News Above the Noise—Week of May 5, 2024

1. It Was a Big Week for Women’s Health

This week, we saw a number of stories focused on an important topic: women’s health. Here are some of the headlines that grabbed our attention:

• A 20-year follow-up to the landmark women’s health study that scared women and doctors away from menopause hormone therapy reassured us that there’s no need to fear these important treatments. Read more here.
• Women should be screened for breast cancer every other year starting at age 40, according to official new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force—a considerable drop in age from the prior recommendation of biennial screenings no later than age 50. Read more here.
• Halle Berry and a group of bipartisan senators pushed for legislation that would allocate $275 million towards research and education around menopause. Read more here.
• The C-section rate has gone up again, with about one in three births in the U.S. C-section deliveries—well above the 10 to 15 percent the World Health Organization considers ideal. Read more here.

2. What’s Really Happening on College Campuses

POLITICO Magazine asked leaders of campus news organizations to set the record straight about the unrest and antisemitism happening on college campuses around the country, including what the media is getting wrong. Interested in hearing what editors-in-chief of campus publications from 13 different colleges and universities have to say about how support for Palestinians has surged, how their peers define antisemitism, and what the political consequences of these protests might be? Click here.

3. Children and Adults are Gobbling Supplements

A new government study found that nearly 60 percent of adults take vitamins, minerals, fish oil, herbs, melatonin, probiotics, and other supplements. While experts say vitamin and mineral supplements are generally safe, taking them does come with some risks—and research shows that for many healthy adults, it’s not always clear that the benefits outweigh those risks. For more on this topic, click here.

4. It’s Time We Start Treating Sugar Like Cigarettes

In a must-read opinion piece, Mark Hyman, MD, and Ron Gutman outline how the food we eat impact every aspect of our lives and our bodies—and how one of those foods is particularly dangerous: sugar. “As researchers in functional medicine, longevity, AI, and nutrition, as well as inventors of health-enhancing and life-saving solutions, we have dedicated our professional lives to improving the health and well-being of millions everywhere,” write Dr. Hyman and Gutman. “And while we applaud the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) taking important strides to pass mandatory front-of-package labeling for packaged foods in the U.S., this is a change that cannot come soon enough. Everyone’s health depends on it.” To read the story, click here.