Laura A. Schmidt PhD

@drlauraschmidt.bsky.social

I lead the UCSF Food Policy Lab, where we study ultraprocessed foods as a 21st-century vector of chronic disease. I'm new to Bluesky--please follow!

Out today in @jama.com : @drlauraschmidt.bsky.social and I weigh the merits of nutritional SNAP restrictions. While we didn't agree on restriction overall, we were united in our concern about broader changes to SNAP that will undermine the program. 🛟 🥗 🩺

JAMA@jama.com · 8mo ago

💬 Viewpoint: While restricting ultraprocessed foods from #SNAP may curb chronic disease and generate taxpayer savings, concerns persist about increased stigma, reduced food access, and impacts on poverty alleviation. ja.ma/4ccjrl5

An article titled 'Removing Unhealthy Foods From SNAP - A MAHA Strategy to Take Seriously' by Benjamin W. Chrisinger and Laura A. Schmidt. Published online February 25, 2026, it includes a table of approved changes to State SNAP programs for 2026.

While ultraprocessed food companies pursue profits at the cost of making populations obese, pharmaceutical companies pursue profits with drugs promising to make the same people thin. Why not make money off both sides of the world's obesity crisis?

Issues in Science and Technology@issuesinst.bsky.social · last yr.

“When people do not eat healthfully, several industries profit—food, drug, and diet, for starters. Eating healthfully means taking on all of them.” @marionnestle.bsky.social responds to @drlauraschmidt.bsky.social & Luc Hagenaars’s essay on #GLP-1 drugs: issues.org/dysfunctiona...

I found the study discussed here to be quite compelling, with large samples from different regions of the world. The next step is to sort out why liquid sugar is worse for health: No fiber? Too easy to overconsume? Short transit time in the gut? Or all of the above?

Murray Carpenter@murray-journo.bsky.social · last yr.

Evidence mounts that liquid sugars are worse than non-liquid sugars, according to research by BYU's Karen Della Corte. Article by Brian Marstroianni quotes @drlauraschmidt.bsky.social www.health.com/drinking-sug...

Read my new piece in @jama.com on how Coca-Cola and Pepsi plan to sue the small City of San Cruz because voters had the audacity to pass a #sodatax to pay for health initiatives. Courageous officials in this small city are preparing to stand up to the corporate bully. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

The Changing Landscape of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes

This Viewpoint discusses how sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in small US cities have provided an example for how to enact such policy changes elsewhere, which could help improve population health.

jamanetwork.com

New paper - Medicaid "unwinding" associated with net decrease in buprenorphine prescribing for opioid use disorder (some offset from commercial insurance). Some state policies mitigated this negative impact. Hats off to @drsumedhagupta.bsky.social for this work! jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Trends in Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

This cross-sectional study examines the association between Medicaid unwinding and dispensing of prescription buprenorphine, overall and by payment sources nationally and by state.

jamanetwork.com

🚨 Researching Juul Labs & the North Carolina settlement? UNC Libraries has you covered! Their research guide dives into the #Juul Labs Collection’s origins, industry practices, public health impacts, and more. Check it out: guides.lib.unc.edu/juul #PublicHealth #Research @unclibrary.bsky.social

LibGuides: Juul Labs Documents Collection for North Carolina: Home

This guide provides searching assistance and key information for the NC JUUL documents database.

guides.lib.unc.edu