WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 9, 2026: Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks at The Heritage Foundation. The conservative think tank held an event to celebrate one year of "Making America Healthy Again." (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Messaging by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., could be impacting Americans’ food and pharmaceutical choices, as they’re consuming more meat and protein, expressing higher levels of vaccine hesitancy and increasing the use of certain treatments promoted by HHS while decreasing intake of a medication and mineral the department warns against.
Though Kennedy has said, “don’t take medical advice from me,” it appears from his communications that he seeks to reshape public health, personalizing it with advice frequently cast as part and parcel of his Make America Healthy Again project. He wants to influence people’s attitude and ultimately their behavior, that is, choices they make regarding food and pharmaceuticals.
His department’s official mandate is to convey information to the public to “protect and improve the health and well-being of every American.” To this end, it has traditionally provided reminders about getting vaccinated or screened for certain diseases, as well as alerts about possibly unsafe or unhealthy food.
But throughout his 14-month tenure, Kennedy has challenged the status quo in healthcare on multiple fronts, often to the chagrin of public health experts. Ostensibly, Kennedy’s overarching aim is chronic disease prevention and treatment. Certainly, getting people to exercise more is helpful in this regard. However, other aspects of his messaging have been at odds with longstanding evidence and medical practices.
He has presided over a chaotic reign at HHS since February of last year. Proclaiming a “return” to gold standard science, his self-styled MAHA approach to public health has been the subject of considerable controversy among experts. He has overhauled the nation’s dietary guidelines, disrupted key areas of clinical research, made unsubstantiated claims regarding both the positive and negative effects of certain pharmaceuticals, upended vaccine scheduling for children and now threatens to dismantle the United States Preventive Health Services Taskforce. What’s striking is how in each instance the recommendations go against the grain of established science.
It’s plausible that American meat consumption is being influenced by Kennedy’s vocal advocacy for a meat-heavy diet. HHS issued a new set of dietary guidelines promoting “real food” like steak, fatty meat and dairy. “We are ending the war on saturated fats,” Kennedy declared at a press conference, adding that "American households must prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods — protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains — and dramatically reduce highly processed foods.” He concluded by saying that “this is how we Make America Healthy Again.”
While there’s not been a discernible trend towards less consumption of ultra-processed foods, meat and protein intake have increased. More than 75% of U.S. consumers saw red meat and poultry as “part of a healthy, balanced diet” last year, up from 64% in 2020. The unifying factor behind these increases appears to be protein. America is currently experiencing a veritable protein craze, influenced perhaps in part by Kennedy.
Introducing an inverted food pyramid, which prioritizes protein and fats at the top appears to relegate plant-based foods to second-tier status. While data suggest that animal protein can be more beneficial for lean mass for younger people, nonetheless a wide variety of plant foods can supply sufficient amino acids to match animal protein’s effect.
Additionally, health risks associated with higher consumption of saturated fats are well-documented. Such fats are common in red meat and contribute to increasing bad cholesterol levels, hardening the blood vessels and, in turn, raising the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Notably, Kennedy rejected recommendations from an expert advisory committee which found heart benefits from swapping meat for other protein sources, such as legumes and tofu with little or no saturated fat.
Kennedy has toed the line between backing vaccination at times (usually when pressed amid a measles crisis or questioned in a Senate hearing) as a preventive public health tool and making statements or overseeing regulatory changes that threaten to undermine that tool.
For years, Kennedy has called into question long-established childhood vaccine schedules drafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Controversially, the secretary has targeted individual vaccines, removing them from CDC-recommended rosters of immuizations for certain sub-groups of people. The new schedule advises delaying the hepatitis B vaccine and no longer universally endorses vaccines against meningitis, hepatitis A, respiratory syncytial virus, rotavirus, COVID-19 and influenza.
