Most of the seafood and half the fresh fruit Americans eat are produced abroad. But FDA inspections are at record lows in the wake of federal staffing cuts, increasing the risks of outbreaks: www.propublica.org/article/fore...

Anyone who's delivered a baby at a hospital has probably been hooked up to a fetal monitor. I had no idea the tech was so unreliable — and that it was leading to potentially unnecessary C-sections. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/h...

Sometimes doctors "fake" CPR. It's called a "slow code" in medical parlance. But "slow code" is really an umbrella term for all types of insincere attempts at CPR. Here's a clip from my new @statnews.com video on the topic

You may have seen ads touting microdosing GLP-1s in the past few months. The weird thing is there's no good evidence that microdosing weight-loss drugs works! Read @katiepalmer.bsky.social on why telehealth companies are touting the programs anyway: www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/m...

A great profile from @isabellacueto.bsky.social about LA-vegan-restaurateurs-turned-tallow-embracing-MAHA-evangelists in small-town Texas. www.statnews.com/2025/10/16/m...

Don't miss @isabellacueto.bsky.social on Texas as the epicenter of MAHA, including Austin, where "matcha-sipping yogis, spiritual slackliners, and buff entrepreneurs bonding in saunas all tend to share a certain streak — individualistic, and politically mutable." www.statnews.com/2025/11/03/m...

To summarize: - The FDA's top drug regulator is out. - He and the FDA's top biologics official are in open warfare. - A lawsuit accuses him of extortion, and he accuses a former associate of the same. Via @lizzylawrence.bsky.social @adamfeuerstein.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/f...

"Whole Foods tried to have a soul" www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/d...

Absolutely chilling story by @aniloza.bsky.social on censorship in grant titles at NIH and how researchers are complying and sometimes fighting back. "They are trying to make people afraid to use the word equity," said one program officer. "It's highly effective." www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...

The Trump administration is rolling back benefits that required “reproductive cancer of any type” be covered for veterans, arguing that it doesn't apply to men diagnosed with breast cancer because male breasts are not reproductive organs. www.propublica.org/article/vete...

just flagging that this story is wonderful and poignant all the way through 🥹 www.statnews.com/2025/10/27/h...

A reminder from @sarah-todd.bsky.social that politics — and policy-making — can have very real consequences for people's lives. www.statnews.com/2025/10/27/s...

“We need to remember that SNAP is the safety net,” Lindsay Allen told @sarah-todd.bsky.social at @statnews.com. “Below the safety net is concrete.” www.statnews.com/2025/10/27/s...

One way to make friends when you start a job in a remote newsroom: "If someone publishes anything I like, I’ll find them on Slack and compliment them on it and maybe that will start a conversation." thewritethrough.substack.com/p/compliment...

The Labor Dept reports that immigration crackdowns are threatening “the stability of domestic food production and prices for U.S. consumers.” www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

ICYMI: Very good article by Jason Karlawish in @statnews.com on "deconstructing" (subdividing/redefining) dementia. www.statnews.com/2025/10/14/d... He's always great on dementia but I found this piece especially clarifying.

Protein Pop-Tarts are here, with 10 grams of protein per serving and 31 grams of sugar (that's more sugar than 25 gram daily limit recommended by the AHA) www.axios.com/2025/10/14/p...

"I’m not at all interested in pretending I’m some sort of high-level intellectual with no stake in the world ... I exist in the messy, close-to-the-ground level at which things are sometimes life and death." Lydia Namubiru, EIC of The Continent thewritethrough.substack.com/p/im-not-int...

Today is my three-year anniversary at @statnews.com! So glad to be a part of this incredible newsroom.

"Of all the different addictions, whether it's heroin and cocaine or alcohol ... gambling is the one that is most closely associated with suicidality." Stephen M. Taylor, American Society of Addiction Medicine president, at #STATSummit

“Everybody is so caught up in their own research, nobody has the time, even if they agree something doesn’t sound right, to devote to trying to debunk it,” said Smoliga, who now works in Tufts University’s physical therapy program, in an interview. “I did.” Bravo & thank you @jsmoliga.bsky.social

Come for the captivating details like a $5k portrait of RFK Jr with no bidders, stay for @isabellacueto.bsky.social's nuanced portrait of MAHA-friendly regenerative farming in Texas www.statnews.com/2025/10/16/m...

European lawmakers have voted to bar plant-based meat companies from using words like "burger," "steak," and "sausage" — a big win for agriculture lobby. The EU already bans vegan brands like Oatly from calling their products "milk": www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/b...

A new law moves California to the forefront of state action on UPFs The policy will phase out "UPFs of concern" based on "addictive potential, scientific evidence of their health risks and existing bans, restrictions or warning labels in other states or countries"

As more states legalize marijuana, mental health experts have raised concerns about THC's potential to trigger & exacerbate psychosis. A new study finds cannabis use rose by nearly 10% among people with psychosis post-legalization, writes @rosebroderick.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/08/m...

