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New York Times
May 22, 2025
"Read the full "Make America Healthy Again" Report."
www.nytimes.com
Discussion: In light of the pharmacy industry funding billions into medical schools (funds 80%), legislatures (funds 4.7 billion), and media (funds 5 billion), what have been some non-drug solutions that have helped your own health in life? For me, I have been able to stop buying cough medicine by switching to gargling salt water and taking vitamin D. Thank you.
Purpose and Scope
- Objective: The report aims to provide a transparent, evidence-based foundation to address the childhood chronic disease crisis by identifying its root causes and informing policy interventions.
- Commission: The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, chaired by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is tasked with studying the crisis, informing the public, and recommending government-wide strategies within 180 days.
The Chronic Disease Crisis
- Scale: Over 40% of U.S. children (approximately 73 million) have at least one chronic condition, such as obesity, diabetes, asthma, allergies, or behavioral disorders.
- Impact: Over 75% of youth aged 17-24 are ineligible for military service due to obesity, poor fitness, or mental health issues, threatening national health, economy, and security.
Trends:
Obesity: Over 20% of children over 6 are obese, a 270% increase since the 1970s, with severe obesity up 500%. About 80% of obese teens become obese adults.
Diabetes: Over 350,000 children have diabetes, with type 2 diabetes cases rising over 600% projected by 2060. Pre-diabetes in teens exceeds 25%.
Other Conditions: Rising rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer, mental health issues, autoimmune diseases, and allergies.
Key Drivers of the Crisis
Poor Diet:
- Nearly 70% of children’s calories come from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), linked to obesity, diabetes, and nutrient depletion.
- Government programs, like school lunch initiatives, often exacerbate the issue by promoting UPFs.
Environmental Chemical Exposure:
- Children face increasing exposure to synthetic chemicals, linked to developmental and chronic health issues.
- Regulatory frameworks need evaluation to address cumulative chemical impacts.
Lack of Physical Activity and Chronic Stress:
- Increased screen time, sedentary lifestyles, sleep deprivation, and psychosocial stress contribute to physical and mental health declines.
Overmedicalization:
- Over prescription of medications, driven by corporate influence, leads to unnecessary treatments and long-term risks.
- The childhood vaccine schedule has expanded, with concerns about safety monitoring and conflicts of interest in regulatory oversight.
Corporate Capture and Systemic Issues
Mechanisms:
- Distorted Science: Pharmaceutical industry funds 97% of highly cited clinical trials, often exaggerating benefits and underreporting harms. Medical journals rely on industry revenue, and peer review is often biased or ineffective.
- Influence on Policy: The industry spent $4.7 billion on lobbying (1999-2018) and funds patient advocacy groups, influencing legislation and regulations.
- Clinical Practice: Industry funds 80% of medical school departments and half of continuing medical education, promoting drug use and polypharmacy.
- Media Control: Over $5 billion spent on TV ads in 2023, with direct-to-consumer advertising driving inappropriate prescriptions, especially for ADHD and antidepressants in children.
- Vaccine Concerns: The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (1986) shields manufacturers from liability, creating disincentives for safety research. The Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) is limited in studying long-term outcomes, and open scientific inquiry is stifled by professional repercussions.
Proposed Next Steps
Research Initiatives:
- Address the replication crisis to improve scientific reliability.
- Enhance post-marketing surveillance for pediatric drugs.
- Build a real-world data platform linking health and environmental data.
- Use AI for early detection of harmful exposures.
- Reform oversight of GRAS food ingredients.
- Fund nutrition trials comparing whole-food and low-UPF diets.
- Launch large-scale lifestyle intervention trials.
- Study long-term effects of pediatric drugs.
- Invest in alternative testing models (e.g., organ-on-a-chip).
- Map gene-environment interactions for precision toxicology.
Strategy Development: The MAHA Commission will develop a comprehensive strategy by August 2025, involving private sector and academic collaboration.
Call to Action
The report emphasizes reversing the crisis through truth, science, and pro-growth policies, prioritizing prevention, and transforming food, health, and scientific systems to ensure healthier future generations.
May 22, 2025
"Read the full "Make America Healthy Again" Report."
