Trump establishes Make America Healthy Again Commission. Here's what it will do.



Within hours of the Senate confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday to head the Department of Health and Human Services, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission.

The new commission, which Kennedy will chair, will initially focus on helping Trump determine how best to exercise his authority to tackle the childhood chronic disease crisis.

Trump appears particularly interested in getting to the bottom of the high childhood rates of asthma, autism, fatty liver disease, and obesity, as well as the potential over-medication of children for attention deficit disorder and other apparently overdiagnosed conditions.

Revisiting a concern he raised in a December interview, Trump noted that the number of children affected by autism skyrocketed from a rate of 1-4 out of every 10,000 in the 1980s to 1 in 36 children as of 2024. He also pointed out that 30% of adolescents are prediabetic and more than 40% of adolescents are overweight or obese.

"These trends harm us, our economy, and our security," said Trump.

'I've gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I could end the childhood chronic disease epidemic.'

By May 24, 2025, at the very latest, the commission must submit a report to the president:

  • identifying how childhood chronic disease in the U.S. compares with that suffered in other countries;
  • assessing "the threat that potential over-utilization of medication, certain food ingredients, certain chemicals, and certain other exposures pose to children with respect to chronic inflammation or other established mechanisms of disease";
  • assessing the prevalence and impact of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, mood stabilizers, and other pharmaceuticals;
  • identifying best practices for preventing childhood health issues and optimizing opportunities for educational programs pertaining to child nutrition, physical activity, and mental health; and
  • raising instances of "undue industry influence" where the relevant science is concerned.

By mid-August, the Kennedy-led commission must provide Trump with a federal health strategy based on its findings.

In addition to furnishing Trump with an assessment of the most pressing childhood health issues facing the country and a strategy on how to correct them, the commission is tasked with restoring "trust in medical and scientific institutions" and holding hearings and other events to get insights from public health experts.

Trump's identification of numerous issues affecting the broader public and allusion to the potential for a mission update down the road together indicate that the commission may later widen the scope of its investigations, possibly to include what's ailing the adult population as well.

In his order, Trump also indicated that moving forward, all federally funded health research should seek to avoid or eliminate conflicts of interest that "skew outcome and perpetuate distrust"; federal agencies will ensure the availability of expanded treatment options; and federally funded health research should prioritize flushing out the "root causes of why Americans are getting sick."

After he was sworn in to office, Kennedy said, "For 20 years, I've gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I could end the childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country. On Aug. 23 of last year, God sent me President Trump."

"I'm so grateful to you, Mr. President," added Kennedy.

In addition to his work with the commission, Kennedy will have an opportunity as secretary of the HHS — which has a nearly $2 trillion budget — to improve the health of Americans.

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Massive study identifies 32 harmful health conditions directly linked to the consumption of ultra-processed food



A troubling new peer-reviewed study, the largest of its kind, has revealed that ultra-processed food is linked to 32 harmful health conditions and can significantly increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, and an early grave.

The study, a systematic meta-analysis published Wednesday in the BMJ, the British Medical Association's esteemed journal, found evidence pointing to "direct associations between greater exposure to ultra-processed foods and higher risks of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease related mortality, common mental disorder outcomes, overweight and obesity, and type 2 diabetes."

The fallout of ultra-processed food exposure may be far-reaching granted the global shift in recent years from unprocessed and minimally processed foods to UPFs. According to the study, the present "share of dietary energy derived from ultra-processed foods ranges from 42% and 58% in Australia and the United States."

The study, involving experts from various top institutions, including Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Sorbonne University in France, relies on the definition of "ultra-processed foods" advanced in the Nova food classification system.

According to the Nova system, processed foods usually consist of a primary plant or animal substance to which one or more culinary ingredient — such as oil, butter, sugar, or salt — has been added. An ultra-processed food, alternatively, is not a modified primary material but rather an industrial composite of often chemically manipulated substances that have been extracted from foods, derived from food constituents, and/or cooked up in a laboratory.

UPFs appear in virtually every aisle in the grocery store. They include packaged snacks, soft drinks, instant noodles, sweetened cereals, packaged baked goods, frozen fish sticks, oven-ready pizzas, breakfast bars, and ready-made meals.

Researchers examined the findings of 14 meta-analysis studies published over the past three years with 45 distinct pooled analyses. In 87% of the pooled analyses, estimates of UPF exposure were obtained on the basis of food frequency questionnaires, 24-hour dietary recalls, and participants' dietary history.

Researchers found UPF exposure was consistently associated with 32 adverse health outcomes, including all-cause mortality; cancer-related deaths; cardiovascular disease-related deaths; heart disease-related deaths; breast cancer; central nervous system tumors; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; colorectal cancer; pancreatic cancer; prostate cancer; adverse sleep-related outcomes; anxiety; common mental disorder outcomes; depression; asthma; wheezing; Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; obesity; hypertension; and type 2 diabetes.

"On the basis of the random effects model, 32 (71%) distinct pooled analyses showed direct associations between greater ultra-processed food exposure and a higher risk of adverse health outcomes," said the study. "Additionally, of these combined analyses, 11 (34%) showed continued statistical significance when a more stringent threshold was applied."

