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Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Howard G. Smith MD, AM
4958 episodes
19 hours ago
Howard G. Smith MD, AM has been reporting health and wellness news for more than 35 years on radio and via podcasts. Harvard Medical School, MD; Harvard University, AM, Immunology; former Medical Editor, WBZ-AM, Boston. Website: http://www.drhowardsmith.com Email: drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com
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Health & Fitness
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All content for Dr. Howard Smith Reports is the property of Howard G. Smith MD, AM and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Howard G. Smith MD, AM has been reporting health and wellness news for more than 35 years on radio and via podcasts. Harvard Medical School, MD; Harvard University, AM, Immunology; former Medical Editor, WBZ-AM, Boston. Website: http://www.drhowardsmith.com Email: drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com
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Health & Fitness
Episodes (20/4958)
Dr. Howard Smith Reports
High Fat Diets Breed Liver Cancer


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTG2R-BDFM5/


Repeated exposure to fatty foods like bacon and burgers drives your liver cells into survival mode to help them endure metabolic stress. That transition also sets them on a path to become cancerous in years to come.


Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School now report this frightening transformation in the journal Cell following their studies in a mouse model and in human liver cells using sophisticated single cell RNA sequencing.  Mature liver cells, hepatocytes, that are exposed to a high-fat diet become stressed and gradually abandon their normal metabolic and detoxification functions. They revert to a primitive, stem-like state that helps them survive inflammation and fat overload but makes them vulnerable to malignant, cancerous, transformation.


The investigators observed this cell transition occurred in both the mouse and the human cells.  Nearly all the mice fed the high fat diet ultimately developed liver cancer. 


So take heed.  Now is the time to moderate your intake of fried and excessively fatty foods.  Your liver will love you for it, and your loved ones will enjoy your company far longer.

  

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251225035344.htm

https://cell.com/cell/retrieve/pii/S0092867425013662?_returnURL=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0092867425013662?showall=true


#liver #highfat #cancer

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4 days ago
1 minute 41 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
A Widely-Used Painkiller May Harm Your Heart

A Widely-Used Painkiller May Harm Your Heart

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTG1ZG6D_ja/


Tramadol is an opioid often prescribed for chronic pain and restless legs.  Now, a comprehensive Danish review, published in the BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine journal, shows that tramadol carries a significant risk of heart-related problems including coronary artery disease with chest pain and eventual heart failure.


The review analyzed 19 clinical trials that studied 6,506 participants with chronic neuropathic, osteoarthritic, low back, and fibromyalgic pain. The data demonstrates that tramadol doubles the risk of cardiovascular damage compared with placebo therapy.  Worse still, tramadol fails to have a consistent, significant effect on perceived chronic pain.


The bottom line.  If you are taking tramadol for chronic pain, you should discuss with your medical team a shift to a non-opioid. At the same time, know that chronic pain is best controlled by not only analgesics but also non-medicinal therapy including physical therapy, exercise, and counseling.


https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251225080723.htm

https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/09/26/bmjebm-2025-114101


#tramadol #pain #heartattack #heartfailure

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4 days ago
1 minute 27 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Ineffective Infertility Therapy


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTG02axD6Lt/


It is truly disgusting that some disreputable companies are peddling supplements that claim to cure infertility. Some boast that they can improve your IVF success rate while others even claim to guarantee pregnancy.


The FDA issues this warning and adds that these bogus, unproven products waste precious time, drain finances, delay effective medical care, and in some cases cause illness or injury. The red flags in the advertising pitches for these supplements include claims that sound too good to be true, promises of rapid pregnancy regardless of medical history, and headlines like “miracle cure,” “scientific breakthrough,” or “one product does it all.”


While the FDA is issuing cease and desist warnings to these merchants of lies, it want you avoid being fooled, ripped off, disappointed, and misled.


https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251219/FDA-warns-against-fake-treatments-for-infertility.aspx


#infertility #fda #supplements #fraud

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4 days ago
1 minute 22 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Nicotine Attacks Your Heart And Blood Vessels


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTG0KhoDI5s/


Whether you smoke cigarettes, vape, use nicotine pouches, or chew gum, the nicotine entering your body damages your heart and blood vessel tissues. Worse yet, nicotine consumption is surging, especially among teens and young adults. 


