KFF HEALTH NEWS – A new study suggests that the growing number of states legalizing sports gambling is cause for concern. Meanwhile, heart failure deaths are up, partly due to medical successes that enable people to live longer. Other news is on cancer treatments, the Senate Aging Committee, and more.
Internet searches seeking help for gambling addiction have “increased substantially” as the number of states with legalized sports betting has expanded in recent years, prompting a need for more public health awareness, according to a study released Monday. The findings “suggest that sportsbooks pose a substantial health concern,” researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and Bryn Mawr College wrote in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. (Ortiz, 2/17)
In other health and wellness news —
The New York Times: Heart Failure Deaths Are Rising. New Treatments Could Help
Heart failure is a condition that occurs when the heart can’t pump out enough blood and oxygen to meet the body’s needs. Deaths from it have been climbing steadily nationwide since 2012, wiping out earlier declines. Rising rates of metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are likely contributing.
There are medications to treat one of the two main types of heart failure, but they aren’t used as much as they should be, doctors said. “The treatments that have been proven in trials to work are not getting prescribed to people in a timely way,” said Dr. Janet Wright, the director of the division for heart disease and stroke prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Agrawal, 2/18)
The Guardian: Woman Who Had Pioneering Cancer Treatment 18 Years Ago Still In Remission
A woman treated with a pioneering type of immunotherapy for a solid tumour has been in remission for more than 18 years with no further treatments, experts have revealed. The therapy involves taking T-cells, a type of white blood cell, from a patient and genetically engineering them to target and kill cancer cells. These modified T-cells are grown in a laboratory and then infused back into the patient. (Davis, 2/17)
MedPage Today: Are Diet And Exercise The Keys To Longevity? Think Again, Expert Tells Senators
Much of what people have been taught about making America healthier is wrong, Dan Buettner, the originator of the term “Blue Zones,” told members of the Senate Aging Committee Wednesday.
Why are the people in Blue Zones living 10 years longer than Americans? “Because they’re avoiding the diseases that shorten Americans’ lives and are bankrupting us in many ways,” Buettner, of Miami, Florida, said at a hearing on “Optimizing Longevity: From Research to Action.” (Frieden, 2/17)
The Washington Post: Plain Water And Pasteurized Milk Are Best Drinks For Kids, Panel Says
Children and teens should drink water, plain pasteurized cow’s milk and limited amounts of 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices, according to healthy beverage guidelines recently released by an expert panel. In a consensus statement, the panel recommended limiting plant-based milk alternatives, flavored milk, caffeine and beverages sweetened with both sugar and nonsugar sweeteners. (Blakemore, 2/15)
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
