Good morning. Reporters get countless email pitches every day. Just yesterday, I got one that mentioned Hannah Montana in the subject line. But the pitch that kicked off Elaine Chen’s latest story is not what we typically see. The subject line read: “URGENT: PAID BOOKING.”
A new field of study for the mind-body connection
Earlier this year, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed that changing one’s diet can “cure” schizophrenia. Experts say this isn’t true, but there is a growing cohort of scientists who are interested in the connection between nutrition, diet, and mental health.
Stanford University researcher Shebani Sethi leads some of this work, in a new field she calls metabolic psychiatry. “I can’t comment on his or other people’s way of expressing science,” Sethi told STAT’s O. Rose Broderick about Kennedy’s comment. “I think we have to focus on the science, on what the data show.”
So far, Sethi finds the data promising. Read more of her conversation with Rose to learn about the patient that inspired her interest in this connection, what gaps this burgeoning field could fill, and whether Kennedy’s comments have garnered more interest in her research.
We know poor diets can lead to heart disease. But long-ago lead exposure?
Two very different risk factors for coronary artery disease each led to 4 million deaths worldwide in 2023, two new analyses from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimate. One danger is rooted in the food we eat and the other in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the products we use (cookware, cosmetics), which could allow lead to seep into — and stay — in our bodies, hardening our arteries.
A study published Monday in JAMA reminds us that the problem of lead is still with us, even as cardiovascular deaths plummeted after the U.S. passed laws limiting lead exposure 50 years ago. But people born in the lead-heavy years of 20th century industrialization still carry the toxin. And other countries without strict lead limits are still seeing harms. You can read my story here.
The 4 million deaths attributed to poor diet also varied widely by region, a report also out Monday in Nature Medicine said. Central Asia had the highest death rates, while the high-income Asia Pacific region reported the lowest burden. Rather than any single food group, the culprits were not enough protective elements such as omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood and or the fiber, fruits, and vegetables in healthy diets. — Elizabeth Cooney
‘Unconscionable’
That’s what the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders called biopharma company Gilead for refusing to sell its HIV prevention treatment directly to the humanitarian organization. The move came after months of talks in which Doctors Without Borders asked Gilead Sciences for a “limited” supply of lenacapavir, which has been in demand after research showed a single set of injections every six months offers virtually complete protection from infection. STAT’s Ed Silverman has everything you need to know about the latest dispute over this groundbreaking drug.
When the YouTube promotion goes too far
Psychedelics companies are at a pivotal moment. Two years ago, the FDA rejected a contentious application from Lykos Therapeutics for MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Now, several biotechs have advanced into late-stage trials, and the FDA could soon approve the first psilocybin treatment. Which is why STAT’s Elaine Chen was interested when she saw the YouTube videos, made by influencers and paid for by marketing agencies for drug developers.
“What if one dose of a nasal spray could do what years of antidepressants could not, and it only takes 90 minutes? That is not hypothetical. That is real clinical data,” one video claimed about a drug candidate from AtaiBeckley. Another video about a biotech called Helus Pharma said the FDA had just handed the company “a golden ticket.”
Paid promotion isn’t new, but these videos make exaggerated claims about investigational drugs. Read more from Elaine about the mistaken email pitch that started her down this road of reporting, what companies had to say about the promotions, and the impact they could have on the field overall.
The bright side: gender euphoria and mental health
You’ve heard of gender dysphoria – the diagnosis for the psychological distress that many transgender people experience when their identity doesn’t align with their sex assigned at birth. Gender euphoria consists of the positive feelings one experiences related to gender expression and having one’s gender affirmed. It can look like a collection of small moments: dressing in a more masculine or feminine way, getting a new haircut, being called by your new name, being referred to by the correct pronouns. It feels good, and a new report from the Trevor Project shows that, among trans and nonbinary young people, gender euphoria is associated with real, positive mental health outcomes.
The survey of nearly 1,000 trans and nonbinary people ages 13 to 24 found that higher levels of gender euphoria are associated with 47% lower odds of depression, 37% lower odds of anxiety, and 37% lower odds of suicidal ideation. Respondents rated how much they agree or disagree with gender-positive statements, and the average answer translated to a measurement of euphoria. Older respondents tended to experience more euphoria than younger ones, which the authors hypothesized could be related to better access to resources like health care.
HSAs want to rebrand
Republicans have for years wanted to expand the use of health savings accounts. Now, with the momentum gained through reforms passed in last summer’s tax bill, a coalition of industry groups have formed a nonprofit called the Great American Health Alliance (GAHA) to continue pushing for more.
The group is trying to rebrand HSAs as “healthier spending accounts” and recently conducted a poll that frames HSAs as owning health care and health insurance as renting it. But perhaps more importantly: as a 501(c)(4), GAHA can engage in unlimited lobbying, support political candidates, and avoid disclosing where it gets its money. Read more from STAT’s John Wilkerson.
What we’re reading
A nursing home owner got a Trump pardon. The families of his patients got nothing, ProPublica
The luxury birth center breaking hearts on the Upper East Side, The Cut
- First Opinion: America needs more clinics of last resort for patients who can’t get answers, STAT
- The camps promising to turn you — or your son — into an alpha male, New Yorker
- First Opinion: How the next CDC director can win back America’s trust, STAT