Many patients don't think about supplements in the same way they do as drugs — but supplements can have very real side effects. "15 million American adults take a supplement that could potentially cause liver toxicity, like turmeric or red yeast rice." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/w...

Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...

I wrote about how the rise of "clean medicine" and over-the-counter homeopathic products aimed at kids has created a climate where unfounded claims about Tylenol can flourish: www.statnews.com/2025/10/07/t...

Telehealth companies have found it's hard to profit from access to medical providers — but access to drugs is good business. @katiepalmer.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/t...

Pregnant women are excluded from many drug trials over concerns about the risks to the women and their babies. But as @lizzylawrence.bsky.social reports, the lack of data leaves the door open to confusion and misinformation. www.statnews.com/2025/10/02/c...

This is a difficult read, but so important -- hundreds of patients claim a doctor sexually abused them between 2011-2023, while his colleagues protected him and institutions dragged out investigations while allowing him to keep practicing. apps.bostonglobe.com/metro/invest...

Sushi to go is one of the fastest-growing segments in supermarkets, popular among both men and women and appealing to health-conscious types. (I've been known to partake in grocery store sushi myself!) www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/d...

Enjoyed chatting with Here & Now about the perimenopause business boom: www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

Sales of super-premium butter are on the rise, with one Vermont brand's flash sales of a $60-a-pound variety selling out within minutes. It's the allure of little luxuries: "a bit of a treat without going crazy," says one customer. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Journalists are supposed to develop personal brands. But sometimes it's hard to commit to a brand — or how we identify can change over time. thewritethrough.substack.com/p/im-not-a-r...

About a month ago, my best friend asked: "Why is everyone I know talking about perimenopause?" For STAT, I dove into the zeitgeist around perimenopause (the run-up to menopause, which can last for years) and the businesses capitalizing on the moment. www.statnews.com/2025/09/29/p...

Parents may flock to a dietary supplement with the same key ingredient as leucovorin, which the FDA just approved for children with autism. But there are drawbacks. www.statnews.com/2025/09/23/l...

Trump repeatedly and forcefully issued direct medical advice during his autism announcement, in ways that went beyond presidential precedent. www.statnews.com/2025/09/23/t...

The USDA is ending its food insecurity survey, which supporters say is essential to tracking how many Americans struggle to get enough food on the table. Last year's 2023 survey showed a 3% increase from 2022 in food insecurity. www.npr.org/2025/09/22/n...

Artists Sarah Cassidy and Akiva Leffert worked together to turn an abandoned New York City subway newsstand into a "dinosaur bodega" art installation, complete with dinosaur-themed magazines, snacks and a "cave for rent" advertisement.

Ritual pre-natal vitamins are trendy — but they're missing folic acid, the key ingredient for preventing neural tube defects. Instead, they use another kind of folate. But "there haven’t been any clinical trials showing that methylfolate prevents neural-tube defects." www.thecut.com/article/fola...

Ousted CDC director Susan Monarez says Kennedy told her he plans to change the childhood vaccine schedule this month: “He did not have any data or science to point to." www.statnews.com/2025/09/17/c...

Surgeon general nominee Casey Means' ties to the supplement industry were already a cause of concern for some critics. New disclosures show how much money she made from promoting them (story by me and @isabellacueto.bsky.social): www.statnews.com/2025/09/16/c...

A lot of Americans — including doctors — wrongly think nicotine causes cancer. Public health experts worry this myth is stopping people who smoke from switching to products that would reduce their risk of cancer and other diseases: www.statnews.com/2025/09/10/n...

"The reality is no one is going to care about seed oils or tallow if the product or meal is costing them 3x the price of what is readily available out there." www.snaxshot.com/p/people-don...

"I couldn’t help but think it was exactly what the Trump administration wanted me to do: erase the background that is so important to me, and to my science." www.statnews.com/2025/09/05/n...

RFK Jr said at today's hearing that he's not taking away access to Covid shots. But as @matthewherper.bsky.social explains, pharmacies in 16 states are now restricting access: www.statnews.com/2025/09/04/c...

This hearing is pretty extraordinary, including RFK claiming that he fired ex-CDC director Susan Monarez because "I asked her if she was a trustworthy person and she said no" www.statnews.com/2025/09/04/h...

SNAP cuts went into effect Labor Day, giving poor Americans less money to spend on the food the MAHA movement emphasizes is so necessary to health. @isabellacueto.bsky.social spoke to people on SNAP at a farmer's market ahead of the cuts: www.statnews.com/2025/09/03/w...

The UK plans to ban the sale of energy drinks to kids under 16 over concerns about the health effects of high doses of caffeine, joining a number of other countries with bans in place: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/w...