Latest news with #MAHA
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
4 things are making us sick, new MAHA documentary says. What the research says
Ultraprocessed foods, seed oils, pesticides and fluoride: They're all targets of the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement, whose chief proponent is US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Now, MAHA Films, a production company dedicated to promoting the movement's values, has released its first documentary. 'Toxic Nation: From Fluoride to Seed Oils — How We Got Here, Who Profits, and What You Can Do' highlights those four food- and environmental-related issues that Kennedy's nonprofit MAHA Action, an advocacy partner for the film, says 'silently endanger millions of Americans every day.' Released online Tuesday, the film is the first in a planned four-part series. 'If we can love our children more than we hate each other, we can solve the chronic disease epidemic affecting them,' producer and director Jeff Hays said in a news release, quoting Kennedy's ethos. ''Toxic Nation' is our love letter to that vision, a call to create an America where families can finally thrive in true health.' The documentary's release follows the May 22 publication of the first MAHA Commission report, which lays the groundwork for an overhaul of federal policy to reduce the burden of chronic disease on American children. Still, Kennedy's agenda to overhaul food systems, pharmaceuticals and environmental toxins may run into roadblocks due to significant budget and staffing cuts at HHS and the US Environmental Protection Agency. 'The Trump Administration can't have it both ways,' Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization, wrote in an email. (Although there is substantial overlap with some issues that have become Kennedy's focus at HHS, the documentary was not released by the federal government.) 'On the one hand, they're sounding the alarm about diet-related disease and the illnesses caused by dangerous chemicals,' Faber added. 'On the other hand, they're making it harder for people to build healthy diets and eliminating the safeguards that protect us from toxins like PFAS and pathogens.' Although some experts have long talked about the effects of what we consume on our risk of disease, when it comes to specifics, there is some controversy around the potential dangers, benefits or neutrality, if any. Here's what recent research says about the four targets of 'Toxic Nation.' The claim: The documentary calls out ultraprocessed foods as one of the roots of chronic disease. The background: Composing up to 70% of the US food supply, ultraprocessed foods are made with industrial techniques and ingredients 'never or rarely used in kitchens, or classes of additives whose function is to make the final product palatable or more appealing,' according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Ultraprocessed foods are typically low in fiber; are high in calories, added sugar, refined grains and fats, and sodium; and include additives such as preservatives, flavor enhancers or dyes. The research: Numerous studies over decades have linked consumption of ultraprocessed foods to diseases or health issues including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, premature death, cancer, depression, cognitive decline, stroke and sleep disorders. The harms could be partly due to ultraprocessed foods' effects on metabolism, experts have said — since without fiber, for example, refined carbohydrates can raise triglycerides and spike blood glucose levels. QUIZ: How much ultraprocessed food are you eating? What you can do: Limit your intake of ultraprocessed foods by increasing your consumption of whole fruits, veggies, grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes. Read ingredient labels and be aware of how much sodium you're eating and how certain foods make you feel; ultraprocessed foods can keep you wanting more, whereas whole foods are more satiating. Read more on ultraprocessed food: Eating more ultraprocessed food ups the risk of premature death, study finds The claim: The documentary challenges the long-held guidance that for heart health, cooks should replace saturated fats from animal products such as beef tallow, pig lard and butter with seed oils. (Kennedy applauded Steak 'n Shake's switchover from seed oils to beef tallow for frying its french fries, calling it a healthier choice.) The background: Vegetable and seed oils became popular in the mid-20th century, when scientists began looking into animal fat as the culprit behind the uptick in cardiovascular issues and promoted oils as heart-healthy alternatives. Some experts' concerns about seed oils are based on their chemistry, the industrial production involving various chemicals and the behavior of seed oils when they're exposed to heat, air and light. The oils are extracted from the seeds of plants, like canola oil from canola — or rapeseed — plant seeds. The other seed oils of concern are corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower and rice bran oils. Seed oils are primarily polyunsaturated fats, which are less chemically stable than saturated fats, the main lipid in animal fats. Polyunsaturated fats are thus prone to faster peroxidation when exposed to oxygen or cooked, which can produce molecules linked to cellular damage and oxidative stress, Dr. Daisy Zamora, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina's School of Medicine, told CNN in March. The research: Over the past few decades and continuing today, scientists have published copious data showing that diets higher in plant fats result in better health outcomes than diets higher in animal fats, Dr. Alice H. Lichtenstein, the Stanley N. Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, told CNN in March. The research on seed oils has picked up over the past decade , including Zamora's clinical trials that found limiting seed oils improved participants' chronic pain. Other studies have linked seed oil intake with atherosclerosis or biomarkers of fat buildup in arteries. The risk of harmful degradation products may not come into play unless the oils are cooked too hot, used repeatedly or kept for too long, and it's possible that some food companies, restaurants and individuals may be doing those things, Dr. Eric Decker, a professor of food science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told CNN in a previous story. What you can do: If you're concerned about seed oils, you can try substituting extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, experts said. Experts also recommend that any fat you consume should be in moderation. Read more on seed oils: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says beef tallow is healthier than seed oils. Is he right? The claim: The film raises concerns about the herbicide glyphosate, citing previously documented links to cancer. Sources also said glyphosate may cause endocrine disruption and damaged gut microbiomes, with the latter potentially increasing risk for irritable bowel diseases and celiac disease. The background: Glyphosate is commonly used for killing weeds in human and animal food crops, forestry and gardens. The research: Research on the effects of glyphosate on the human gut microbiome is in the early stages, although harm in rats has been found. A 2019 analysis of studies on thousands of people and animals found that exposure to glyphosate was associated with a 41% higher risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. The US Food and Drug Administration's role is to ensure that pesticide or herbicide residues on or in domestic and imported foods don't exceed limits set by the EPA, at levels the EPA determines to 'provide a reasonable certainty of no harm,' according to the FDA. The EPA has said that glyphosate isn't likely to be carcinogenic for humans and that it continues to find 'no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label.' The EPA's conclusion contradicts the World Health Organization's stance, although the latter has been controversial among both industry and some health experts. The decision was followed by thousands of lawsuits — against the leading producer of glyphosate-based weed killers — claiming that glyphosate exposure caused plaintiffs' cancer. Some have been successful to varying degrees, including a high-profile case partly argued by Kennedy when he was an environmental lawyer. What you can do: You can limit your consumption of herbicides (as well as pesticides) by eating mostly or only organic foods. Since that's not feasible for many people, you can still make an impact by reducing your intake of the foods on the Environmental Working Group's 'Dirty Dozen' list and increasing your intake of its 'Clean Fifteen' foods. The lists refer to conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with the most or least amount of pesticide residues, respectively. Still, the EWG also says the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure, so don't let perfection be the enemy of the good. Read more on pesticides: Many breakfast cereals still contaminated by weed killer, environmental group says The claim: Documentary sources claimed that the type of fluoride predominantly used in drinking water for most of the US population differs from dental sodium fluoride. That's a problem, they say, because it's hydrofluorosilicic acid, a chemical byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer industry, and contains heavy metals such as arsenic. It's true that hydrofluorosilicic acid is the fluoridation agent of choice for many municipalities . That hydrofluorosilicic acid also contains more arsenic than sodium fluoride is also true, according to the EPA, which has also said it limits the amount of arsenic allowed in water. 'Toxic Nation' sources added that fluoride can block thyroid receptors and cause dental fluorosis. This is a cosmetic change in children's tooth enamel caused by ingesting excessive fluoride while their permanent teeth are still forming underneath their gums, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The background: Medical organizations or institutions such as the American Dental Association and the CDC continue to support water fluoridation and use of fluoride toothpaste. Most of the documentary sources acknowledged that sodium fluoride can strengthen enamel. The research: Studies prove that 'water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing dental decay by at least 25% in children and adults, even in the of era widespread availability of fluoride from other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste,' according to the American Dental Association. A new study published in the journal JAMA affirms this. It estimated that eliminating fluoride from public water systems would be associated with a 7.5% increase in tooth decay, according to data on 8,484 children with an average age of 9. But a few studies, including a federal review published in August, have supported concerns about higher levels of fluoride in water affecting children's intellectual development. Some have also found only slight dental benefits of fluoridating water. But the federal review noted that associations between normal levels of fluoride and children's IQ are less consistent. And research on adults is scarce. What you can do: If you want to avoid fluoride intake, you can buy water filters that filter out fluoride. They should be independently certified, such as by the National Sanitation Foundation or another official lab. Also ensure your kids don't swallow toothpaste that contains fluoride. To help prevent cavities, brush and floss your teeth daily and nightly, and limit your intake of sugary foods and beverages, the American Dental Association recommends. If you do eat them, do so at mealtimes. You should also visit your dentist regularly. Read more on fluoride: What to know about fluoride in drinking water CNN's Andrea Kane, Sandee LaMotte, Nadia Kounang, Carma Hassan and Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.
