RFK Jr. to Lead HHS (Will He Make America Healthy Again?)

RFK Jr. to Lead HHS

(Will He Make America Healthy Again?)

Many of the nominees for cabinet secretaries by President-elect Donald J. Trump are controversial. But the most controversial of all is his pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This article will look less at the politics of the matter but more at the stated polices of RFK Jr. and if they will indeed “Make America Healthy Again” as he claims.

This article will utilize quotes from various news agencies about this nomination and related issues, followed by comments by yours truly. Many of these issues have been addressed previously in this FitTips for One and All newsletter or I have addressed them in my various other writings. I will point to them as appropriate.

Obesity and Diabetes Epidemics

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the massive Medicare and Medicaid Services programs, which provide health coverage for the poor, those ages 65 and older, and the disabled….

Over posts on social media platform X and interviews in recent weeks, Kennedy has indicated his priorities include addressing what he calls the “chronic disease epidemic” of conditions including obesity, diabetes and autism, and reducing chemicals in food.

“FDA’s war on public health is about to end,” he wrote on X in late October, adding that includes its “aggressive suppression” of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, sunshine, and other items (Reuters. Trump).

To comment, there is no doubt there is an epidemic of obesity and diabetes in the USA. And that epidemic is why the Covid pandemic hit America harder than it did other countries (see my article Obesity: The Reason COVID Has Hit the USA So Hard on my Covid website).

The Covid pandemic gave health professionals the perfect opportunity to address these other epidemics of obesity and diabetes, as being overweight or having diabetes increased a person’s risk of having a serious consequences from a Covid infection. But sadly, not once during the pandemic did I hear a health professional take that opportunity and encourage Americans to lose weight if overweight and to get their diabetes under control by way of diet and exercise, and by medication if necessary, in order to reduce that risk from Covid. But I did so repeatedly in my Covid writings. As such, I agree with RJK Jr. in this regard that these problems need a focus from the federal government.

Next is “reducing chemicals in food.” That I personally wholeheartedly agree with, in that I am sensitive to such and have to avoid them. That is why I spend the extra money to purchase all natural and organic foods. However, it is just that, extra money to purchase such, and that causes me and would cause many others economic hardships if such is all that was available.

To put it another way, the reason food companies spray crops with pesticides and put preservatives in foods is it reduces food loss, and that reduction in food loss in turn reduces costs to all parties in the food production chain, from the farm down to the consumer. Eliminate all pesticides and preservatives and you will see a rise in food costs across the board. That is a tension RFK Jr. will have to deal with, but he seems too focused on the health end of things to look at the economic end.

Next, RFK Jr. mentions about the “suppression” of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, sunshine.

I can only assume by psychedelics he means medical marijuana and possibly psychedelics found in various mushrooms, among others. These have supposed health benefits, but also many potential drawbacks. That would require an extended discussion. But here, I will just say, very often approvals of such for medicinal use often leads to approvals for recreational use. And that is not a good thing at all (see Nutrition and Health News: Summer 2018, Alcohol, Marijuana, Coconut Oil, Breakfast Cereals, Carb Levels).

That article also addressed one chemical (glyphosate) commonly added to breakfast cereals that would probably be on RFK’s hit list. The recommendation in that article to avoid it is to purchase organic breakfast cereals. But again, organic cereals are more expensive than commercial ones.

I address the issues related to raw milk in my book Creationist Diet: Second Edition, so I will not pursue them here. But I will say, both sides, the advocates for and against it, overstate their cases, and RFK Jr. would probably be on the side of overstating its benefits while downplaying its risks.

On sunshine, I don’t know how it is being “suppressed,” unless he means the importance of such is downplayed by health professionals. But I don’t see that, as I often read articles mentioning about the benefits of such.

As for peptides and stem cells, that again is a difficult issue, outside the scope of this article. But I will say, the main issue with stem cells is if they are fetal stem cells. Their use in medical research is staunchly opposed by pro-lifers. That is another area of controversy with regard to RFK Jr, in that he is staunchly pro-abortion. That debate is out of the scope of this article, but it is sure to come up in the confirmation hearings.

Artificial Food Ingredients

He has pushed for tighter regulations around the ingredients in foods.

With the Trump campaign, he worked to shore up support among young mothers in particular, with his message of making food healthier in the U.S., promising to model regulations imposed in Europe. In a nod to Trump’s original campaign slogan, he named the effort “Make America Healthy Again.”