A newly published expert consensus report from the European Society of Cardiology, appearing in the European Heart Journal, delivers this disturbing message. The report’s authors include cardiologists from Germany, Italy, the UK, and the US.


Multiple studies demonstrate that nicotine raises blood pressure, damages blood vessels, and increases heart disease risk. The damage occurs even in the absence of smoke, tar, and combustion toxins. The report also warns that secondhand exposure to vape and heated tobacco aerosols harms blood vessels.


One other warning. Nicotine is exceptionally addictive, and vaping, chewing. The use of pouches often act as gateways to compulsive use rather than cessation.


This report calls for urgent action including flavor bans, taxation based on nicotine content, non-seductive packaging, advertising restrictions, smoke- and aerosol-free public spaces, and stronger regulation to prevent a new wave of cardiovascular disease driven by nicotine addiction.


https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-vapes-pouches-shisha-cigarettes-nicotine.html

https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf1010/8377624?login=false


#nicotine #heartattack #stroke #vaping #gum #pouches

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4 days ago
1 minute 49 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Coffee Stifles Atrial Fibrillation


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTGzkWGld_k/


Conventional wisdom implicates caffeine as a trigger for cardiac arrhythmias. Not so, at least for atrial fibrillation, concludes the so-called DECAF study, an acronym for Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation? Headed by cardiologists from UC-San Francisco and Australia’s University of Adelaide, this clinical trial studied 200 adults with atrial fibrillation.


Subjects were randomly assigned to drink at least one cup of caffeinated coffee or avoid caffeine entirely for six months. Those who drank coffee daily show 39% fewer AFib episodes. The investigators suggest multiple reasons for this beneficial effect: caffeine may stimulate increased physical activity, caffeine is a mild diuretic that could lower blood pressure, and coffee contains natural compounds that may reduce inflammation.


If this study is confirmed, those with a history of atrial fibrillation, rather than avoiding all caffeinated coffee intake, might benefit from moderate intake of daily “joe.”


https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251110021046.htm

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2841253


#AF #atrialfibrillation #coffee #caffeine #arrthymias

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4 days ago
1 minute 31 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Your Eyes Reveal If You Are Listening


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTGy1D9GNic/


The manner in which your eyes blink tells just how well you are listening to a speaker.  A new study from psychologists at Montreal’s Concordia University, just published in the journal Trends in Hearing, reports that your blinking frequency diminishes as you focus on a given conversation. 


The two separate studies involving 49 adult participants. The results show that the frequency of blinking decreases significantly as the subjects begin to hear recognizable sentences. Blinking reduction is most pronounced as  individuals strain to hear the words through increasing background noise. This effect persists no matter the level of ambient light, bright, dim, or dark.


Our brains and eyelids seem to pause as we listen more intensely. This information should give you a hint about the level of interest your partner in conversation really has in what your are saying. If they are blinking up a storm, your words are likely going in one ear and out the other.


https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251222043239.htm

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23312165251371118


#listening #blinking #interest #conversation


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4 days ago
1 minute 22 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Increasing Intellects For Those With Down Syndrome


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTGwzXhD5MX/


Replacing the vital compound pleiotrophin, missing from the brain tissues of those with an extra 21st chromosome, shows a promise of restoring critical intellectual functionality by mending flexible synaptic connections even after neural development appears to be complete..


Neuroscientists at the University of Virginia and California’s Salk Institute made this discovery in a mouse Down Syndrome model. The researchers discovered that pleiotrophin, normally abundant during early brain development, is present at lower levels in those with Down syndrome. When they restore it in adult Down Syndrome mice using genetic engineering, critical neural function  increases in the hippocampus, a key learning and memory center, and overall brain plasticity improves.


