Kaitlin Sullivan
@kaitsulliva.bsky.social
Freelance health, science, enviro journalist
Contributor @nbcnews.com • CUNY J-School alumn
Bylines in @theguardian.com @npr.org more
🏔Colorado
www.kaitsullivan.co
Contributor @nbcnews.com • CUNY J-School alumn
Bylines in @theguardian.com @npr.org more
🏔Colorado
www.kaitsullivan.co
Pinned
Kaitlin Sullivan
@kaitsulliva.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Nothing can replace an old friend who understand you to your core.
In the Nurses Health Study II, eating more ultra-processed food was linked to an increased risk for precancerous colorectal polyps. Most polyps never turn into colorectal cancer, but nearly all colorectal cancer cases do start as polyps, www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
Ultra-processed foods linked to increased risk of precancerous polyps, study finds
The research, which included 29,000 women, could offer insights into the rise in rates of colorectal cancer among younger adults.
www.nbcnews.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM
In the Nurses Health Study II, eating more ultra-processed food was linked to an increased risk for precancerous colorectal polyps. Most polyps never turn into colorectal cancer, but nearly all colorectal cancer cases do start as polyps, www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
It’s possible that an anti-inflammatory compound in coffee, not specifically caffeine, could reduce AFib recurrance.
November 9, 2025 at 11:40 PM
It’s possible that an anti-inflammatory compound in coffee, not specifically caffeine, could reduce AFib recurrance.
Industrial ag that produces feed corn and soy causes nitrate water pollution that's killing people in America's farm country newrepublic.com/article/2011...
Of Corn and Cancer: Iowa’s Deadly Water Crisis
All that feed corn and all those soybeans—and those nearly 25 million hogs—produce a lot of nitrate. It’s making Iowans sick and causing them to die. And the politicians aren’t doing a thing about it.
newrepublic.com
October 26, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Industrial ag that produces feed corn and soy causes nitrate water pollution that's killing people in America's farm country newrepublic.com/article/2011...
Only about 20% of cancer patients who get immunotherapy respond to the treatment. Finding a way to boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs has been a feat researchers have been exploring for years, with little success. www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
The next cancer-fighting mRNA vaccine may already be here
Early-phase research shows that Covid mRNA vaccines could give immunotherapies a cancer-fighting boost.
www.nbcnews.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Only about 20% of cancer patients who get immunotherapy respond to the treatment. Finding a way to boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs has been a feat researchers have been exploring for years, with little success. www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
A gene therapy rebuilt an immune system in 59/62 kids who underwent the treatment, for an ultra-rare disease called ASA-SCID. Fewer than 10 babies in the U.S. are born with the severe combined immunodeficiency subtype each year. www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-...
Exposure to any germs could've killed her. 11 years later, she's living a normal life thanks to a gene therapy treatment.
New research found that gene therapy for children with a form of severe combined immunodeficiency was successful in 95% of trial participants.
www.nbcnews.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:13 PM
A gene therapy rebuilt an immune system in 59/62 kids who underwent the treatment, for an ultra-rare disease called ASA-SCID. Fewer than 10 babies in the U.S. are born with the severe combined immunodeficiency subtype each year. www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-...
Short workouts create key changes in the body that make intensifying workouts easier. Within a couple of weeks of getting exercise, aerobic activity initiates cellular changes that increase the amount of plasma in the blood, which allows the blood to deliver more oxygen to the muscles.
October 8, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Short workouts create key changes in the body that make intensifying workouts easier. Within a couple of weeks of getting exercise, aerobic activity initiates cellular changes that increase the amount of plasma in the blood, which allows the blood to deliver more oxygen to the muscles.
“Spear has built the Berlin Wall around the secretary,” an agency official tells Vanity Fair. www.vanityfair.com/news/story/m...
Meet Stefanie Spear, RFK Jr.’s “Attached at the Hip” HHS Deputy
Once a radical environmental activist, Spear has transformed herself into a powerful gatekeeper at the center of MAHA.
www.vanityfair.com
September 25, 2025 at 7:32 PM
“Spear has built the Berlin Wall around the secretary,” an agency official tells Vanity Fair. www.vanityfair.com/news/story/m...
A new report shows the program has spent at least $54 million on administrative costs alone.
www.propublica.org/article/geor...
www.propublica.org/article/geor...
Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirement Program Spent Twice as Much on Administrative Costs as on Health Care, GAO Says
Republican lawmakers cite Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage as a national model for federal Medicaid work requirements that are set to take effect in 2027. A new report shows the program has spent at lea...
www.propublica.org
September 25, 2025 at 1:31 PM
A new report shows the program has spent at least $54 million on administrative costs alone.
www.propublica.org/article/geor...
www.propublica.org/article/geor...
