Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CTE Present In 3 Out Of 4 Former NFL Players Who Died From 2008 To 2023: Study
A new study estimates about 3 in 4 former National Football League players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy — an even higher level than identified in another recent study of former players. (Anos and Kounang, 10/28)
A college football team in Utah is donning some curious caps this season. As part of their regular recovery routine, many Brigham Young University players are wearing headsets that shine near-infrared light onto their scalps — and up their noses. Emerging science suggests that the devices may help the brain be more resilient to damage, potentially reducing the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma. (Peeples, 10/28)
In other health and wellness news —
More than 1 in 10 Americans (10.2%) have tried a nicotine pouch, researchers reported Oct. 28 in the journal Addiction. Further, among tobacco users — people who already smoke, vape or use chewing tobacco, for example — about 1 in every 10 were using nicotine pouches in 2024. That's more than triple the 3% of tobacco users who were using them in 2021, the study says. That’s a swift increase, given that the pouches only hit U.S. markets a decade ago, in 2016, researchers said. (Thompson, 10/29)
A new study has found that adults who stayed in school an extra year as teenagers had a lower risk of dementia later in life than those who left school sooner. Previous research has demonstrated that more education is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia, but it’s been hard to parse why. Is it formal schooling itself? Or more to do with socioeconomic status, which also affects dementia risk? In the study, researchers attempted to answer the question by using health records from the U.K. Biobank and a situation created decades ago by an education law. (Penman, 10/28)
A plant-based butter that was recently recalled has received a risk classification from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). More than 1,300 cases of Miyoko's Creamery European Style Salted Plant Milk Butter had been recalled due to concerns over yeast, mold and E. coli, according to an FDA report. The FDA on Friday classified the recall as a Class II risk level, assigned when use of or exposure to a product "may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote." (Kekatos, 10/28)