Down syndrome affects about 1 in 700 American newborns condemning them to learning and memory challenges and a higher risk of other health problems throughout life. This exciting result in a pre-clinical study challenges the long-held belief that meaningful brain repair must occur before birth and opens the door to future therapies aimed at improving quality of life for those with Down Syndrome at any stage of life.


https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251217082505.htm

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)01071-X?_returnURL=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S221112472501071X?showall=true


#downsyndrome #pleiotrophin #genetherapy #intelligence

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4 days ago
1 minute 38 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Talking While Driving Degrades Your Vision


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTGwXlFDCNu/


Carrying on a conversation with a passenger or your phone while driving slows the eye movements that deliver about 90 percent of the information that you need to detect hazards. This from  researchers at Japan’s Fujita Health University whose study was just published in the journal PLOS ONE.


Studied were 30 healthy adults, mean age 22 years. Measured was the elapsed time necessary for each subject to shift gaze to a critical target while actively talking, listening, or without any distraction.


The data demonstrates that only active talking causes delays in the time necessary to initiate eye movements, visualize a target, and stabilize the gaze. Listening alone does not have this effect. The researchers say the mental effort required to think and speak competes with the brain systems that control eye movement, disrupting visual processing before a driver can even recognize danger and formulate a timely reaction. Through the delays were small, the researchers warn that these delays can accumulate during real-world driving in situations involving pedestrians, road their debris, or sudden hazards. The resultant suboptimal driving performance can lead to tragic outcomes. 


https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251226/Conversation-may-quietly-impair-the-visual-foundations-of-driving.aspx

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0333586


#driving #conversation #gaze #reaction

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4 days ago
1 minute 43 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Are You Anxious About Death? 


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTGv2cqgD1K/


Putting on a virtual reality headset to experience a short virtual reality experience could be the key to allaying your fears.  So say sleep scientists at Texas A&M University in a report of their pilot study in Frontiers in Virtual Reality. 


They studied 61 young adults who donned Oculus Quest 2 units and watched scenes inspired by commonly reported near-death experiences including an out-of-body sensation following a car accident, traveling through a tunnel of light with memory flashbacks, and arriving at a calm, scenic landscape that symbolizes a boundary between life and death.


The data demonstrated that participants experienced an average 75% drop in death anxiety after a single 12-minute VR session. Most participants reported feeling calmer afterward and said the experience prompted reflection on life priorities and relationships. A small number, however, reported increased stress or anxiety.


Larger studies are on the drawing board to determine if VR could help people with depression, anxiety, or terminal illness cope with fear of death.



https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-virtual-reality-anxiety-death.html

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/virtual-reality/articles/10.3389/frvir.2025.1644131/full


#death #anxiety #vr #fear

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4 days ago
1 minute 33 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Benefits of Swedish-Style Sleeping 


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DTGs1LpDfDE/


Do you and your partner battle over a type of blanket, who has more, and/or temperature? The Scandinavian sleep method may be the answer to your dilemmas. It’s simple: you share the same bed, but you each have your own blanket, duvet, or even sleeping bag instead of sharing one.


In contrast to most of my reports, I could find no controlled, clinical studies comparing “one blanket versus two” and demonstrating the superiority of the latter.  Studies do show that sharing your bed and bedding can lead to sleep quality degradation due to partner movements, temperature feuds, and blanket or comforter tug-of-war.


On the other hand, there are $ benefits for partners who co-sleep.  They include: $ falling asleep faster; $ reduced risk of sleep apnea; and $ less insomnia. I won’t mention the obvious.


While not scientifically proven, separate blankets, comforters, or duvets is a practical sleep hygiene hack.  Why not give it a try if co-sleeping isn’t working for you.


https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-scandinavian-method.html

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/scandinavian-sleep-method

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-psychology-relationships/202207/the-significant-benefits-sleeping-next-partner



#sleep #cosleeping #blankets #comforters 

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4 days ago
1 minute 25 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Gregory’s Foods “Bag Full of Cookies” Brand White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Frozen Cookie Dough Has Undeclared Peanuts


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1xWQQDAuP/


Eating the dough or cookies creates serious risk to people with peanut allergies. Affected is the 2-pound, 8.5-ounce package marked with a BEST BY date of December 6, 2026.