Read the Full ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Report
The White House released an expansive report that blames a crisis of chronic disease in children on ultraprocessed foods, chemical exposures, lack of physical activity, stress and excessive use of prescription drugs.
Discussion: In light of the pharmacy industry funding billions into medical schools (funds 80%), legislatures (funds 4.7 billion), and media (funds 5 billion), what have been some non-drug solutions that have helped your own health in life? For me, I have been able to stop buying cough medicine by switching to gargling salt water and taking vitamin D. Thank you.
Purpose and Scope
- Objective: The report aims to provide a transparent, evidence-based foundation to address the childhood chronic disease crisis by identifying its root causes and informing policy interventions.
- Commission: The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, chaired by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is tasked with studying the crisis, informing the public, and recommending government-wide strategies within 180 days.
The Chronic Disease Crisis
- Scale: Over 40% of U.S. children (approximately 73 million) have at least one chronic condition, such as obesity, diabetes, asthma, allergies, or behavioral disorders.
- Impact: Over 75% of youth aged 17-24 are ineligible for military service due to obesity, poor fitness, or mental health issues, threatening national health, economy, and security.
Trends:
Obesity: Over 20% of children over 6 are obese, a 270% increase since the 1970s, with severe obesity up 500%. About 80% of obese teens become obese adults.
Diabetes: Over 350,000 children have diabetes, with type 2 diabetes cases rising over 600% projected by 2060. Pre-diabetes in teens exceeds 25%.
Other Conditions: Rising rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer, mental health issues, autoimmune diseases, and allergies.
Key Drivers of the Crisis
Poor Diet:
- Nearly 70% of children’s calories come from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), linked to obesity, diabetes, and nutrient depletion.
- Government programs, like school lunch initiatives, often exacerbate the issue by promoting UPFs.
Environmental Chemical Exposure:
- Children face increasing exposure to synthetic chemicals, linked to developmental and chronic health issues.
- Regulatory frameworks need evaluation to address cumulative chemical impacts.
Lack of Physical Activity and Chronic Stress:
- Increased screen time, sedentary lifestyles, sleep deprivation, and psychosocial stress contribute to physical and mental health declines.
Overmedicalization:
- Over prescription of medications, driven by corporate influence, leads to unnecessary treatments and long-term risks.
- The childhood vaccine schedule has expanded, with concerns about safety monitoring and conflicts of interest in regulatory oversight.
Corporate Capture and Systemic Issues
Mechanisms:
- Distorted Science: Pharmaceutical industry funds 97% of highly cited clinical trials, often exaggerating benefits and underreporting harms. Medical journals rely on industry revenue, and peer review is often biased or ineffective.
- Influence on Policy: The industry spent $4.7 billion on lobbying (1999-2018) and funds patient advocacy groups, influencing legislation and regulations.
- Clinical Practice: Industry funds 80% of medical school departments and half of continuing medical education, promoting drug use and polypharmacy.
- Media Control: Over $5 billion spent on TV ads in 2023, with direct-to-consumer advertising driving inappropriate prescriptions, especially for ADHD and antidepressants in children.
- Vaccine Concerns: The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (1986) shields manufacturers from liability, creating disincentives for safety research. The Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) is limited in studying long-term outcomes, and open scientific inquiry is stifled by professional repercussions.
Proposed Next Steps
Research Initiatives:
- Address the replication crisis to improve scientific reliability.
- Enhance post-marketing surveillance for pediatric drugs.
- Build a real-world data platform linking health and environmental data.
- Use AI for early detection of harmful exposures.
- Reform oversight of GRAS food ingredients.
- Fund nutrition trials comparing whole-food and low-UPF diets.
- Launch large-scale lifestyle intervention trials.
- Study long-term effects of pediatric drugs.
- Invest in alternative testing models (e.g., organ-on-a-chip).
- Map gene-environment interactions for precision toxicology.
Strategy Development: The MAHA Commission will develop a comprehensive strategy by August 2025, involving private sector and academic collaboration.
Call to Action
The report emphasizes reversing the crisis through truth, science, and pro-growth policies, prioritizing prevention, and transforming food, health, and scientific systems to ensure healthier future generations.
