Public Health Today - October 17, 2025

This week’s public health update highlights major developments in disease prevention and treatment, with global and clinical implications.

In Today’s Newsletter

💊 Why might GLP-1 drugs reduce alcohol cravings? [1] [US • 16 Oct 2025]

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2025-10-16/why-might-glp-1-drugs-reduce-alcohol-cravings-new-experiment-suggests-an-answer
Context: Small Scientific Reports experiment, 20 adults with obesity, half taking GLP-1 medications.
Key point: Participants on GLP-1s reported less intoxication after identical alcohol doses, attributed to slower stomach emptying and delayed alcohol absorption (endpoint not specified).
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy, may influence prescriber choice and payer reviews pending full data.

🌍 We’re losing the war against drug-resistant infections faster than we thought [2] [Global • 15 Oct 2025]

https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/10/15/g-s1-93449/antibiotic-resistance-bacteria
Context: World Health Organization report, global surveillance data; 2023 resistance snapshots discussed.
Key point: Antibiotic resistance is worsening, with high rates in low- and middle-income countries, and rising loss of effectiveness for common antibiotics.
Implication: Regulatory/generics, introduces competition and urgency that may affect pricing, access, and stewardship programs.

⚖️ Almost 70% of U.S. adults would be deemed obese under a new definition [3] [US • 15 Oct 2025]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/15/almost-70-of-us-adults-would-be-deemed-obese-based-on-new-definition-study-finds
Context: JAMA Network Open analysis, >301,000 adults, new criteria include waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage.
Key point: Prevalence rises from 43% to 69% using expanded metrics, capturing people with normal BMI but high abdominal fat.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy, may influence prescriber choice and payer reviews pending formal adoption.

🤰 mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are safe during early pregnancy [4] [Global • 16 Oct 2025]

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/mrna-covid-19-vaccines-are-safe-during-early-pregnancy
Context: International JAMA study, >500,000 newborns analyzed for 75 congenital malformations.
Key point: No association found between first-trimester mRNA vaccination and increased congenital malformations by organ group or individual anomaly.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy, may influence prescriber choice and payer reviews pending full data.

🎶 Group singing reduces symptoms of postnatal depression for up to six months [5] [UK • 15 Oct 2025]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/music/group-singing-reduces-symptoms-of-postnatal-depression-for-up-to-six-months/ar-AA1OwFDg
Context: Randomized trial, 199 mothers in South London, 10-week singing program vs non-singing mother–baby activities.
Key point: Both arms improved at 10 weeks; only singing group maintained benefits at 20 and 36 weeks, with higher satisfaction and lower dropout.
Implication: Access programs, may expand screening, initiation, and follow-up at scale.

🧬 Long-term safety and efficacy of lentiviral gene therapy for ADA-SCID [6] [US, UK • 15 Oct 2025]

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2502754
Context: 62 patients treated 2012–2019 (US, UK), autologous CD34+ cells with lentiviral ADA transgene, mild busulfan conditioning, median follow-up 7.5 years.
Key point: 100% overall survival, 95% event-free survival, durable immune reconstitution, discontinuation of immunoglobulin, robust vaccine responses, no leukoproliferative disorders observed.
Implication: Clinical topline/efficacy, may influence prescriber choice and payer reviews pending long-term registry data.

🧪 First report: donor kidney reprogrammed to universal type O [7] [Canada • 16 Oct 2025]

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/first-report-donor-kidney-reprogrammed-universal-type-o-2025a1000rxe
Context: University of British Columbia team enzymatically clipped A antigens ex vivo during perfusion, transplanted into brain-dead recipient for observation.
Key point: Initial graft showed no rejection, but antigen reappearance by day 3 triggered immune activity, indicating antigen regeneration limits current approach.
Implication: Partnerships/BD, signals pipeline investment and modality expansion for organ modification technology.

🦠 Uncovering the human gut’s hidden virome [8] [US • 15 Oct 2025]

https://www.genengnews.com/topics/infectious-diseases/uncovering-the-human-guts-hidden-virome/
Context: Nature study using 252 bacterial isolates from the Australian Microbiome Culture Collection, identified inducible prophages and host-triggered activation.
Key point: Hundreds of previously unknown gut viruses discovered, 35% of predicted phages activated by exposure to human gut cells, host compounds (including stevia) can trigger activation.
Implication: Observational/RWE, could inform practice and payer discussions; interpretation depends on study design and confounding control.

