A doctor tapped for a top job in Robert F Kennedy Jr’s health department has laid out the roadmap to Make America Healthy Again.
While much has been made about Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism, cracking down on the American food supply is at the top of the MAHA team’s agenda, according to Dr Aseem Malhotra.
He told DailyMail.com that decoupling Big Pharma’s influence on health policy and drug approvals was another top priority, describing ‘commercial influence as the single biggest issue in US healthcare.’
Kennedy and MAHA believe many of America’s health woes can be traced back to unhealthy food and a healthcare system that puts profits over people.
Within months, Kennedy’s HHS could look to ban additives and food dyes already outlawed in Europe due to their links to cancer, infertility and other health problems, according to Dr Malhotra, a British cardiologist who is being eyed for a top advisory role alongside Kennedy.
The team will also look to wean kids and adults off junk food with policies similar to what US did with cigarettes.
This could include a ‘sugar tax’ on the unhealthiest snacks, such as candy and ice cream, and junk food bans in schools and hospitals.
Dr Malhotra said: ‘Ask any doctor—junk food shouldn’t be sold in these places.’
Robert F Kennedy Jr speaking after being sworn in as the Health and Human Services Secretary
Dr Aseem Malhotra (right) is pictured with RFK Jr
However, plans like these are likely to need congressional support, which could stall progress.
After Kennedy was confirmed as head of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday, President Donald Trump welcomed him to the White House where he signed an executive order establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.
The commission will be chaired by Kennedy and will address root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with an initial focus on children.
It will work to ‘restore trust in medical and scientific institutions and hold public hearings, meetings, roundtables’ to receive input from health leaders.
FIX AMERICA’S ‘POISONOUS’ FOOD ADDICTION
Dr Malhotra says MAHA believes that ‘tackling diet-related issues would deliver the biggest and quickest impact’ on the nation’s health.
‘We believe diet changes alone could dramatically improve people’s health within weeks,’ he said.
Recent figures suggest nearly three-quarters of the US food supply is ultra-processed, while 40 percent of Americans are now obese, up from 15 percent in 1980.
And nine in 10 US adults suffer high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, and excess belly fat, which raise their risk of conditions like heart disease, the number one killer in the US.
Dr Malhotra said: ‘Diet would be at the top of the hierarchy of causation.’
In fact, recent research from The Lancet found that dietary factors contribute to more chronic diseases across the globe than inactivity, smoking, and alcohol combined.
As well as more regulation, Dr Malhotra pointed to overhauling the US dietary guidelines.
These guidelines offer guidance on which foods are ideal for preventing chronic disease and promoting healthy growth and development.
President Trump is pictured working at a McDonald’s during his time on the campaign trail. RFK Jr and Dr Malhotra have proposed cutting down on processed foods
The current guidelines, which are set to be renewed this year, suggest limiting foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol, including animal products like red meat and eggs.
However, Dr Malhotra believes there is a lack of evidence on cholesterol- and fat-rich foods causing chronic diseases and obesity.
He said: ‘We need to stop demonizing saturated fats, cholesterol, red meat, eggs, and dairy and start clamping down on sugar and processed foods.’
The commission could mandate doctors are educated about diet and nutrition.
Dr Malhotra said: ‘Doctors get almost no training in diet and nutrition. Ninety-nine percent of doctors can’t define metabolic health.’
He also suggested there be mandatory nutrition and culinary skills in schools.
He said: ‘Kids absorb information like sponges— we could bring in home economics classes that teach children about cooking and nutrition.’
PARTNERING WITH FARMERS AND OTHER HEALTH AGENCIES
The executive order also states health agencies ‘shall work with farmers to ensure that United States food is the healthiest, most abundant, and most affordable in the world.’
Establishing the MAHA commission will help do this, according to the executive order.
Members will include heads of the Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Veterans Affairs departments, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CDC, NIH, and FDA.
Dr Malhotra suggested a commission like this could subsidize farmers to lower the cost of vegetables and whole foods.
In 2023, 14 percent of US households were unable to afford nutritious foods, forcing them to pick cheaper, often ultra-processed, alternatives.