It remains unclear how that will square with Trump’s history of deregulation of big industries, including food. Trump pushed for fewer inspections of the meat industry, for example (AP. Trump).

Processed foods are in the cross hairs of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but battling major companies could collide with President-elect Donald J. Trump’s corporate-friendly goals….

Mr. Kennedy has singled out Froot Loops as an example of a product with too many artificial ingredients, questioning why the Canadian version has fewer than the U.S. version. But he was wrong. The ingredient list is roughly the same, although Canada’s has natural colorings made from blueberries and carrots while the U.S. product contains red dye 40, yellow 5 and blue 1 as well as Butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, a lab-made chemical that is used “for freshness,” according to the ingredient label (NYT. Kennedy’s)

To comment, the New York Times (NYT) has been criticized for its article, in that it “fact checks” itself within the same paragraph, first saying there is no significant difference between Froot Loops in the USA versus in Canada, but then giving a significant difference. And yes, such is significant in that people like me with sensitivities need to avoid artificial ingredients, and some believe such artificial ingredients contribute to autism, ADHD, and other health issues.

However, to ban such would contradict Trump’s overall stance about deregulation. And again, it could lead to increased costs to consumers, in that the mentioned natural colorings are more expensive than the artificial ones and none-use of the BHT would lead to increased food spoilage. But the overall idea of improving the healthiness of our food supply is a good one.

Michele and Michael Tried This Before

The makers of weight loss drugs and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are both pushing for Americans to change their diets. But the owner of Twinkies and Uncrustables is predicting that nothing will be able to stop America’s insatiable hunger for snacks….

The food giant’s answer came in response to an analyst question about whether Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda could hurt the company. Kennedy, who President-elect Donald Trump has picked as his nominee for secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, has advocated for banning artificial food coloring and pesticides. He has also proposed limiting access to soda and processed foods through school lunches and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Kennedy has said there are “chemical poisons” in chips, gummy bears and other popular snacks and wants to ban them (CNN. Despite).

To comment, I find it a bit hypocritical that conservatives threw a fit when Michele Obama tried to reduce the amount of processed foods and junk foods in school lunches and to increase the usage of fruits and vegetables. The conservative cry was that the kids want pizza and chicken nuggets and that they would just throw away the apples and broccoli.

Similarly, conservatives decried New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s attempt to ban “Big Gulp” type of sodas by limiting the number of ounces a single serving could contain. That measure was struck down by the courts (CBS News. Not). But it was not Bloomberg’s overreach that upset conservatives at the time but the mere fact of the government trying to tell Americans what or how much of something they should consume. But now, conservatives seem all on board with the government doing just that.

My take is both Michele and Michael were on the right track. It’s just that they were a bit too heavy-handed in the government’s role. The government does have a role in education and encouragement but not in bans and restrictions. Give Americans correct information and let us decide for ourselves what is best for ourselves. I hope that is the path RFK takes.

Why This Matters

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to a sweeping new study....

The study, published on Thursday [11/14/24] in The Lancet, reveals the striking rise of obesity rates nationwide since 1990 — when just over half of adults were overweight or obese — and shows how more people are becoming overweight or obese at younger ages than in the past. Both conditions can raise the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and shorten life expectancy (NYT. Three).

To comment, here is why all of this talk about American’s food supply is important. To go from 50% to 75% of Americans being overweight or obese in the past 34 years shows something is clearly wrong. But exactly what is that “something” and what to do about it? Those are the questions.

RFK Jr. is putting the focus on our chemicalized food supply. He is also an advocate of exercise, posting many videos of himself, a 70-year-old, doing various feats of strength and showing off his muscular body (Breitbart. Robert). That is all well and good. But again, I cannot help to think of the hypocrisy of conservatives deriding Michele Obama for her “Let’s move” program with similar goals (White House. First).

Fluoride in Drinking Water

Kennedy has been critical of childhood vaccination schedules, fluoride in drinking water, and processed vegetable oils in processed foods. He would likely push the federal government to advise local governments to stop including fluoride in water.

Kennedy has described fluoride as “an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease.”

He has referred to “seed oils” — such as canola oil, corn oil, and sunflower oil — as poison for their highly refined production processes (Breitbart. Trump Taps).

To comment, there are two issues in this block quote I want to focus on. The first is fluoride in drinking water. For decades, those who were opposed to such were considered to be crazy. Today, they would be called “conspiracy theorist.” But RFK Jr. is fully behind this movement.