RFK Jr. said he believed an environmental toxin was responsible for the dramatic increase in the condition and vowed to gather “the most credible scientists from all over the world” to solve the mystery.
Nothing like that has ever been done before, he told an interviewer.
Nothing like that has ever been done before, he told an interviewer.
RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.
While touting a $50 million initiative to identify the causes of autism, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is helping lead an administration that is rolling back protections against pollution and toxic chemicals,...
www.propublica.org
September 22, 2025 at 9:07 PM
RFK Jr. said he believed an environmental toxin was responsible for the dramatic increase in the condition and vowed to gather “the most credible scientists from all over the world” to solve the mystery.
Nothing like that has ever been done before, he told an interviewer.
Nothing like that has ever been done before, he told an interviewer.
ALS does not have one single cause, which makes targeting the origin of the disease particularly challenging. Small drug companies are designing ALS drugs that target ultra rare genetic causes of ALS––even if the drugs can only be used by a handful of people.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
A tailor-made drug slowed a man's ALS. Is it the future of treatment?
About 20% of ALS cases today have a known genetic underpinning, but experts are discovering new mutations — and drug targets — every year.
www.nbcnews.com
September 2, 2025 at 6:49 PM
ALS does not have one single cause, which makes targeting the origin of the disease particularly challenging. Small drug companies are designing ALS drugs that target ultra rare genetic causes of ALS––even if the drugs can only be used by a handful of people.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
"Families, many with children, were left sifting through the ashes of what little they had managed to bring with them." apnews.com/video/israel...
Israeli strike destroys tents housing displaced people in Gaza
An Israeli strike destroyed roughly 100 tents in Deir al-Balah sheltering people who had already fled fighting in other parts of the Gaza Strip.
apnews.com
August 21, 2025 at 8:02 PM
"Families, many with children, were left sifting through the ashes of what little they had managed to bring with them." apnews.com/video/israel...
Ibogaine is in the headlines again. The psychedelic –– which is native to parts of Central Africa –– appears to uniquely be able to interrupt withdrawal, opening a window of opportunity for people addicted to opioids to get sober. However, almost nothing in this world is without cost.
August 11, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Ibogaine is in the headlines again. The psychedelic –– which is native to parts of Central Africa –– appears to uniquely be able to interrupt withdrawal, opening a window of opportunity for people addicted to opioids to get sober. However, almost nothing in this world is without cost.
Personalized cancer vaccines are big in cancer research right now, but an early trial found that an off-the-shelf vaccine could prevent hard-to-treat pancreatic cancer from coming back. www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
One-size-fits-all pancreatic cancer vaccine showed promise in early trial
The vaccine doesn't prevent cancer from happening in the first place, but an early-phase trial found it could reduce the odds of recurrence.
www.nbcnews.com
August 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Personalized cancer vaccines are big in cancer research right now, but an early trial found that an off-the-shelf vaccine could prevent hard-to-treat pancreatic cancer from coming back. www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
If someone’s T cells are defective, beta HPV (a different type than alpha HPV, which is linked to cervical and other cancers) can integrate into skin cells’ DNA, making them cancerous. www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
A type of HPV can cause skin cancer in people with weakened immune systems, report finds
A type of HPV, commonly found on the skin, could trigger skin cancer in people with weakened immune systems.
www.nbcnews.com
July 30, 2025 at 11:27 PM
If someone’s T cells are defective, beta HPV (a different type than alpha HPV, which is linked to cervical and other cancers) can integrate into skin cells’ DNA, making them cancerous. www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
Genetics are far from the only risk factor associated with obesity in adulthood, but experts say giving people a score like this one, which can help them understand their unique genetic risk factors, could be a powerful tool. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
A genetic test could predict the odds of obesity, allowing for early interventions
Scientists looked at the genes of millions of people to determine which ones are linked to obesity — and developed a way to screen people before age 5.
www.nbcnews.com
July 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Genetics are far from the only risk factor associated with obesity in adulthood, but experts say giving people a score like this one, which can help them understand their unique genetic risk factors, could be a powerful tool. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Affordability policies like Medicaid expansion had the biggest weight on access. www.nbcnews.com/health/women...
Birth control access: Scorecard evaluates family planning policies across the U.S.
