Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
74% Of Teachers Report Seeing Kids Coming To School Hungry Monthly
Teachers across the country are growing increasingly worried about childhood hunger, with three-quarters reporting students come to school hungry, a nationally representative survey of U.S. teachers found. Proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal food assistance program serving more than 41 million Americans, could exacerbate an already dire issue, experts say. (Habeshian, 3/17)
In other nutrition news —
For years, ranchers and some conservationists have argued that grass-fed beef is better for the planet than conventional cattle. But a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences challenges that idea, finding that cattle raised only on pastures do not have a smaller carbon footprint than feedlot cattle, which are quickly fattened on corn and other grains. (Phillips, 3/17)
With Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a critic of food additives, now at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services, other ingredients and dyes are likely to face scrutiny. Consumer advocates for years have pointed to studies that raised questions about the safety of other food colorings, and Kennedy has pledged to make cereal companies remove the dyes from their products in the US. In March, he began acting on that goal, telling executives of major food companies that he would take action if they failed to remove artificial coloring. (Edney and Shanker, 3/17)
On Parkinson's disease —
By 2050, there will be an estimated 25.2 million people living with Parkinson’s disease worldwide, a 112 percent increase from 2021, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ. The World Health Organization estimated that 8.5 million people worldwide were living with Parkinson’s disease in 2019. (Docter-Loeb, 3/17)
An artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm differentiated various forms of parkinsonian syndromes based on 3-T MRI. ... "This study is a game-changer for using a common MRI scan to differentiate Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and PSP," Okun told MedPage Today. "The method was tested on a 21-center NIH and Parkinson's study group cohort, and was simple, fast, accurate, and effective when applied on many different types of MRI scanners." (George, 3/17)
