A 69-page report, compiled by the “Make America Healthy Again Commission,” blamed the rise in chronic diseases in the U.S. on unhealthy food ingredients, chemicals, overreliance on medication, children’s screen time and corporate spending.
The group was created through an executive order issued in February and is led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Besides Kennedy, the panel includes Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and White House economic and budget advisers.
Secretary Kennedy told reporters that the report will be a blueprint for the Trump administration’s plans on health and that policy recommendations are expected by mid-August.
Singled out are processed sugars like high-fructose corn syrup and “ultra-processed grains,” linking them to conditions including type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity. It also calls out seed oils such as soybean and canola oils, noting their “potential role in inflammation.”
The report also lists out additives it deems a concern, including artificial sweeteners like aspartame and the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene, which the FDA added last week to a list of chemicals that it will evaluate. Additionally, it points to titanium dioxide and propylparaben – both additives the FDA also said it would hasten an existing review on.
In addition, the report:
- Suggests that the totality of vaccines that children receive hasn’t been sufficiently studied;
- Says children are over-medicated;
- Cites a handful of studies that have raised concerns about possible links between certain herbicides and developmental disorders;
- Notes that children are experiencing unprecedented levels of inactivity, screen use, sleep deprivation, and chronic stress; and
- Accuses the pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries of spending vast sums of money to influence scientific literature, legislative actions, academic institutions, regulatory agencies, medical journals, physician organizations, clinical guidelines and the news media.
The full Make America Healthy Again Commission report can be read by clicking here.
