Robert F Kennedy Jr has unveiled his flagship Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report which lays bare the epidemic of chronic disease in young people.
It astonishingly suggests three in four young Americans are too sick to fight for their country due to surging rates of obesity, diabetes and neurological disorders.
Experts told DailyMail.com the startling figure represents an ‘issue of national security’ leaving the US unable to defend itself from foreign adversaries.
The 60-page document echoes many of Kennedy’s proposed culprits behind the country’s health issues, including ultraprocessed foods, environmental toxins like pesticides and a lack of physical activity.
It also criticizes the ‘overmedicalization’ of children, with its most anticipated controversial viewpoint involving cutting down on childhood vaccines.
The report suggests the current childhood vaccines have not been properly tested for safety and efficacy – a stance most experts disagree with.
Spearheaded by Kennedy and health agency leaders like Dr Marty Makary of the FDA and Dr Jay Bhattacharya of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Making Our Children Healthy Again assessment does not offer specific policies or proposed initiatives.
Those will instead come in a strategy document to be released in August.
Dr Aseem Malhotra, chief medical advisor to the MAHA Commission, told DailyMail.com: ‘This comprehensive report lays bare the crisis of chronic disease in America and alludes to root causes.’
A MAHA commission report states three in four young Americans are too sick to serve in the armed forces due to health issues like obesity and diabetes (stock image)
The MAHA commission, led by Robert F Kennedy Jr (pictured here) lays bare the causes of America’s chronic disease epidemic in children
The surge of chronic diseases
‘The health of American children is in crisis,’ the report states.
Over 40 percent of the nation’s 73 million children have at least one chronic health condition, according to the CDC.
These include asthma, allergies, obesity, autoimmune diseases and behavioral disorders like ADHD.
In particular, over 40 percent of Americans are obese, meaning they have a body mass index (BMI) over 30. And one in five children over six are obese, a 270 percent increase compared to the 1970s.
‘Although estimates vary depending on the conditions included all studies show an alarming increase over time,’ the authors wrote.
Additionally, 350,000 children have been diagnosed with diabetes, most of whom with type 2. This represents a 600 percent surge since the 1980s by 2060 if current trends continue.
Echoing Kennedy, the report also cites an increase in autism, which now affects one in 31 American children. In the early 2000s, that number was closer to one in 150.
Childhood cancer has also increased 40 percent since 1975, and rates of mental health conditions like depression have doubled in the last decade.
All of these factors have left 75 percent of Americans ages 17 to 24 ineligible for military service, ‘posing a threat to our nation’s health economy and military readiness.’
The cause of the epidemic
Ultraprocessed foods now make up 70 percent of the US food supply (stock image)
The MAHA commission believes America’s reliance on ultraprocessed foods can largely be blamed for a surge in chronic diseases.
For example, 70 percent of the food in the country’s food supply is considered ultraprocessed, meaning it is filled with added sugars, fats and artificial additives.
Ultraprocessed foods also make up 50 percent of the diets of pregnant and newly postpartum mothers, causing ill effects to carry over to their children.
‘The excessive consumption of UPFs has led to depletion of essential micronutrients and dietary fiber while increasing the consumption of sugars and carbohydrates which negatively affects overall health,’ the authors state.
They cite a recent report in Nature Medicine that estimates sugar-sweetened beverages alone may be responsible for 1.2 million new cases of heart disease and 340,000 deaths worldwide in 2020 alone.
Additionally, a review published in BMJ analyzing data from 10million adults found higher consumption of ultraprocessed food was linked to 32 adverse health outcomes, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and death from all causes.
Artificial additives like Red 40 have also been tied to hyperactivity in children and increased diagnoses of conditions like ADHD.
MAHA’s health officials also slammed children’s exposure to environmental toxins, including pollution, pesticides, microplastics and ‘forever chemicals.’
Microplastics in particular have been shown to be endocrine-disrupting, meaning they alter levels of sex-based hormones like estrogen and testosterone.
The authors wrote: ‘Children are particularly vulnerable to chemicals during critical stages of development in utero infancy early childhood and puberty.
‘Even minor exposures during critical periods—in utero infancy early childhood and adolescence—can result in developmental delays or permanent harm.’
The overmedicalization of children
Adderall prescriptions have steadily increased over the last 12 years. The figures include prescriptions for both Adderall, brand and generic, in the US
MAHA also warns that today’s children are being ‘overmedicated,’ putting them at risk of lasting side effects.
They cite one in five US children are estimated to be taking at least one prescription medication in the past 30 days. Rates are highest in teens, 27 percent of whom take one or more drugs daily.
Prescriptions for stimulants, which are used to treat ADHD, have doubled in boys from 2006 to 2022, with one in four boys taking one by age 17.
Additionally, prescriptions for antidepresants increased 1400 percent from 1987 to 2014, and the use of antipsychotics rose 800 percent from 1995 to 2009.
The experts warn that while much of this increase is due to general medical advancement, overmedicalization can lead to lasting effects.
Psychiatric drugs have been shown to cause seizures and manic episodes, while antidepressants carry the risk of dependence and an increased risk of suicidal thoughts.
In one of its more controversial viewpoints, the MAHA commission also criticized the US childhood vaccine schedule.
Since 1986, the number of recommended vaccines for a child by the time they reach age one has increased from three to 29, including those administered to pregnant mothers.
The US childhood vaccine schedule has increased from three shots in 1986 to 29, according to the MAHA commission (stock)
The authors note that while the amount of vaccines in the recommended schedule is higher than peer nations, there is limited data on the safety of the US schedule compared to other countries.
They also noted the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) may not been reliable because it relies on patients and doctors to report effects.
‘Many health care professionals do not report to VAERS because they are not mandated to do so or they may not connect the adverse event to vaccination,’ the authors said.
The viewpoints echo those of RFK Jr, who has long been critical of vaccines, despite stating during his confirmation hearings that he would not strip away vaccinations.
However, health agencies have already reported initiatives to investigate vaccines, such as CDC research into the long disproven theory that vaccines cause autism.
The authors wrote: ‘Vaccines benefit children by protecting them from infectious diseases. But as with any medicine vaccines can have side effects that must be balanced against their benefits.
‘Parents should be fully informed of the benefits and risks of vaccines.’