🚨 Childhood trauma warning

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Childhood trauma can raise the risk of developing major diseases later in life that vary based on a person's unique experiences and even their sex, new research concludes.

Why it matters: Although it's been widely understood that trauma early in life has real-world health impacts, the findings shed light on how different life experiences can shape the way the body functions and make a person susceptible to chronic diseases.

• Understanding the connections can help customize interventions based on adverse childhood experiences, or "ACEs," the UCLA Health-led research team argues.

The big picture: ACEs like abuse, neglect or witnessing domestic abuse have become an increasingly common research topic, especially for the way they're linked to poor mental health.

• But the effects can also include disrupted metabolic, neurologic, endocrine and immune systems, and are collectively referred to as a "toxic stress response."
• More than half of Americans have experienced at least one ACE, and more than one-fifth have experienced three or more during their lifetime, per the new research.

What they found: The UCLA team investigated the connection between ACEs and 25 biological markers of stress and disease and 20 major health conditions in more than 2,000 people. They further broke down these impacts by sex.

• The effect of stressors on the metabolic system were generally more pronounced for females. Welfare status during childhood was more predictive of health problems in females, including thyroid, cardiovascular, digestive, joint and respiratory issues.
• Emotional abuse and neglect generally had larger impacts on males, particularly for thyroid issues, blood disorders and mental and behavioral health issues. But both males and females who experienced emotional abuse exhibited higher risk of cancer and respiratory issues.

Studying the health effects of childhood experiences is part of a broader focus on "social determinants of health."

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A nasal spray flu vaccine for people up to 49 will be available for home use starting in the fall of next year after the FDA expanded its approval of AstraZeneca's FluMist.

Why it matters: It will be the first flu vaccine that doesn't need to be administered by a health provider and will be sold direct to consumers for home use via an online pharmacy.

• A needle-free vaccine that doesn't require a trip to the doctor's office or pharmacy could improve flu protection at a time when influenza vaccinations have been falling. FluMist will also still be available through physicians and pharmacies.

What they're saying: The spray offers "greater convenience, flexibility and accessibility for individuals and families," said Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

Catch up quick: FluMist was first approved it in 2003 for individuals ages 5 to 49 and later expanded for use in kids as young as 2 years old.

In the D2C arrangement, the online pharmacy will determine patient eligibility, write the prescription for FluMist and ship it directly to the patient's home.

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Former President Trump is vowing to "save vaping," wading back into an issue that frustrated him when his administration tried to craft a ban and find middle ground between public health groups and vaping advocates.

Why it matters: Trump has had meetings with tobacco industry representatives, per the Washington Post, and is accusing the Biden administration and Vice President Kamala Harris of pursuing a comprehensive ban that's hostile to small businesses.

Driving the news: Trump met with Tony Abboud, executive director of the Vapor Technology Association, on Friday and posted on his social media site Truth Social that he saved flavored vapes in 2019 and that "it greatly helped people people get off smoking" while keeping the products away from kids.

• "I'll save Vaping again!" he wrote.
• The trade group said the meeting with Trump "represents a great day for small businesses across America and who fear the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to shut down small businesses and deprive adults who smoke of their flavored vaping products."
• The Harris campaign didn't respond to a request for comment.

Reality check: The Trump administration imposed a limited ban on flavored vapes, marking one of its most significant public health decisions.

• But it came after Trump dialed back plans for a stricter crackdown after getting pushback from vaping interests and Republican allies, who feared the policy would anger vapers in key battleground states.
• The resulting compromise angered anti-tobacco groups, who were hoping for tough administration action to curb the explosion in youth vaping.

Half a million fewer teens said they used e-cigarettes this year compared with last, according to an annual federal survey that credited federal enforcement actions.

A new investigation reveals one insurer spent just 1.2 seconds reviewing medical claims.

Corporate insurers banked $50B in excess Medicare payments, adding questionable diagnoses to patient records including $8.7B in 2021 alone for "diseases" that were never treated.

Hold them accountable.

California starting in 2027 will bar social media platforms from deliberately delivering addictive content feeds to minors without parental consent, as part of a new law addressing kids' mental health online.

The big picture: States and cities have been grappling with how to limit what health experts deem to be harmful effects of social media on children and teens.

Zoom in: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California's new law on Friday, continuing a push by states to address how social media affects the well-being of children.

• It limits social media platforms from sending minors notifications late at night or during school hours.
• "Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement.

Catch up quick: New York City announced earlier this year that it would officially designate social media as an environmental toxin. New York's legislature later passed a bill that would allow parents to block social media posts suggested by algorithms.

• Utah officials released rules last year under a law requiring age verification and parental consent for minors to use social media. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law earlier this month.

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💉 The Federal Trade Commission sued the three largest pharmacy benefit managers, accusing them of illegally inflating the price of insulin and driving up costs to diabetes patients. (Axios)

📍 Cigna is the latest health insurer to roll back its Medicare Advantage offerings for 2025, dropping at least one plan in eight states. (Healthcare Dive)

🦠 A new analysis of samples from an animal market in Wuhan, China, adds to evidence supporting its role as a central site of early spread of COVID-19. (CNN)

A new investigation reveals one insurer spent just 1.2 seconds reviewing medical claims.

Corporate insurers banked $50B in excess Medicare payments, adding questionable diagnoses to patient records including $8.7B in 2021 alone for "diseases" that were never treated.

Hold them accountable.

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