nearly half of the infections go unnoticed, making prisoners nearly 10 times more likely to develop the potentially fatal disease than the overall global population. 鈥淚 think being in prison is a double punishment,鈥 said Alberto Garc铆a-Basteiro, an associate research professor at Barcelona Institute for Global Health who was not involved in the study. 鈥淥ne, being deprived of liberty, and second, being exposed to several diseases.鈥 (Yarber, 7/14)
In developments relating to aspartame and energy drinks 鈥
About eight years ago, in response to customer concerns about possible health risks associated with the artificial sweetener aspartame, PepsiCo decided to remove the ingredient from its popular diet soda. Sales flopped. A year later, aspartame was back in Diet Pepsi. Today, the top three ingredients listed in the tiny print on the backs of cans and bottles of Diet Pepsi 鈥 and on its competitor Diet Coke 鈥 are water, caramel color and aspartame. (Creswell, 7/14)
"Our results do not indicate that occasional consumption should pose a risk to most consumers," Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the WHO, stated during a press conference in Geneva. Dr. Mona S. Jhaveri, a biotech scientist and cancer researcher in Ridgefield, Connecticut, told Fox News Digital that the likelihood of getting cancer depends on the types and the number of carcinogens that one is exposed to, as well as genetic factors.聽(Rudy, 7/14)
The government of Canada is recalling six brands of energy drinks, including Prime, over their caffeine content and labeling violations. Canada sets a legal limit on caffeine in energy drinks of 180 milligrams in a single-serving can. Prime Energy, the trendy energy drink made by YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI, contains 200 milligrams per 12-ounce can 鈥 nearly six times as much as in a regular Coca-Cola 鈥 and thus violates that country鈥檚 limits for supplemented foods. (Goodman, 7/14)
Obituaries 鈥
Evelyn Witkin, who paved the way for advances in cancer treatment and genetics by conducting groundbreaking studies on the DNA-damage response, the mechanism by which cells detect and respond to damage from chemicals, radiation and other threats, died July 8 at a rehabilitation center in Plainsboro Township, N.J. She was 102. The cause was complications from a fall, said her son, Joseph. (Smith, 7/14)