Texas is considering a MAHA-style warning label for food additives

Plus: When is a promise not a promise?

June 11, 2025 Check out STAT+

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By Theresa Gaffney Morning Rounds Writer and Podcast Producer

Good morning. After reading a New York Times story about how rare appendix cancer is becoming more common among younger generations, I ended up going deep into STAT's own archives, to a 2016 story by Eric Boodman about one man's quest to get a grueling procedure — known as "the mother of all surgeries" — to address the same disease.

fact-check Just kidding — NIH restores DEI prohibition for grant recipients As you might remember, on Monday, the NIH rescinded a 7-week-old directive that required universities and other research institutes to certify they don't have unlawful DEI programs or boycotts of Israel in order to receive research dollars. But apparently, just hours after STAT's Anil Oza reported on the change, the agency reinstated the policy without explanation. An HHS spokesperson declined to explain the sequence of events, but confirmed to Anil that, "The April policy is still policy of the NIH." Read more on the whiplash beat. lgbtq+ health New data analysis on trans health and wellbeing Earlier this spring, the CDC confirmed it would no longer process transgender identity data, including in critical health surveys like the YRBS for high school students and the BRFS for adults. (By the way — if anyone knows how the implementation of these surveys has been going this year, I'd love to hear about it. I'm theresagaff.97 on Signal.) "Those are some of the most important surveys in the nation," Ankit Rastogi, the director of research at Advocates for Trans Equity (A4TE), told me in March. "We're going to really have to fill in the gaps with our work." Today, A4TE released new data analysis on the health and wellbeing of more than 84,000 trans adults who participated in its 2022 U.S. Trans Survey. Here are some notable findings: Social and medical transition was associated with better health — 67% of respondents who socially transitioned and 70% of those who medically transitioned reported good or better health compared to 61% and 58% respectively for those who had not. Survey respondents were also insured at lower rates — 87% as opposed to 92% in the general population Most respondents — 88% — reported a desire for gender-affirming hormone therapy, but just 56% reported ever receiving it. Nine percent of respondents (all of whom identified as trans when they took the survey) had gone back to living as their sex assigned at birth at some point in their life. Just 0.36% who had medically transitioned did this. Common reasons cited included difficulty being trans within one's local community, experiencing too much harassment or discrimination, and parental pressure. In the year prior to taking the survey, 38% of respondents considered suicide, and 41% of those people made plans. Seventy-eight percent of respondents had considered suicide at some point during their life, with 40% having attempted. Experiencing verbal harassment or being denied equal treatment or service was associated with higher likelihood of suicidality. policy Texas considers a MAHA-style warning labels A Texas bill before Gov. Greg Abbott could be the first of its kind in the U.S. to put warning labels on foods that contain any of 44 additives and dyes. If Abbott signs the bill, it would be an experiment in using warning labels about additives, rather than nutrients like salt or fat, to shift how people eat, STAT's Sarah Todd reports. But it would also be a new test for the food industry, which will surely seek out ways to resist it. Starting in 2027, foods like Doritos and M&Ms would be required to brandish high-contrast labels with the phrase "WARNING: This product contains an ingredient that is not recommended for human consumption by the appropriate authority in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom." Nutrition experts told Sarah that the jury is still out on how well a label like this could improve public health outcomes. But they also applauded the growing interest in red states to enact policies aimed at improving food quality. Read more.

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politics When is a promise not a promise? STAT/Alex Hogan  When health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gutted the panel of experts that advises the CDC on vaccines Monday, there was one question on everyone's mind — what will Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) have to say about this? While Kennedy was trying to get confirmed as health secretary, Cassidy sharply criticized his views on vaccines, then decided to support him anyhow. Cassidy cast the key vote to confirm Kennedy in February, but only after noting that Kennedy had given him reassurances on vaccines. So did the move to fire ACIP members break the promise Kennedy gave Cassidy? In his latest video, STAT's Alex Hogan talks with our new DC reporter Chelsea Cirruzzo about the details of the promise, and how the relationship between these two powerful players in Washington has evolved. Watch the video now. In the meantime, the ousted members of the ACIP are reeling from their unexpected dismissals, and many are laying low at the request of academic institutions that fear reprisals from the Trump administration. But Helen Chu, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Washington, agreed to speak with STAT's Helen Branswell about the experience. Read the conversation here, in which Chu discusses her fears for the future of vaccine policy, the prospect of a nation with a patchwork approach to vaccination, and, in her view, the diminished reputation of a committee that has been viewed as the global standard. medicine The AMA takes on one of MAHA's favorite issues The American Medical Association announced yesterday afternoon that its voting members adopted new policies, and they sound…kind of MAHA. One policy calls for promoting public awareness and education about unhealthy ultra-processed foods, and more nutrition classes in medical education. Kennedy has said plans to announce federal funding cuts by next year to medical schools that don't teach "how to treat [disease] with food or to keep people healthy so they don't need the drugs," ABC News reported. A second policy dives into the national debate about alcohol (which MAHA has yet to take a clear stance on). The AMA said it would boost public — and clinician — awareness of how alcohol increases the risk of certain cancers, with a particular focus on breast cancer. The group also threw its support behind "evidence-based efforts to minimize alcohol use," including stronger language on alcohol risks in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and better labeling of alcoholic products. Consumer advocates have for years pushed for more robust ingredient and warning labels on alcohol; federal regulators are considering that, too. "The labels should be prominently displayed and include the number of standard drinks per container and align with current guidelines on alcohol consumption, as well as the best available science," the AMA said in a press release. — Isabella Cueto  health & safety Surgeons group makes statement on e-bikes Last week, the American College of Surgeons issued a statement on another hot topic these days: electric bicycle safety and injury prevention. The statement aims to address public safety as the pedelecs become increasingly popular. Two days before ACS issued its statement, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced that he plans to institute a 15 mph citywide speed limit on e-bikes.  Exact speed limits were not mentioned in the recommendations from ACS, first put together by its trauma committee. The group does recommend that regions have specific policies on age limits, helmet requirements, and "rules of the road" for these riders. Here are some of the other recommendations: They recommend universal helmet use — but the type of helmet used depends on how fast the e-bike can go. (There are three classes of e-bikes, the first two of which reach around 20 mph, with the third topping out at 28 mph.) The group advocates for new International Classification of Disease codes that specifically identify injuries involved with e-bikes and include the type of bike, the circumstances of the crash, and the speeds involved.  Trauma centers that see high rates of patients with e-bike injuries should consider introducing targeted safety outreach programs.

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theresa.gaffney@statnews.com

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