ACSH Science Dispatch

The medical journal The Lancet recently published a detailed consensus statement classifying obesity as a disease. The statement has engendered both widespread support and criticism. Did the expert panel make the right call? Let's take a closer look.

USDA's Thrifty Food Plan aims to help low-income Americans eat well without breaking their modest budgets. It's an altruistic attempt to promote public health. But this bureaucratic project to promote nutrition lacks what so many other government programs do: the ability to incentivize healthy living at scale.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently published a study perpetuating the myth that opioid prescriptions launched the ongoing drug overdose epidemic. Two ACSH experts took the clinic to task for sloppy data analysis designed to justify a predetermined conclusion about the risks of painkillers. Let's take a closer look.

Article discussed: Opioid Bogeymen: ACSH Advisor Takes Mayo Clinic to Task, for Its Pain Management Fairytale

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Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used to control pain. They are typically quite effective and safe to use as directed. But many people can't rely on them owing to their sometimes serious side effects—including an increased risk of heart attack. In short, NSAIDs are essential drugs with real limitations. Let's take a look at the most popular of these medicines.

Article discussed: NSAIDs: Pick Your Poison

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Despite significant decreases in cholesterol numbers, cardiovascular disease rates in the US have hit a standstill. Can we restart the decline, or have we reached the limits of our ability to combat this persistent condition?

Story discussed: Chasing Cholesterol

A trucker who took CBD oil for pain control was abruptly fired after failing a drug test that found THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana, in his system. Although the product was marketed as THC free–a claim the man verified with the manufacturer–it was not and federal law mandated his termination. It's yet another case of awful drug laws and even worse science harming good people.

Story discussed:

As part of a challenge study conducted during the pandemic, 34 healthy volunteers were deliberately infected with SARS-CoV-2 to assess the potential cognitive impacts of COVID-19. Everything about the experiment, from its timing to its design, was suspect and almost certainly unethical.

Recent headlines declared that the artificial sweeteners Xylitol and Erythritol could increase your risk of stroke and heart attack. Now that the media excitement has died down, let's take a closer look at the study behind the headlines. Does it really implicate these sugar substitutes as a threat to heart health? Not exactly.

Pain patient advocates recently made their case to the FDA during an agency listening sessions, arguing that the federal government has launched an unjustified crusade against prescription opioids.

Rather than reduce overdose deaths or drug abuse, the nationwide crackdown on painkillers has only left millions of patients to suffer without recourse. Are regulators finally waking up to this reality?

Scientific American's endorsement of Kamala Harris for president ignited a ferocious debate in the science community. Is she the best choice for advancing science, as her supporters contend, or is it unwise for researchers and scientific institutions to back political candidates?