Heart disease-related death, cardiovascular disease-related death, all-cause mortality, type 2 diabetes, wheezing, and depression were among the 11 adverse health outcomes that showed continued statistical significance in the face of the more stringent threshold.

The Guardian noted that evidence graded as "convincing" in the study indicated that higher UPF exposure was linked to a roughly 50% increase in cardiovascular-related death, a 48-53% higher risk of anxiety and mental disorders, and a 12% increase risk of diabetes.

"Across the pooled analyses, greater exposure to ultra-processed foods, whether measured as higher versus lower consumption, additional servings per day, or a 10% increment, was consistently associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes," added the study.

In a corresponding editorial in BMJ, a pair of Brazilian academics stressed that UPFs "are engineered to be highly desirable, combining sugar, fat, and salt to maximize reward, and adding flavors that induce eating when not hungry. Many are addictive, judged by the standards set for tobacco products, and aggressively marketed with meal deals, super sizing, and advertising."

The Brazilians suggested that investment management companies and manufacturers would "likely resist" efforts to control and reduce the production and consumption of UPFs. With the tobacco parallel in mind, the Brazilian duo recommended rolling out national dietary guidelines cautioning against UPF consumption; prohibiting sales of junk food near schools and hospitals; and regulating UPF marketing.

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Vegan influencer reportedly died of starvation after living on fruit diet



Vegan blogger Zhanna Samsonova, a 39-year-old self-described food stylist and raw plant-based chef whose videos on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram have received tens of millions of views, has allegedly died of starvation.

The Russian influencer, who went by Zhanna D'Art online, died on July 21 in Malaysia, where she had been living, reported the Evening Kazan.

The New York Post indicated that she had subsisted exclusively on a diet of exotic fruit.

One friend explained that for the past seven years, Samsonova only consumed jackfruit and durian, a meaty fruit that comes in hundreds of different varieties in Malaysia.

One of Samsonova's friends reportedly told Newsflash, "A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted, with swollen legs oozing lymph. ... They sent her home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified."

The influencer's friend recalled living one floor above her and every day fearing "finding her lifeless body in the morning. I convinced her to seek treatment, but she didn't make it."

Vera Samsonova, the decedent's mother, told reporters that she suspects her daughter's vegan diet had exhausted her body, leaving it susceptible to a "cholera-like infection."

"Zhanna's idle stagnation was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed everything was fine," her mother speculated. "Only her eyes, merry eyes, and gorgeous hair compensated for the dreadful sight of a body tortured by idiocy. Forgive me if it sounds harsh."

Samsonova long promoted her diet and lifestyle online, suggesting last year that though leaves and vegetable matter "will be easy to acquire, most will not offer much in terms of calories and satisfaction. When it comes to meat from any animals, while this source may offer a high amount of calories, it will not offer much satisfaction when raw and unflavored, and it is the hardest and most costly food source to acquire."

Instead, she claimed that "[f]rom an efficiency and sustainability perspective ... fruits have been the perfect human food for millennia, similar to that of many of our closest primate ancestors."

The Post indicated that Samsonova hyped her restrictive eating regimen, saying, "I see my body and mind transform every day. ... I love my new me and never move on to the habits that I used to use."

The blogger pushed for others to follow suit, writing, "I eat simple food, although I have a lot of experience as a raw food chef. I love creating my own recipes and inspiring people to eat healthier."

In May 2022, she posted a condemnation of "misinformation and contradictory information" in the field of nutrition, writing, "We have greatly lost sight of what healthy eating truly means. ... We have a subset of people who try to convince others that fruits are 'risky' to eat and a subset of people who believe this, and in turn fear eating fruits. Ridiculous, isn't it?"

Endocrinologist Dr. Shira Eytan told Health in December that vegan diets can result in various vitamin deficiencies, including iron, zinc, calcium and B12.

"Omega-3 fatty acids may also be deficient in a vegan diet," added Eytan.

A 2019 study published in the British Medical Journal found that vegetarians "had higher rates of haemorrhagic and total stroke" than meat eaters.

TheBlaze recently reported that self-described "diehard vegan" Kai-Lee Worsley nearly died after embracing a restrictive diet upon moving to California.

Like Samsonova, Worsley told Wales Online she ended up exhausted and unable to get out of bed.

"I didn't feel strong, like, honestly, I felt so weak. It was like a really slow process until one day I was in bed and I was like I don't think could ever get up again," she recalled. "I came to the point where I was like I might die right now. I might die right here in this tiny apartment in this random city that I moved to."

Survivalist Bear Grylls also learned the hard way that the vegan diet does not live up to the hype, going so far as to apologize for ever having promoted it.

Grylls told the Telegraph, "I was vegan quite a few years ago — in fact, I wrote a vegan cookbook — and I feel a bit embarrassed because I really promoted that. ... I thought that was good for the environment and I thought it was good for my health. And through time and experience and knowledge and study, I realised I was wrong on both counts."

Despite scientific and anecdotal evidence that vegan diets may have downsides, the Post reported that many of Samsonova's fans refuse to believe her eating choices got her killed, maintaining instead that chemicals in the fruits were responsible.

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