The Sun
20 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
Trump administration 'MAHA' health report cited nonexistent studies
A highly-publicized U.S. government report on the health of American children referenced scientific studies that did not exist among citations to support its conclusions in what the White House said were 'formatting issues' on Thursday. The report produced by the Make America Healthy Again Commission, named after the slogan aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was released last week. The 14-member commission included Kennedy, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Food and Drug Administration head Martin Makary among others. It said processed food, chemicals, stress and overprescription of medications and vaccines may be factors behind chronic illness in American children, citing some 500 research studies, including those that did not exist, as evidence. Digital news outlet NOTUS reported the citation errors on Thursday. It found seven studies listed in the report's footnotes that did not exist, along with broken links and misstated conclusions, raising questions over whether the report had relied on artificial intelligence. Reuters independently confirmed two of the erroneous citations. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that any citation errors were due to 'formatting issues.' The government said it posted a corrected version of the report later on Thursday, without providing details on how the mistakes had occurred. 'The substance of the MAHA report remains the same - a historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children,' the Department of Health and Human Services said. Kennedy has spent decades sowing doubt about the safety of vaccines, which have long been backed by a scientific consensus on their effectiveness for controlling disease outbreaks, raising concerns within the scientific and medical communities over the policies he would pursue as health secretary. Since taking the role, he has fired thousands of workers at federal health agencies and cut billions of dollars from U.S. biomedical research spending. 'Nobody has ever accused RFK Jr. of academic rigor,' said Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. 'The speed (of the MAHA report) suggests that it could not have been vetted carefully and must have been whisked through standard clearance procedures. The citation problem suggests a reliance on AI.' AI-generated fictions, known as 'hallucinations,' have also cropped up in court filings and landed attorneys in hot water ever since ChatGPT and other generative AI programs became widely available more than two years ago. Katherine Keyes, an epidemiology professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, was cited in the MAHA report as the author of 'Changes in mental health and substance use among U.S. adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic,' which the report said was published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics. She said that neither she nor the named co-authors of the paper had written it. 'It does make me concerned given that citation practices are an important part of conducting and reporting rigorous science,' she said. Psychiatry Professor Robert L. Findling did not author the article cited in the report as 'Direct-to-consumer advertising of psychotropic medications for youth: A growing concern' in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, according to a spokesperson for Virginia Commonwealth University, where Findling is a professor. The studies attributed to Findling and Keyes no longer appeared in the MAHA report on the White House website as of Thursday evening.
The Sun
20 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
MAHA report cites fake studies, White House blames format
A highly-publicized U.S. government report on the health of American children referenced scientific studies that did not exist among citations to support its conclusions in what the White House said were 'formatting issues' on Thursday. The report produced by the Make America Healthy Again Commission, named after the slogan aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was released last week. The 14-member commission included Kennedy, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Food and Drug Administration head Martin Makary among others. It said processed food, chemicals, stress and overprescription of medications and vaccines may be factors behind chronic illness in American children, citing some 500 research studies, including those that did not exist, as evidence. Digital news outlet NOTUS reported the citation errors on Thursday. It found seven studies listed in the report's footnotes that did not exist, along with broken links and misstated conclusions, raising questions over whether the report had relied on artificial intelligence. Reuters independently confirmed two of the erroneous citations. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that any citation errors were due to 'formatting issues.' The government said it posted a corrected version of the report later on Thursday, without providing details on how the mistakes had occurred. 'The substance of the MAHA report remains the same - a historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children,' the Department of Health and Human Services said. Kennedy has spent decades sowing doubt about the safety of vaccines, which have long been backed by a scientific consensus on their effectiveness for controlling disease outbreaks, raising concerns within the scientific and medical communities over the policies he would pursue as health secretary. Since taking the role, he has fired thousands of workers at federal health agencies and cut billions of dollars from U.S. biomedical research spending. 'Nobody has ever accused RFK Jr. of academic rigor,' said Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. 