Also, Kennedy’s handpicked and completely overhauled vaccine panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, dissuades combining measles, mumps and rubella vaccines in one shot for children under four. There is no credible evidence that such combination jabs are unsafe. And without corroborating data, ACIP voted against recommending COVID-19 shots for certain adults, including pregnant women.
In addition, Kennedy has repeatedly tied childhood vaccines and their ingredients to autism. Decades of medical and scientific consensus, however, indicate there is no singular source, including vaccines and other pharmaceuticals, that can be attributed to autism. Moreover, a study published last summer found that aluminum ingredients in vaccines do not increase health risks for children. This reinforced previous findings.
It’s notable that every vaccine-related decision Kennedy has made has lacked substantiating data. This includes his ban on the use of thimerosal, a preservative containing a very small amount of ethylmercury, in multidose flu vaccine vials. Thimerosal had already been removed from all routine childhood vaccines 25 years ago. The only remaining vaccines that contained thimerosal were multidose vials of inactivated influenza vaccine, which accounted for less than 5% of all flu shots.
Coinciding with his time in office, the CDC has reported 2,288 cases of measles in the U.S., the most infections since 1991. More importantly, vaccine skepticism among Americans is now widespread, a Politico poll found. A majority of Americans now have concerns about vaccine safety and favor scaling back the number of vaccines administered.
Kennedy has falsely claimed the over-the-counter pain medicine acetaminophen (Tylenol, also called paracetamol outside the U.S.) is dangerous, particularly when taken by pregnant women. Last week, when asked in a Senate hearing about a new study reaffirming no link between autism and acetaminophen, he declared without supportive evidence that the study was “garbage.”
Tylenol sales experienced a 4% decline in 2025 and an even greater decrease in the immediate aftermath of Kennedy’s statements last autumn. This could be attributed to negative headlines and political commentary linking acetaminophen to autism, despite this association being debunked numerous times.
Kennedy has frequently alleged untoward effects on the brain of fluoridation of the water supply. Yet multiples studies have shown that fluoride in drinking water has no effect on brain function, including a recently released long-term investigation. Fluoride is proven to be effective in preventing cavities by strengthening tooth enamel and reversing early stages of tooth decay.
Still, in the past year, 17 states have introduced bills to ban fluoridation in the water supply.
President Trump said in Sept. 2025 that changing the label on leucovorin would give “hope to the many parents with autistic children that it may be possible to improve their lives.” Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Marty Makary echoed the president’s statement. And Kennedy said the announcement opened “the door to the first FDA-recognized treatment pathway” for autism spectrum disorder.
Yet there’s very limited evidence suggesting leucovorin’s benefits for those with autism. The drug is indicated to combat the effects of some cancer drugs. And while the FDA expanded the label in March when it approved leucovorin for a rare, specific cerebral folate transport deficiency, it did not do so for broader autism symptoms. This represents a considerable pullback from Trump administration officials’ touting the drug last fall.
Even so, demand for leucovorin as a treatment for autism surged following the de facto promotion by Trump administration officials, with a 71% increase for children aged 5 to 17 reported shortly after a Sept. 2025 news conference. This spike in prescriptions led to shortages in late 2025 and early 2026.
Kennedy and other officials in his department have actively promoted hormone-replacement therapies, including estrogen for menopausal women and testosterone for men.
Manufacturers of HRT for women assert that recent actions by Kennedy have driven “significant” demand. But evidence on the hormone’s effectiveness and possible risks involved suggest a complex narrative and the need for individualized assessment. A similar story applies to the use of testosterone.
All the examples above suggest the power of messaging, specifically when disseminated from a bully pulpit. Kennedy’s conspicuous visibility across multiple media, in stark contrast to prior secretaries of HHS, reinforces his reach.
A caveat is in order, though, as associations between Kennedy’s health messaging and changes in intake of certain food and pharmaceutical items are not necessarily proof of the secretary’s impact. After all, correlation is not causation. Nevertheless, the observed behavioral changes are noteworthy, especially when juxtaposed with their contradicting clinical evidence.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。