Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
E. Coli In Meat Linked To Bladder Infections
More than half a million urinary tract infections in the U.S. each year may be caused by E. coli strains from meat products, a new study reported Thursday. Using a new genomic approach to track the origins of E. coli infections, researchers from George Washington University estimated that 480,000 to 640,000 UTIs may be caused by the foodborne bacteria, according to the analysis published in the peer-reviewed journal One Health. (Rodriguez, 3/23)
Introducing peanut butter to babies as young as 4 months could dramatically reduce the rate of peanut allergies in infants, a new study suggests. The study, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found there was a 77% reduction in peanut allergies when the food was consumed by 4-month-old infants who had severe eczema and at 6 months for infants with mild or no eczema. (Rudy, 3/23)
Current guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend screening adults ages 35-70 who are considered overweight or obese (having a body mass index over 25). However, racial and ethnic minority groups, especially Asian people, tend to develop diabetes at lower BMIs, so to identify more people with the condition across groups, all adults ages 35-70 regardless of their weight should be screened, researchers said in a study Friday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. (Chen, 3/24)
More than 4 in 10 U.S. adults are obese, with states in the South and Midwest showing some of the highest prevalence, a new analysis from NORC at the University of Chicago shows. Obesity is associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and other conditions that are among the leading causes of preventable, premature death. (Dreher, 3/23)
About Fresh, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Food is Medicine Research Initiative, is partnering with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to create a large-scale demonstration project aimed at using healthy food to improve veterans' health. About Fresh, a startup focused on integrating healthy food into the healthcare system, began bringing fresh produce to Boston food deserts in converted school buses. But Josh Trautwein founded About Fresh with no attachment to the means, but rather the ends: food is medicine overall, not necessarily food trucks as a way to get there. (Burky, 3/23)