'The speed (of the MAHA report) suggests that it could not have been vetted carefully and must have been whisked through standard clearance procedures. The citation problem suggests a reliance on AI.' AI-generated fictions, known as 'hallucinations,' have also cropped up in court filings and landed attorneys in hot water ever since ChatGPT and other generative AI programs became widely available more than two years ago. Katherine Keyes, an epidemiology professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, was cited in the MAHA report as the author of 'Changes in mental health and substance use among U.S. adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic,' which the report said was published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics. She said that neither she nor the named co-authors of the paper had written it. 'It does make me concerned given that citation practices are an important part of conducting and reporting rigorous science,' she said. Psychiatry Professor Robert L. Findling did not author the article cited in the report as 'Direct-to-consumer advertising of psychotropic medications for youth: A growing concern' in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, according to a spokesperson for Virginia Commonwealth University, where Findling is a professor. The studies attributed to Findling and Keyes no longer appeared in the MAHA report on the White House website as of Thursday evening.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
RFK Jr.'s MAHA Report Included Lots of Bogus Studies
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's much-anticipated Make America Healthy Again report is laden with errors and some of the cited authors said their 'studies' don't even exist, according to NOTUS. The 73-page document is the product of a presidential commission led by Kennedy to address the alarming rise in chronic diseases among American children. 'The initial mission of the Commission shall be to advise and assist the President on how best to exercise his authority to address the childhood chronic disease crisis,' the mission statement reads. The Trump administration proudly held the report up as 'a clear, evidence-based foundation for the policy interventions, institutional reforms, and societal shifts needed to reverse course.' This was despite some insiders being freaked out as to what the finished product would look like. A new article examining the report says it is laced with errors as trivial as broken links, all the way to misrepresented and even made-up research. The MAHA study cites over 500 works to support its assertions on issues ranging from vaccine safety to the dangers of ultra-processed foods. Seven of these citations don't even exist as real research, NOTUS reported. 'The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with,' one expert, epidemiologist Katherine Keyes, told the title. She was linked to a study on anxiety in adolescents. The MAHA report states that the study is from the 12th issue of the 176th edition of the journal JAMA Pediatrics. It isn't. No such study with that title exists in the 176th edition. Virginia Commonwealth University, where psychiatric researcher Robert L. Findling works, confirmed that a study about 'psychotropic medications for youth' was not authored by him. Another study about mental health medication in children appeared to have a completely made-up ADHD researcher, according to NOTUS. Likewise, pediatric pulmonologist Harold J. Farber denied writing a study with his name on it: 'Overprescribing of oral corticosteroids for children with asthma.' The document also wildly misconstrues some research. In one section, it states that mental health medication is less effective than therapy alone and cites Joanne McKenzie, a biostatistics professor at an Australian university and her team. 'We did not include psychotherapy in our review,' the author told NOTUS. She continued: 'We only compared the effectiveness of (new generation) antidepressants against each other, and against placebo.' 'The conclusions in the report are not accurate and the journal reference is incorrect,' another researcher, Mariana G. Figueiro, said. She added that she has some research that would have worked, making the decision to seemingly cherry-pick non-related studies even more puzzling. 'I was not aware of the choice, or else I would have suggested one of the other ones.' Sources previously told The Wall Street Journal that the report was largely shaped by Kennedy adviser Calley Means, who co-wrote a book on the dangers of pesticides with his sister, new Trump surgeon general nominee Dr. Casey Means. The Department of Health & Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
RFK slams processed foods, pesticides, vaccines as harmful to kids in sweeping MAHA report
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blames ultra-processed foods, environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity, chronic stress and 'overmedicalization' for driving chronic diseases in U.S. children, according to a commission report published May 22. The 69-page report, titled 'Making Our Children Healthy Again,' also says these drivers are partly propelled by corporate influence and government lobbying. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a commission to "Make America Healthy Again" during Kennedy's swearing in ceremony Feb. 13, and tasked it with investigating chronic illness and delivering an action plan to fight childhood diseases, starting with a report due within 100 days – which it hit just under the deadline. Trump, Kennedy and other administration officials touted the report during an afternoon event in the White House East Room. The president declared it marks "a historic milestone on our mission to make America healthy again.' Trump recounted his political alliance with Kennedy, a former Democrat and the nephew of Democratic President John F. Kennedy, who dropped his longshot independent campaign for president and endorsed the GOP candidate. "He came on board and we got very lucky," Trump said, telling Kennedy: "You really helped, and I want to thank you very much." In return, Trump put Kennedy in charge of the nation's health agencies, giving him license to turn his MAHA movement into government policy, despite criticism from the medical community about his views on vaccines and other issues. The MAHA Commission report marks Kennedy's broadest effort yet to put his stamp on federal health policy. 