The rise in chronic diseases such as obesity among children can be traced to health decisions influenced by distorted scientific literature that is funded or otherwise impacted by corporations, according to a May 22 report by the Make America Healthy Again Commission.
The commission, chaired by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., plans to issue policy proposals at a later date.
Here are five takeaways from the report.
Focus on Ultra-Processed Foods
Kennedy has for years decried how children are eating more ultra-processed foods, and the report attributes the increase in childhood chronic diseases in part to that dietary shift.
“Rising rates of childhood chronic disease are likely being driven by a combination of factors, including the food children are eating,” it states.
Officials pointed in part to a 2021 study, which found that nearly 70 percent of calories consumed by American children come from ultra-processed foods, up from zero a century prior.
Other research cited in the report noted that ultra-processed foods, or foods high in sugar, fat, and chemicals, often lack nutrients.
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