This recalled frozen cookie dough was sold in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska at retail grocery stores.


If you, family members, or household visitors have a peanut allergy, returned the cookie dough to the place of purchase for a full refund. Additional information from Gregory’s Foods, Inc. at 1-800-231-4734.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/gregorys-foods-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-peanuts-bag-full-cookies-white-chocolate-macadamia


#gregorys #cookiedough #peanut #allergy #recall

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1 week ago
57 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Atwater’s Cookies In Tins Contain Undeclared Allergens


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1w2eEjGdj/


The tree nut allergens include almonds, pecans, and walnuts.


About 197 cookie tins were sold in Baltimore, Towson, and Catonsville, Maryland in December 2025.


If you have tree nut allergies, do not consume these cookies. Return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. For additional information, call Atwater’s at 1-410-644-3435.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/atwaters-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-tree-nut-allergen-cookie-tin-labels


#atwaters #cookies #almonds #pecans #walnuts #allergy #recall


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1 week ago
47 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
More Choceur Holiday Bark Varieties Contain Undeclared Allergens


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1v6gpEXxU/


Cookie Butter Holiday Bark contains undeclared pecans, and Pecan, Cranberry and Cinnamon Holiday Bark contains undeclared wheat, with multiple lot numbers: 28525, 29925, and 30625, with best by dates ranging from May 2026 through September 2026.


These recalled Holiday Bark products were sold nationwide through Aldi grocery stores.


If you have allergies to pecans or wheat, return these Choceur Holiday Bark products to the place of purchase. For more information, contact Silvestri Sweets by phone at 1-630-232-2500 or by email at customerservice@carousel-candies.com.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/silvestri-sweets-expands-voluntary-allergy-alert-undeclared-pecan-and-wheat-cookie-butter-holiday


#choceur #bark #pecans #wheat #allergy #recall


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1 week ago
1 minute 12 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Country Vet Biscuits Have Salmonella Contamination


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1vKTzDjtT/


Affected are Original Meaty Flavor and Heartland Harvest Dog Biscuits – Meaty Flavor with Chicken lot number 40906513 with a best by expiration date of September 6, 2026.


These recalled dog biscuits were sold in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Montana, and Nebraska.


Do not feed these recalled biscuits to your dog. Return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. If your pet did eat some, monitor for symptoms including lethargy, diarrhea, fever, or vomiting.  Contact your veterinarian if any symptoms appear. If you have questions, call Consumers Supply Distributing, LLC at 1-712-202-5609.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/consumers-supply-distributing-llc-recalls-country-vet-biscuits-dogs-due-possible-salmonella-health


#countryvet #biscuits #dogs #salmonella #infection #recall


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1 week ago
1 minute 10 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Town Food Service Equipment Co.’s Aluminum Saucepans Have Lead Contamination


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1ulVlDeM7/


Lead leaches into food prepared in these saucepans. It causes neurologic damage, particularly for children with developing nervous systems.The recalled saucepans include four sizes ranging from 1 quart to 3 quarts.


These recalled saucepans were sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and Quebec City, Canada between January 2023 and November 2025.


Return these contaminated aluminum saucepans should to the place of purchase for a full refund. For questions, call 1-718-388-5650 or email recall@townfood.com.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/town-food-service-equipment-co-inc-recalls-aluminum-saucepans-because-possible-health-risk


#townfoodservice #saucepans #lead #poison #recall


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1 week ago
1 minute 20 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods Decorated Pound Cakes Contain Undeclared Soy


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1t9ufjRi3/


Affected are 8-inch Pound Cakes with Buttercream Icing and Pink Roses, 8-inch Pound Cakes with Buttercream Icing and Red Roses, 6-inch Pound Cakes with Buttercream Icing and Red Roses, and 6-inch Pound Cakes with Buttercream Icing and Confetti, all with a best-by date of December 15, 2025.


