Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Poll Finds Americans Aren't Drinking: Alcohol Consumption Hits 90-Year Low
The percentage of Americans who report drinking alcohol has hit a 90-year low, according to a recent Gallup poll. The results of Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits survey, released Wednesday, revealed that only 54% of U.S. adults reported drinking alcohol in 2025. This figure represents a three-year decline from 67% in 2022, and falls below the previous record low of 55% in 1958. (Lander, 8/13)
More health and wellness news —
Autism is being diagnosed earlier in young children, especially in boys, according to a major new analysis of medical records published on Tuesday. Conducted by Epic Research -- the data and analytics arm of the electronic health record software company, Epic Systems -- the analysis also found that many girls still face years-long delays in receiving a diagnosis and an increasing share of women are not diagnosed until adulthood. (Monsalve, 8/12)
Men had higher mortality and hospitalization rates after a dementia diagnosis compared with women, even after controlling for age and comorbidities, a study of 5.7 million Medicare beneficiaries showed. Crude 1-year mortality rates were lower for women with incident dementia compared with men. After adjusting for age, race, ethnicity, Medicaid dual eligibility, medical comorbidity burden, and access to healthcare resources, the hazard of death associated with male sex was 1.24, said Jay Lusk, MD, MBA, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and co-authors. (George, 8/12)
It's been more than seven years, so Benjamin Stein-Lobovits is now able to crack dad jokes about the inoperable brain cancer diagnosis he received, just before his 32nd birthday. "I like to say that I turned 30-tumor," he says. (Noguchi, 8/13)
Feel Free was launched by Botanic Tonics in 2020. Feel Free Classic contains kava root, which is touted for its relaxing effects, and kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia that’s known for its stimulant and opioid-like effects. It’s the kratom in Feel Free that has experts and health officials concerned. The Food and Drug Administration declared kratom to be an opioid in 2018 and has taken steps to crack down on products related to it. (Bellamy, 8/12)
