A brand new Making America Wholesome Once more report from Health and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his division blames childhood persistent illness on ultra-processed meals, persistent stress, over-prescribing of medicines and environmental chemical substances.
“There’s something wrong, and we will not stop until we defeat the chronic disease epidemic,” President Donald Trump mentioned Thursday at an occasion unveiling the report, “and America, we’re going to get it done.”
Regardless of the wide-ranging and alarming claims of the report, up to now, the second Trump administration has taken quite a lot of steps that consultants say will make Individuals much less wholesome. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” would make hundreds of thousands of individuals lose their medical insurance to assist offset tax cuts, and the administration has tried to slash billions of {dollars} in public well being spending in addition to grants for scientific analysis.
The 69-page report additionally claims that greater than 40% of American youngsters have at the very least one persistent well being situation, childhood most cancers charges have soared, over 20% of youngsters are overweight and one in 31 youngsters have autism.
Trump spoke in regards to the rise in autism diagnoses, claiming with out proof, “It has to be artificially induced, it has to be.” Kennedy, who was sitting subsequent to Trump through the MAHA occasion, has been on the forefront of pushing autism conspiracy theories for years. Kennedy has repeatedly falsely mentioned that vaccines trigger autism, and in April, he mentioned he would determine the “environmental toxin” he believes causes autism. Autism charges have grown in years, in response to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, however well being officers largely attribute that to extra individuals getting recognized, no more individuals creating autism.
The MAHA report devotes a whole part to vaccines, writing that since 1986, youngsters have needed to get extra vaccines than ever earlier than and that folks “should be fully informed of the benefits and risks of vaccines.” The report additionally requires extra medical research on vaccines.
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The report additionally calls out ultra-processed meals, claiming they’re “damaging the health of American children.” Trump was met with applause from the MAHA occasion’s viewers after he mentioned that the administration is “phasing out eight of the most common artificial food dyes,” including that he ended “conflicts” on the Meals and Drug Administration. In April, Trump’s administration fired a number of FDA staff.
The report additionally claims that government-funded meals applications, just like the Supplemental Diet Help Program, or SNAP, are in charge for youngsters’s dangerous consuming habits.
“Children receiving SNAP benefits are more likely to consume greater quantities of sugar-sweetened beverages and processed meats compared to income-eligible nonrecipients,” the report claims.
Environmental chemical substances are additionally in charge for youngsters’s poor well being, the report claims, like PFAS, that are a bunch of artificial chemical substances utilized in nonstick cookware and meals packaging; microplastics,and excessive ranges of fluoride in water, which the report claims led to decrease IQs in youngsters.
The report additionally claims that digital units have led to loneliness, persistent stress and sleep deprivation.
“Parallel to the decline in physical activity American youth face deepening psychosocial crisis. This is marked by rising mental health disorders significant sleep deficits chronic stress and pervasive loneliness all exacerbated by the widespread influence of technology,” the report reads.
At Thursday’s occasion, Trump ended by congratulating the “entire MAHA movement” earlier than Kennedy praised Trump in return. Kennedy known as the MAHA report a “call to action for common sense.”
“We’ve relied too much on conflicting research, ignored common sense, or what some would call mother’s intuition,” Kennedy mentioned.