This month (November 2024] Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—President-elect Donald Trump’s current nominee for the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—fueled a fluoride furor on social media when he called the mineral “industrial waste.” Kennedy, a former presidential candidate, inaccurately claimed fluoride exposure could lead to arthritis, bone cancer, thyroid disease, IQ loss and neurodevelopmental conditions. He has said he would advise against adding it to tap water—a practice that currently reaches more than 209 million Americans (Scientific America. What the).

These claims were fueled by the following, “A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water because high levels could pose a risk to the intellectual development of children” (AP. Fluoride).

However, the Scientific America article and many others go on to explain that the study that proposed this link was faulty and soundly rebuked by the scientific community. But that did not prevent news outlets like the AP from promoting it without any caveats. But the caveat is that the levels that cause such problems are far greater than what is found in the American water system.

The AP and others also failed to report the following, “Studies show communities that cease water fluoridation generally see more cavities in kids—and consequently incur higher dental bills” (Scientific America. What the). And there is the following:

Public health experts also worry the current political frenzy around fluoride could feed more misinformation about effective health practices—including vaccinations. “Uncritical acceptance of these methodologically deficient studies will only encourage more poor-quality studies,” says Jay Kumar, a retired epidemiologist, who co-authored the 2023 meta-analysis. “If we keep perpetuating bad science, people are going to stop trusting government reports” (Scientific America. What the).

This lack of trust of the government was increased during the Covid pandemic, with now most conservatives having little trust in anything the government says. RFK’s unscientific rhetoric will only increase that mistrust.

Seed Oils

The second issue is seed oils, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others claim they’re harming our health, but the evidence suggests otherwise” (NYT. Are Seed).

I address refined vegetable oils in my Creationist Diet book. I document that their consumption is correlated with increased bodyweight. The other issue is, “They are mainly composed of unsaturated fats. Most of them are high in one type, omega-6 fatty acids, and low in another, omega-3 fatty acids” (NYT. Are Seed). An imbalance between Omega 6s and 3s is said to increase inflammation, which is the root of many chronic diseases. However:

The claim that seed oils are ruining our health is especially rankling to nutrition scientists, who see them as a big step forward from butter and lard.

Decades of research have shown that consuming seed oils is associated with better health, said Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University.

To suggest otherwise, he added, “just undermines the science.” …

But correlation does not equal causation. We’re eating more of these oils because they’re used in ultraprocessed and fast foods, which make up a larger share of our diets today than in past decades, Dr. Gardner said. Those foods aren’t good for us, he said, but there’s no evidence to suggest that seed oils are what makes them unhealthy (NYT. Are Seed).

To comment, the claim by the NYT is, the correlation of seed oils with increased bodyweight and inflammation-fueled health issues is more due to increased intake of processed foods, of which seed oils are most often a part, but it is being said the unhealthy part is not the seed oils but the other processed ingredients.

I would say it is hard to tease out what is the issue. In my book, I detail that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats does indeed decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. But replacing saturated fats with refined carbs does not. That is where some of the confusion comes in and why some claim saturated fats are not unhealthy. They look at studies on the latter point, but they ignore studies on the former. And it is such studies the NYT is referring to.

However, in my book, I state that unrefined nut and seed oils would be better than refined ones. In that way, the natural occurring nutrients are retained, along with the color, taste, and smell of the original food. They simply taste better. But they are also more expensive and not as good for frying or sautéing due to having a lower smoke flash point.

But RFK Jr. is ignoring all of these finer points and beneficial studies in his blanket denunciation of seed oils. For more in this regard, see my article What is a Processed Food?

Vaccines Promotion vs. Antivax

Kennedy’s stance on vaccines has also made him a controversial figure among Democrats and some Republicans, raising question about his ability to get confirmed, even in a GOP-controlled Senate. Kennedy has espoused misinformation around the safety of vaccines, including pushing a totally discredited theory that childhood vaccines cause autism (AP. Trump picks).

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a physician, told CNN’s Laura Coates Thursday [11/14/24] night that Kennedy “rallied” people in Samoa against vaccinations in 2019, contributing to a measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly young children. Kennedy, Coates noted, has denied telling people not to get vaccinated.

