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good morning. Yesterday I was looking for a sign of hope and found this. I can finally spell the word “diarrhea” with confidence. Please see below for the latest information on cysts, measles, etc.
FDA advisory council almost wins on peptides
After a two-day meeting last week, an FDA advisory committee recommended making six of the seven peptides it considered easier to access. In a closely contested vote, panelists voted in favor of allowing compounding pharmacies to manufacture the peptide, despite scant evidence about its safety and effectiveness. Each peptide has specific indications, but if the recommendations become policy, they could effectively be applied to a variety of conditions.
FDA is not required to follow the committee’s recommendations, and in fact, FDA officials said they oppose relaxing access for either peptide. Normally, the same employees would make the final decision, but Trump administration leaders could overturn that decision. Read more from STAT’s Lizzy Lawrence on the final vote results and what happens next.
Latest information on measles and cystospermia
You may remember that 2025 was the worst year for measles outbreaks in the United States in decades. By July, the country had already recorded more infections than in every year since 1992, with 2,289 confirmed cases by the end of the year. Now, halfway through 2026, we have broken records again.
The CDC recorded 2,318 measles cases as of Thursday, according to the agency’s update on Friday. And this is almost certainly an underestimate, with large outbreaks in South Carolina, Utah and Arizona, and smaller clusters in other states. AP has more details.
At the same time, the agency is investigating the country’s largest outbreak of Cyclospora, a parasite that causes diarrhea. The list of affected states includes the original five states of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, as well as Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. In a new first-opinion essay, a former FDA food safety official argues for the importance of microbial food safety when promoting an “eat real food” agenda like the Trump administration. read more.
Ultra-processed baby food is a continuing trend
Still, speaking of real food, more than 80% of the infant food sold in grocery stores in Austin, Texas, is ultra-processed, researchers report in a new study presented at the Nutrition 2026 conference this past weekend. The study looked at a total of 2,783 foods marketed specifically to children aged 6 to 36 months, including fruit pouches, granola bars, and various types of “puff” foods. Almost 50% of the foods included in the study did not meet at least one of the World Health Organization’s food standards for children, which focus on limiting excess sugar, sodium, fat and calories. Ultra-processed foods most often did not meet sugar content standards.
As STAT’s Sarah Todd previously reported, ultra-processed infant and toddler foods have dominated children’s foods for years. Read Sarah’s comments on Calls from Nutrition Professionals for more policies on product reformulation, improved nutrition labeling, and honest marketing to help families make healthier food choices. — lauren chan
How RFK Junior’s promotion of nutrition will play out in medical school
About one-third of MD programs and about 40% of DO programs have committed to prioritizing nutrition as part of a new HHS initiative aimed at increasing physicians’ understanding of how food affects our health. The agency recommended 71 broad topics that medical schools should consider adding to their curricula. But experts say there is little evidence to support some of MAHA’s favorites, such as personal biomonitoring using wearables. STAT’s Lauren Chan spoke to medical school leaders about how they’re embracing the government’s nutrition push while avoiding content they consider questionable or simply irrelevant.
“If it all turns into a ‘healthy pipeline of green juice and turmeric and low-carbohydrate diets,’ that just takes us away from recognizing the real nutritional issues,” nutrition professor Kevin Klatt told her. Find out more about how schools are preparing for next year.
Wildfires are dangerous and a headache
When wildfires spread fine particulate matter into the air, emergency room visits for migraines and other headache symptoms increase, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open. Researchers analyzed the association between daily concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and emergency department visits during wildfire season in Alberta and Ontario, Canada. PM 2.5 from wildfires was associated with a 6% increase in emergency department visits.
Notably, the association was less strong in “materially and socially disadvantaged” areas, although it remained statistically significant. This research resonated with many STAT employees based in the northeastern United States after we ourselves were exposed to Canadian wildfire smoke earlier this month. I had a lot of headaches! (And if you haven’t seen the apocalyptic photos of the French wildfires at the top of this New York Times article, I highly recommend you do.)
what we are reading
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How Illinois prisons drove desperate people to self-immolation, The Marshall Project
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Trump administration allows cutting off subsidies to states that didn’t vote for him, New York Times
- Opinion: How midwives like me can help fight medical misinformation, STAT
- Why Lettuce Always Makes People Sick, Wired
- Opinion: Electric bikes, scooters are a growing pediatric public health emergency, STAT