'At it's core this report is a call to action for common sense," Kennedy said. "We've relied too much on conflicted research, ignored common sense, or what some would call 'mother's intuition.'' MAHA commission members responsible for the report attended the event. They include Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya. In a call with reporters earlier in the day, Kennedy said the commission will work over the next 80 days to issue policy recommendations for the White House based on the report's findings. "This report is really … a diagnosis. The prescription comes in 100 days,' he said. The report takes a close look at the American diet and flags ultra-processed grains, sugars, fats and food additives as problems fueling chronic diseases. Authors say ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, replace healthier foods and encourage people to eat more. UPFs include foods like chips, cheeseburgers, French fries, soda, cake, candy and cookies. Research shows they may be linked to a number of health issues like childhood obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease and depression in women. They've also been associated with cognitive decline and cancer. The report also targets food additives such as artificial dyes, titanium dioxide, propylparaben, butylated hydroxytoluene and artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, sucralose and saccharin. The World Health Organization concluded in a 2023 report that the 'occasional consumption' of aspartame − typically found in sugar-free drinks like Diet Coke − is generally safe. Kennedy has already begun his campaign against food dyes, announcing in a April 22 news conference that the administration plans to eliminate eight dyes from medications and food by the end of 2026. The dyes that will be phased out in less than two years are FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow Nos 5 and 6. In the coming months, the process will begin to revoke authorization of Orange B and Citrus Red No. 2, according to the HHS. Report authors also flag environmental toxins and call for more research to study the health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, microplastics, fluoride, electromagnetic radiation, phthalates, bisphenols and pesticides. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or 'forever chemicals,' consist of more than 12,000 man-made chemical compounds used in consumer products such as non-stick, greaseproof and waterproof coatings and surfaces. PFAS don't easily decompose in nature and because of this, they build up in human bodies and might contribute to certain cancers and other serious health complications. Kennedy's push against fluoride – a naturally occurring mineral found in water, soil, air and various foods – has led to health regulators to remove ingestible fluoride supplements from the market. Fluoride has been added to the public water supplies for decades and dental products, such as toothpaste, as a dental cavities prevention measure. What are PFAS? 'Forever chemicals' are common and dangerous. So far, Utah and Florida are the only states that have banned fluoride from drinking water. Several other states like Kentucky, Louisiana and South Carolina have anti-fluoride bills on the table. The report calls out two herbicides – glyphosate and atrazine – and says an updated assessment on these common substances will be coming out in 2026. The primary exposure to glyphosate, which is used in weed killers like Roundup, occurs through food. Ahead of the report's publication, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall expressed concern the report's findings could erode the public's trust in the U.S. food supply, 'limit farming practices based on unproven theories,' and risk 'reducing access to affordable and nutritious foods,' according to a statement published May 20. Agency heads assured on a call about the commission report that the nation's food supply is safe. "Farmers need the tools in the toolbox to continue to feed the world, but it doesn't mean we can't do better," Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said. In the report, authors argue that 'American children are on too much medicine' and criticize the childhood immunization schedule for encompassing more vaccines than Europe. The commission encourages larger clinical trials to look into the safety of childhood vaccines and potential links to chronic diseases. However, experts have said decades of evidence demonstrate the safety and benefits of these shots. Babies are supposed to receive vaccines that protect against about 15 different infectious diseases. Most require more than one dose, which amounts to nearly 30 jabs by age 2. Vaccine spreading: Babies get a lot of vaccines before they turn 2. Is it safe to spread them out instead? Report authors also said that less time spent outside in nature, and more time spent on screens and social media is contributing to the rise of negative physical and mental health outcomes in U.S. children. The commission said these outcomes are exacerbated by "overmedicalization," calling out medications that treat anxiety, depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are commonly used medications that were called out in the report. SSRIs are approved by the FDA to treat a range of conditions such as anxiety, depression, bulimia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and are used off-label to treat several others. On a call with reporters, NIH Director Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya criticized the medical literature supporting certain treatments and how to use them in children, calling it a "replication crisis." "We have a crisis that requires rethinking almost every aspect of how we think about disease and the prevention of disease," he said. Contributing: Zac Anderson, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY; Reuters. Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. HHS MAHA report targets processed foods, pesticides, vaccines
