Smartphone apps claim to help conditions from addiction to schizophrenia, but few have been thoroughly tested. John Torous (Beth Israel Deaconess) is quoted.
Two recent studies suggest eating full-fat dairy foods instead of their thinner-tasting low-fat or nonfat substitutes may help cut risk for diabetes and obesity. Susanne Rautiainen (Brigham and Women’s) led one of the studies.
A group of Harvard students, with the support of some faculty, has launched a campaign to create a department of family medicine at HMS. Jeffrey Flier (HMS dean), Russell Phillips (Beth Israel Deaconess), Richard Schwartzstein (Beth Israel Deaconess), Kristen Goodell (HMS), Katherine Miller (Cambridge Health Alliance), Lydia Flier (HMS student) and Ashley Shaw (HMS student) are quoted.
More than two dozen leading cancer researchers and advocates, including Levi Garraway (Dana-Farber), will advise Vice President Joseph Biden’s cancer “moonshot” initiative as members of a blue ribbon panel announced by the Obama administration.
Manufacturers of some dietary supplements have been using a stimulant in their products while falsely claiming it is a dietary ingredient, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has announced new steps to crack down on the practice. Pieter Cohen (Cambridge Health Alliance) is quoted.
New statistics on death rates in the U.S. appear to confirm that obesity is reversing decades of steady expansion in Americans’ life spans. David Ludwig (Boston Children’s) is quoted.
When it comes to urgent medical problems like ankle injuries or suspected strep, virtual MDs may be no match for the real thing, a new U.S. study suggests. Jeffrey Linder (Brigham and Women’s) and David Levine (Brigham and Women’s) are quoted.