When it comes to ease of finding affordable contraception, a new report shows 'stark' differences from state to state.
www.nbcnews.com
July 16, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Affordability policies like Medicaid expansion had the biggest weight on access. www.nbcnews.com/health/women...
Reposted by Kaitlin Sullivan
Vaccine skeptics have long blamed aluminum for various health issues, but a new study of over 1 million people found no link between the ingredient and 50 chronic conditions, including autism, allergies and autoimmune diseases.
Study finds no link between aluminum in vaccines and autism, asthma
The study included more than 1.2 million people in Denmark who got childhood vaccines.
nbcnews.to
July 14, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Vaccine skeptics have long blamed aluminum for various health issues, but a new study of over 1 million people found no link between the ingredient and 50 chronic conditions, including autism, allergies and autoimmune diseases.
Epidemiological studies out of Scandinavia that utilize countries' meticulously kept health records are of unique quality, one source said. www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-...
Study finds no link between aluminum in vaccines and autism, asthma
The study included more than 1.2 million people in Denmark who got childhood vaccines.
www.nbcnews.com
July 14, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Epidemiological studies out of Scandinavia that utilize countries' meticulously kept health records are of unique quality, one source said. www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-...
Reposted by Kaitlin Sullivan
Quoted here about the increasing problem of drug resistance in Aspergillus isolates.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Fungal infections are getting harder to treat
The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus tops the World Health Organization's list of worrying fungal diseases. It's growing increasingly resistant to the first-line drug used to treat it.
www.nbcnews.com
July 9, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Quoted here about the increasing problem of drug resistance in Aspergillus isolates.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
“Basically everywhere we look for drug-resistant isotopes, we find them. We are seeing this azole drug-resistance happening throughout the U.S. Those rates will likely climb.”
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Fungal infections are getting harder to treat
The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus tops the World Health Organization's list of worrying fungal diseases. It's growing increasingly resistant to the first-line drug used to treat it.
www.nbcnews.com
July 9, 2025 at 11:20 PM
“Basically everywhere we look for drug-resistant isotopes, we find them. We are seeing this azole drug-resistance happening throughout the U.S. Those rates will likely climb.”
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
When a compressed gas expands, it can cool to as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit — this is why compressed gas is used to cool refrigerators. Canisters of compressed nitrous oxide work in the same way. When the gas is released, it cools, sometimes drastically. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
A chilling risk of recreational nitrous oxide use: Frostbite
When compressed gases, including nitrous oxide, expand, they can reach temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
www.nbcnews.com
July 2, 2025 at 9:15 PM
When a compressed gas expands, it can cool to as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit — this is why compressed gas is used to cool refrigerators. Canisters of compressed nitrous oxide work in the same way. When the gas is released, it cools, sometimes drastically. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
The cuts will affect even those with private health care, a source told me. This is especially true in rural areas where 1 in 3 hospitals are already financially strained. The cuts will close hospitals. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Proposed Medicaid cuts could lead to thousands of deaths, study finds
Several provisions in the bill passed by House Republicans last month, including Medicaid work requirements, would lead to the loss of coverage for millions of people.
www.nbcnews.com
June 16, 2025 at 9:23 PM
The cuts will affect even those with private health care, a source told me. This is especially true in rural areas where 1 in 3 hospitals are already financially strained. The cuts will close hospitals. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Just 4% of what Planned Parenthood does is abortions. The vast majority is other care including contraception and cancer treatments. Some places even have flu vaccines. www.nbcnews.com/health/women...
Planned Parenthood clinics provide basic health care. If they close, where will many women go?
Citing deep funding cuts, at least 200 Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide are at risk.
www.nbcnews.com
June 6, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Just 4% of what Planned Parenthood does is abortions. The vast majority is other care including contraception and cancer treatments. Some places even have flu vaccines. www.nbcnews.com/health/women...
Once in remission, having a regular exercise routine reduced risk of colon cancer recurrence, new cancer diagnoses and death by 28% www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
Exercise may benefit colon cancer patients as much as some drugs
Sticking to an exercise program after colon cancer treatment was linked to a 28% lower risk of the cancer returning, a new cancer diagnosis or death.
www.nbcnews.com
June 4, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Once in remission, having a regular exercise routine reduced risk of colon cancer recurrence, new cancer diagnoses and death by 28% www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
Yearly cancer deaths linked to alcohol have doubled in the United States over the last three decades. www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
Cancer deaths linked to alcohol on the rise in the U.S.
The increase was seen mainly in men ages 55 and up.
www.nbcnews.com
May 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Yearly cancer deaths linked to alcohol have doubled in the United States over the last three decades. www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...