“Basically what he did is he scared that country away from vaccinations, and measles will kill young people,” said Green, who helped vaccinate people in Samoa during the 2019 outbreak that sickened more than 5,000 people. “That’s what RFK did, and if he is confirmed as HHS secretary, what he will do is he will cast doubt on vaccinations programs across America. That will mean thousands and then millions of people will consider not getting vaccinated; we will not have herd immunity, and physicians like myself and pediatricians and all sorts of other health-care providers will see cataclysmic spread of disease” (CNN. RFK)

Waning vaccine coverage has fueled a 20% spike in measles cases worldwide, with 10.3 million people struck by the preventable illness in 2023, health officials reported Wednesday [11/13/24]….

Globally, roughly 83% of children received a first dose of the vaccine last year, while only 74% received a second dose.

Unfortunately, health officials recommend at least 95% vaccination coverage to prevent outbreaks. An infected person can spread the highly contagious disease to up to 90% of people close to them if they are not immune, according to the CDC….

In the United States, measles vaccination rates among kindergartners have missed the federal target for four years in a row and fell to 92.7% coverage in 2023, according to CDC data.

The drop in vaccination coverage has had consequences: An estimated 107,500 people worldwide, mostly children under the age of 5, died from measles in 2023 (Health Day. Falling).

Kennedy insists he is not anti-vaccine and claims he has never told the public to avoid vaccination. But he has repeatedly made his opposition to vaccines clear. He said on a podcast “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and has urged people to resist CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccinated.

While there are rare instances when people have severe reactions to vaccines, the billions of doses administered globally provide real-world evidence that they are safe. The World Health Organization says vaccines prevent as many as 5 million deaths each year (Breitbart. About).

To comment, we now come to the most controversial of RFK Jr.’s positions, that of his antivax stance. Let me first mention, he claims he is not antivax but says he will “allow” people to get vaccinated. But what is needed in the HHS Secretary is to not just “allow” Americans to get vaccinated but to actively encourage and promote vaccinations.

Moreover, as the second quote indicates, RFK Jr. is indeed antivax and has actively discouraged vaccination, not just here in American but elsewhere in the world. And that antivax promotion has led to the deaths and suffering of thousands of people in Samoa and here in the USA.

He was especially prominent in the Covid-19 antivax movement, and that movement led to the unnecessary suffering and deaths of many Americans, as I detail on my Covid website. To put it another way, you cannot make people healthy again who are dead. Yet, RFK Jr.’s false and irresponsible rhetoric about vaccines has led to the deaths of many. If he continues that practice as HHS Secretary, his greater influence will lead to even greater vaccine hesitancy in the USA. That will lead to the loss of herd immunity for not just measles but other communicable diseases that had all but been eradicated but which will see a resurgence under his watch.

Just his anti-Covid vaccine positions will lead to even fewer Americans getting each year’s updated Covid booster shots, leading to much needless suffering. For more in that regard, see my latest Covid quarterly article.

Conclusion

If RFK Jr. focuses on promoting healthy eating, that Americans consume less processed foods and more whole natural foods, if he works on reducing less than desirable chemicals in our food supply, and if he encourages Americans to get moving and exercise more, then that will be good and maybe he will indeed Make America Healthy Again. That is all in line with what I promote in my books God-given Foods Eating Plan and Creationist Diet: Second Edition.

However, if he continues to push his less than scientifically sound ideas about fluoride, saturated fats, and vaccines, then he will do the opposite, and we will see a resurgence of preventable dental problems, heart disease, and contagious diseases among Americans. That will be the opposite of making America healthy again.

References:

AP. About RFK Jr., Trump Health Secretary Pick (via Newsmax).

AP. Fluoride in drinking water poses enough risk to merit new EPA action, judge says.

AP. Trump picks Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary (via WTAE).

AP. Trump rounds out his health team with CDC, FDA and surgeon general nominations (via WTAE).

Breitbart. Make America Healthy Again: Trump Team Hypes MAHA Dream Team

Breitbart. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Shows Off Impressive Flip at the Gym.

Breitbart. Trump Taps Robert F. Kennedy to Lead Health and Human Services Department.

CBS News. Not So Fast! Judge Halts New York City's Super-Sized Sugary Drink Ban.

Christian Post. Sorry RFK Jr: We can’t make America healthy again by killing our children.

CNN. Despite Ozempic and RFK Jr., Uncrustables and Twinkies believe ‘very strongly that snacking continues’.

CNN. RFK Jr.’s to-do list to make America ‘healthy’ has health experts worried.