Bringing in officials from Housing and Urban Development could also help reduce the amount of Americans who are homeless or live in subsidized housing.
Lack of affordable, safe housing could increase stress levels, which triggers a surge of hormones linked to chronic pain, heart disease, obesity, and a compromised immune system.
ERODE BIG PHARMA’S INFLUENCE
The MAHA commission states that all federally-funded health research must have open data to increase transparency around health decisions and researcher conflicts of interest.
Dr Malhotra says the new administration could force all drug studies be evaluated independently without pharmaceutical influence, saying pharma companies ‘shouldn’t oversee their own testing.’
‘We need to move to a model where rigorous, independent scientists with no industry ties are reviewing data that lead to the approval of drugs and vaccines,’ he said.
While clinical trials are conducted by pharmaceutical and medical device companies, they need to have the approval of the FDA which ensures they are designed, conducted, analyzed and reported according to federal law and good clinical practice (GCP) regulations.
Dr Malhotra is pictured with nutritionist Kim Pearson, who he has worked with on diet plans
But currently, the FDA receives 65 percent of its funding from the pharmaceutical industry, such as money from companies applying for drug or medical device approval.
Dr Malhotra proposes that the FDA should receive none of its budget from Big Pharma, as officials shouldn’t fear ‘biting the hand that feeds them.’
This could reduce the risk of drugs being approved that may still need further testing.
Dr Malhotra said: ‘You can’t fix healthcare without removing corporate interests.’
However, this means the government would have to invest billions more in the agency.
VACCINES
After Trump’s win last November, Kennedy said he wouldn’t ‘take away anybody’s vaccines’ if appointed HHS secretary.
During his confirmation hearings, he insisted he ‘wasn’t antivax’.
But Dr Malhotra says the new MAHA team could look at removing the vaccine mandate for school attendance in the US because ‘Americans don’t like being told what to do.’
In UK schools, vaccines are not compulsory but are strongly recommended. Uptake is about the same as in the US, with around nine in 10 elementary-aged children being vaccinated.
Dr Malhotra believes childhood vaccines are safe, but he stresses the importance of winning back Americans’ trust in the medical establishment, which was eroded during the Covid pandemic.
According to a recent study in JAMA Network Open, trust in doctors fell from an all-time high of 72 percent in April 2020 to 40 percent in April 2024.
Dr Malhotra believes this is due to poor communication about and mishandling of the pandemic.
He said: ‘We were well-intentioned but shouldn’t have claimed certainty about Covid vaccines, mandates, lockdowns and other measures that came with extreme downsides.’
TACKLING CHILDHOOD DISEASES
Vani Hari, a food activist and blogger, previously told DailyMail.com that RFK Jr’s plans to tackle food additives and dyes resonate with her as a mother
Trump’s MAHA executive order highlights rising childhood disease rates as one of the problems it will tackle.
Autism is one of the commission’s main priorities.
In 2022, one in 36 children were diagnosed with autism, a stark contrast from seven in 1,000 in the early 2000s.
Kennedy has previously suggested that childhood vaccine rates are to explain for the rise, a link which has been disproven.
Most mainstream doctors say better diagnostics and awareness of the condition explain the sharp increase is cases.
Dr Malhotra says the new health team should not shy away from reinvestigating potential links between vaccines, autism, ADHD, and other disorders.
RETHINKING MEDICARE AND MEDICAID
Dr Malhotra did not provide any insight into Medicaid and Medicare, though the Trump administration has offered some insight into the future of the programs.
Together, both programs insure around 140million Americans.
As part of his campaign, President Trump stated: ‘We will protect Medicare and ensure seniors receive the care they need without being burdened by excessive costs.’
However, the programs may be organized differently for the 12million Americans who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.
During RFK Jr’s confirmation hearing, he stated that ‘dual eligibles are not right now served very well under the system’ and acknowledged a need for better integration.
Republican lawmakers have also debated slashing Medicare and Medicaid coverage in order to cut government spending.
Medicare covers all adult vaccines recommended by the CDC, so a shift in vaccine policy could alter that coverage.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .