The way America thinks about health care is terribly wrong. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that a staggering 74% of adults in America are obese or overweight. Don't search for a scapegoat like McDonald's or Kentucky Fried Chicken. The problem is that we ignore prevention and fixate on cures, defying the wisdom that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. As Benjamin Franklin taught centuries ago, "early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
Think of this media distraction. President-elect Donald Trump has announced his intent to appoint Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The media was aghast. RFK Jr. was derided for touting conspiracy theories. Consider this excerpt from a recent article in The New York Times:
"Mr. Kennedy has singled out Froot Loops as an example of a product with too many ingredients. In an interview with MSNBC on Nov. 6, he questioned the overall ingredient count: 'Why do we have Froot Loops in this country that have 18 or 19 ingredients and you go to Canada and it has two or three?' Mr. Kennedy asked. He was wrong on the ingredient count, they are roughly the same. But the Canadian version does have natural colorings made from blueberries and carrots while the U.S. product contains red dye 40, yellow 5 and blue 1 as well as Butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, a lab-made chemical that is used 'for freshness,' according to the ingredient label."
Yellow 5 and blue 1 have raised concerns about hypersensitivity and behavioral issues among children, and BHT has been classified as a potential carcinogen. These ingredients are banned or heavily regulated in the European Union and Canada, which the Times conceals to cast aspersion on a Trump appointee.
Obesity rates have climbed to alarming levels. As of 2023, around 40.3% of U.S. adults were classified as obese, up from around 30% in 2000. The incidence of obesity is projected to jump to 50% by 2030 -- suicide in slow motion. Obesity was found to be a factor in 3.7 million deaths in 2021 alone.
Chronic disease is also financially unsustainable. As of 2023, around 133 million Americans -- 39% of the population -- suffered from at least one chronic illness, such as hypertension, heart disease or arthritis. Researchers project that by 2030, the number of Americans with chronic conditions could reach 170 million. Chronic diseases swallow 90% of the nation's $4.5 trillion annual health care expenditure.
Along with BHT, yellow 5 and blue 1, many other food additives common in the United States have been banned or heavily restricted in the EU and Canada. Potassium bromate, a suspected carcinogen, is used to strengthen dough in baked goods. Titanium dioxide, a whitening agent found in candy, pastries and coffee creamers, was banned in the EU because of DNA damage. Brominated vegetable oil has negative effects on the thyroid. Food dyes such as red 40 and yellow 6 are linked to behavioral issues in children and require warning labels in the EU. These examples are but the tip of the iceberg.
The revolving door between the Food and Drug Administration and industry explains the iceberg. A 2016 study found that 15 out of 26 FDA reviewers who left their jobs at the FDA between 2001 and 2010 and worked on hematology-oncology drug approvals later went on to work or consult for the biopharmaceutical industry. A 2018 investigation found that 11 out of 16 FDA medical reviewers who worked on 28 drug approvals later took jobs or consulted for the companies they previously regulated. The 23rd commissioner of the FDA, Scott Gottlieb, left his post in 2019 when he became a board member for Pfizer, along with taking other positions.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a threat to the revolving door and the eye-opening profits of the health care industry. Do you think the latter are behind the unflattering portrait of the next secretary of health and human services in the media despite his awesome accomplishments and unspotted life?