Latest news with #MarianaFigueiro
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
RFK Jr. faces AI scandal after 'using ChatGPT' for his big MAHA report
The stunning appearance of multiple citation errors in Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' report could be due to the sloppy use of Artificial Intelligence, according to experts and telltale indicators. The White House and the Health and Human Services Department were forced to respond Thursday to a bombshell report that identified multiple citations to academic articles buried within the report that did not actually exist. Some of the errors appeared to carry hallmarks of generative AI which users have found is designed to provide an authoritative sounding answer when producing copy as it scrapes the internet for content and information. Some references contain 'oaicite', which is indicative of the use of OpenAI, in their URLs. The citation errors were confirmed by human beings who either said they didn't write some of the studies listed, or that their work relating to the health issues at hand came in other formats and publications. Some said interpretations of their data were also incorrect. 'The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with,' epidemiologist Katherine Keyes told NOTUS, which exposed many of the lapses. The feds have since purged seven citations from the report, which Kennedy released with much fanfare days ago. Another academic whose work got cited, Mariana G. Figueiro, told the publication: 'The conclusions in the report are not accurate and the journal reference is incorrect. It was not published in Pediatrics. Also, the study was not done in children, but in college students.' Thirty-seven of the report's citations occur multiple times, according to the Washington Post. 'Frankly, that's shoddy work,' Oren Etzioni, an AI expert at the University of Washington told the paper. 'We deserve better.' At the White House Thursday, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt directly if Kennedy and his team of cabinet members who compiled the report relied on AI. 'I can't speak to that. I would refer you to the Department of Health and Human Services. What I know is just what I told you,' she responded. 'We have complete confidence in Secretary Kennedy and his team at HHS,' she said, when asked about the reports that unearthed the fake references. 'I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated,' she said. 'But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government is and is backed on good science that has never been recognized by the federal government. RFK, Jr., who has already drawn controversy for sowing doubts about vaccines and other views, gushed about the report before its release, which came after his team had a single public meeting. 'The report is the product of a consensual process, and it represents a collaborative effort of all the agencies and the White House. And it represents a consensus that is probably the strongest and most radical consensus by a government agency in history about the state of America's health,' he said. 'MAHA's become hot,' President Trump said of RFK, Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' push. Before its release some farm state Republican lawmakers had raised concerns that the MAHA report would go after pesticides and farm practices they consider critical for farm efficiency. The report calls to examine the 'over-utilization of medication' such as steroids and questions the childhood vaccine schedule. But the author identified with a study showing a jump in use of corticosteroids 'denied writing it,' according to NOTUS, and called the conclusion an 'overgeneralization' of his other findings. The number of errors mushroomed this week as more outsiders picked at the purported data. Psychiatry Professor Robert L. Findling didn't write the report attributed to him on 'Direct-to-consumer advertising of psychotropic medications for youth: A growing concern.'
CNA
17-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
What's the best way to wake up? Snooze less and embrace the morning sunlight
You've heard plenty of advice about how to prepare for a good night's sleep, but what about waking up? Is there really an ideal way to start your day? Your schedule often determines exactly when you get out of bed. But to the extent you can shape your routine, experts have some thoughts on the healthiest morning habits. 'I always joke that the best thing to do is to get a puppy,' said Mariana Figueiro, who studies light and health at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She's only half kidding. The two keys to a healthy wake-up routine, she said, are getting up at a consistent time each day and viewing morning sunlight – both tend to come with a regular morning dog walk. We spoke with four other sleep and circadian rhythm experts who all agreed with Dr Figueiro about the importance of these two morning habits. Here are their other recommendations – dog or no dog. STAY CONSISTENT Assuming you had the flexibility to choose, is there an ideal time to wake up? Not exactly. As long as you sleep for seven to nine hours each night, there's no 'best' time to wake up, said Dr Daniel Barone, the associate medical director of the Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine. More important is that you stick to the same time, said Dr Katherine Sharkey, an associate professor who studies sleep at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Your body runs on circadian rhythms that regulate not only your sleep-wake cycle but also your metabolism, appetite, hormones, mood, body temperature and cognitive function. Waking up at a consistent time can help keep these body functions running smoothly, said Helen Burgess, the co-director of the Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan. Waking up much later or earlier than you're used to can make you feel drowsy or uncoordinated. Longer term, researchers have found links between irregular sleep patterns and increased risks of obesity, diabetes, mood disorders, heart disease and cancer. DON'T LET WEEKENDS THROW YOU OFF If you feel tired enough to sleep in on weekends, Dr Figueiro said, you're probably not getting enough rest during the week. In these cases, Dr Sharkey suggested sticking to your typical wake-up time and taking a nap later that day. This can help keep your circadian rhythms in sync. If you feel you absolutely must sleep in, Dr Barone said you can likely get away with an extra hour. Any longer and you might experience drowsiness, digestive issues and trouble focusing, similar to jet lag. (Sleep experts use the term ' social jet lag ' to refer to the effects of staying up late and sleeping in on weekends.) SEEK OUT SUNLIGHT As soon as you wake up, open the blinds and switch on the lights. Then, as soon as you can – ideally within an hour, Dr Figuiero said – try to get outside. Viewing any light in the morning, especially sunlight, helps signal to your body that it's daytime, Dr Sharkey said. When the light hits your eyes, it triggers a pathway between your brain and your adrenal glands that tells your body to release cortisol. This hormone makes you feel alert, which in turn could boost your mood, she added. S ome limited s tudies suggest that viewing morning sunlight can improve your sleep the following night, too. When the sun hits your eyes, Dr Sharkey said, it triggers a metaphorical stopwatch, which begins the countdown to bedtime, later telling your body when to release the sleep hormone melatonin. Even on overcast days, morning sunlight is strong enough to regulate your body clock, Dr Barone said. But if you wake up when it's still dark, he said it can be useful to turn on a powerful artificial light such as a light box. You might also try waking up to a sunrise alarm clock, he said, which gradually becomes brighter to mimic the rising sun. There's no specific amount of time you must spend in the morning sunlight, experts said, but, more exposure is better (as long as you protect your skin). Dr Burgess said an hour is best, but even 15 minutes is better than nothing. SKIP THE SNOOZE BUTTON Snoozing your alarm may feel like a gift to yourself, but it isn't the best way to start your day, said Ann E Rogers, a sleep researcher and professor of nursing at Emory University. The urge to snooze is your body's way of saying you need more sleep, Dr Sharkey said. And if you have the flexibility in your schedule to hit snooze, the experts agreed you're better off setting your alarm for the later end of your snooze window and getting up then. That way, your body can get the extra rest it craves – uninterrupted.