These pound cakes were sold at Kroger Mid-Atlantic stores in Virginia and West Virginia, and at Ukrop’s Market Hall in Richmond, Virginia, between February 2010 and December 2025.

 

Return these recalled pound cakes to the place of purchase for a full refund. For questions, call 1-804-340-3050.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/ukrops-homestyle-foods-announces-recall-due-undeclared-allergen


#ukrops #cakes #soy #allergy #recall


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1 week ago
1 minute 2 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
So Delicious Dairy Free® Salted Caramel Cluster Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Has Rocks


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1tTOhiVL8/


This frozen dessert is contaminated small stones and other hard objects. The recalled product includes multiple best-by expiration dates before August 8, 2027.


These frozen dessert pints were sold nationwide at retail stores.


Do not consume this frozen dessert. For information on refunds, contact the So Delicious Dairy Free® Care Line at 1-833-367-8975 or reach out via the webform at https://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/contact-us/.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/so-delicious-dairy-freer-salted-caramel-cluster-frozen-dessert-pints-voluntarily-recalled-danone-us


#sodelicious #frozendessert #foreignbodies #recall


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1 week ago
54 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
ReBoost and ClearLife Allergy Nasal Sprays Have Microbial Contamination. 


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1sp22jfvC/


ReBoost Nasal Spray has been found to contain yeast, mold, and bacterial contamination including Achromobacter. ClearLife Allergy Nasal Spray has also been found to contain Achromobacter. contamination that may be linked to, at levels above specifications. Affected are all lots with dates from December 2022 to December 2025.


These products were sold through retail stores and online at medinatura.com between December 2022 and December 2025.


Stop sniffing these nasal sprays. If you purchased the products directly from MediNatura New Mexico, Inc., contact the company at recall@medinatura.com for a refund. Products purchased from retailers should be returned to the place of purchase. For general questions, contact MediNatura New Mexico, Inc. at 1-800-621-7644 or via the email recall@medinatura.com.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/medinatura-new-mexico-inc-expands-voluntary-nationwide-recall-reboost-nasal-spray-and-include


#reboost #clearlife #microbial #contamination #infection #recall


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1 week ago
1 minute 19 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
MR.7 SUPER 700000 Supplement Capsules Contain Prescription Medications


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1sDVBljXb/


This over-the-counter medication contains undeclared sildenafil. Viagra, and tadalafil, Cialis, which are both active ingredients in prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction. Taking this medication is risky for those taking nitrates for heart conditions, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.


These recalled capsules were sold online between August 2025 and November 2025.


Do not consume this product. Call. StuffbyNainax LLC at 1-346-441-9470 or use the email stuffbynainaxllc.info@gmail.com. For more information and toe inquire about refunds.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/stuffbynainax-llc-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-mr7-super-700000-dietary-supplement-due


#mr7super7000000 #men #viagra #cialis #hypotension


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1 week ago
1 minute 7 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Publix Raspberry Coffee Cake Has Undeclared Walnuts


Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DS1rEExjc1c/


The individual packages actually contain Publix Maple Walnut Coffee Cake. This mislabeling poses a serious, life-threatening risk to people with walnut allergies. The affected product has a lot code of 5309 and was manufactured on November 5, 2025.


This recalled coffee cake was sold at Publix retail stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.


If you purchased this product, do not consume it if you have a walnut allergy. Instead, return it to your nearest Publix store for a refund.  For more information, contact James Skinner LLC by phone at 1-800-358-7428.


https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/james-skinner-llc-issues-voluntary-recall-publix-maple-walnut-coffee-cake-due-incorrect-labeling


#publix #coffeecake #walnuts #allergy #recall

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1 week ago
1 minute 3 seconds

Dr. Howard Smith Reports
Howard G. Smith MD, AM has been reporting health and wellness news for more than 35 years on radio and via podcasts. Harvard Medical School, MD; Harvard University, AM, Immunology; former Medical Editor, WBZ-AM, Boston. Website: http://www.drhowardsmith.com Email: drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com