The Well News, January 20, 2026: Media coverage of the new food pyramid misses the boat when it focuses on the dietary guide instead of the inaccurate and dangerous “upside-down” pyramid graphic. You should not eat more steak than fruits, vegetables, or fish. The dietary guide is helpful in advising “real food” instead of processed foods, but it was dangerous to remove specific guidelines on how much alcohol is too much.
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The FDA Commissioner Is Missing the Point of Advisory Committees
MedPage Today, November 22, 2025: Diana Zuckerman’s oped in MedPage Today says FDA was never perfect but the media and public could see how the agency reviewed risks and benefits when they held public meetings where scientists and public citizens debated controversial medical products. In recent months they’ve switched to one-sided rubber stamp meetings followed by announcements of their decisions at events that feel like pep rallies. For example, research shows that hormones for menopause can be helpful or harmful, depending on your age and the type of hormones and your personal medical history. They are not safe for everyone, and can cause cancer, strokes, and dementia for many women. But the FDA expert panel focused on the benefits and ignored most of the risks.
Read More »FDA Panel to Revisit Menopausal Hormone Therapy
Politico; July 15, 2025: This article describes the FDA panel on the risks and benefits of hormone therapy for menopause: breast cancer, heart disease,stroke, dementia. Zuckerman points out that the panel is one-sided, ignoring data on risks and not allowing public comments from patients or experts to ask questions or describe studies indicating cancer and other serious risks.
Read More »The FDA’s misguided thinking on antibiotics
STAT, February 10, 2025: Why are so many people dying from infections? In this op-ed, Diana Zuckerman and John Powers discuss that the main problem isn’t antimicrobial resistance; the problem is the way antibiotics are studied and approved. Research shows we can save lives with better studies and FDA approval standards that focus on patients and not bugs.
Read More »Readers respond to mothers in treatment for opioid use disorder, pandemic models, and more
STAT, June 8, 2024: Our Letter to the Editor at STAT News disagreed with the first Opinion commentary urging more use of antipsychotics for dementia patients. We explain that these drugs too often kill older patients or serve as chemical straight jackets,
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