🍽️ Forget fiber: surprising foods that relieve constipation, per new guidelines [9] [UK • 15 Oct 2025]

https://scitechdaily.com/forget-fiber-the-surprising-foods-that-actually-relieve-constipation-according-to-science/
Context: King’s College London guidelines, based on >75 trials, GRADE evaluation, endorsed by British Dietetic Association.
Key point: Kiwifruit, rye bread, magnesium oxide, and psyllium show evidence for treating chronic constipation, while generic high-fiber advice has limited specific evidence.
Implication: DTC/telehealth, could streamline initiation and adherence via remote prescribing and logistics.

🌐 ALS and MS likely share an environmental cause [10] [US • 15 Oct 2025]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-multiple-environmental.html
Context: Scientific Reports analysis using US CDC mortality and WHO datasets, spatial correlation analysis.
Key point: Geographic distributions of ALS and MS correlated >70% across regions, pattern persists after adjustments, suggesting shared environmental exposures.
Implication: Observational/RWE, could inform practice and payer discussions; interpretation depends on study design and confounding control.

Why it matters

Slower alcohol absorption as a mechanism for GLP-1s suggests non-neurotransmitter routes to reduce substance use, opening new therapeutic hypotheses.
Accelerating antibiotic resistance threatens routine medical care globally, requiring coordinated surveillance, stewardship, and drug development.
Changing how we define obesity would shift clinical thresholds, screening priorities, and resource allocation for prevention and treatment.
Robust safety data for mRNA vaccines in early pregnancy supports public health messaging and vaccine uptake during prenatal care.
Low-cost psychosocial interventions, like group singing, can deliver durable mental health benefits and may be scalable within health systems.
Durable, safe gene therapy for ADA-SCID demonstrates that one-time curative strategies can replace lifelong replacement therapy.
Ex vivo antigen editing of organs could expand transplant compatibility, but antigen regeneration is a key technical hurdle.
The gut virome is more dynamic and host-responsive than assumed, which matters for microbiome therapeutics and inflammatory disease research.
Targeted dietary choices can be more effective than generic advice for chronic constipation, informing clinical guidelines and patient counseling.
Shared geography of ALS and MS focuses attention on environmental surveillance and comparative epidemiology to find causal exposures.

FAQ

Do GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic or Zepbound cause people to drink less alcohol?

Small experimental data suggest people on GLP-1s reported less intoxication after the same alcohol dose, likely due to slowed stomach emptying and delayed absorption, but larger clinical trials are needed before clinical recommendations [1].

How urgent is the antibiotic resistance problem, and who is most affected?

WHO reporting shows resistance is worsening globally, with the heaviest burden in low- and middle-income countries due to weak surveillance, antibiotic misuse, and limited access to newer drugs, making urgent global action necessary [2].

Would the new obesity definition change who gets treatment?

Yes, adding waist measures and body fat would reclassify many adults (analysis shows prevalence rising from 43% to 69%), potentially enabling earlier interventions for those with high abdominal fat despite normal BMI [3].

Are mRNA COVID vaccines safe in early pregnancy?

A large JAMA analysis found no association between first-trimester mRNA vaccination and 75 congenital malformations, supporting safety during early pregnancy [4].

Is group singing a proven treatment for postnatal depression?

In a randomized trial, a 10-week group singing program produced sustained symptom reduction at 20 and 36 weeks and was cost-effective within NHS thresholds, supporting its use as a complementary therapy [5].

Is ADA-SCID gene therapy truly curative long term?

Long-term follow up of 62 patients shows durable immune reconstitution, high survival, cessation of enzyme replacement or immunoglobulin in most, and no leukoproliferative signals, consistent with a one-time curative therapy in this cohort [6].

Entities / Keywords

GLP-1s, ozempic, zepbound, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists; Antibiotic resistance, WHO, surveillance, stewardship; Obesity definitions, BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage; mRNA COVID vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, pregnancy safety; Postnatal depression, Breathe Melodies for Mums (King’s College London); ADA-SCID, lentiviral gene therapy, autologous CD34+ stem cells, busulfan conditioning; Organ reprogramming, ex vivo perfusion, antigen enzymatic removal, blood type conversion; Gut virome, prophages, inducible phages, microbiome, CRISPR editing; Constipation therapeutics, kiwifruit, rye bread, magnesium oxide, psyllium, GRADE guidelines; Neurological epidemiology, ALS, MS, geographic distribution, environmental exposures.