RFK
Jr. is basically the leader of the anti-vax movement. He is also adamantly
opposed to genetically modified food crops and is a believer in many myths and
debunked ideas about food and agriculture. According to risk science writer
David Zaruk, in the past, he:
“…boldly endorsed seemingly every paranoid conspiracy
theory the internet has to offer. Among his many strange musings, Kennedy has
claimed the World Health Organization planned the COVID-19 pandemic; that
Cheerios are poisoning America’s children; and that mild pesticides turn people
gay and transgender.”
RFK Jr. is adamantly opposed
to pesticides, even mild ones like glyphosate, which has not been linked to
cancer in the vast majority of studies and is not present in foods in anything
approaching dangerous amounts. He also thinks that regulatory and health
agencies have been ‘captured’ by the agrochemical companies. His views on many
issues are minority views opposed to the views of most scientists and more in
line with conspiracies and pseudoscience. This has long been known, and there
is abundant evidence. And yet he was elevated to the highest health policy
office in the country by a president who is arguably just as wacky.
The Genetic Literacy Project
has been sounding the alarm about people like RFK Jr. for many years now. They
are soundly bipartisan in their analyses and regularly call out both left and
right-leaning anti-science, and they fear that anti-science activism is
becoming bipartisan:
“The right spreads lies about vaccines, fluoridation,
and Covid; the left spreads fear about GMOs, glyphosate, and gene-edited crops.
Both elevate influencers over experts and use emotion to override evidence.
From the golden rice blockade to climate apocalypse panic, ideology routinely
replaces inquiry.”
“Opposition to nuclear energy, synthetic biology, and
biotech is often rooted not in science but in a romanticized distrust of modern
systems. When anti-science activism becomes bipartisan, the victims are the
hungry, the sick, and the climate-vulnerable.”
Peter Marks, Director at the
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), who opted to resign instead of being fired by RFK Jr.,
left a resignation letter that stands up for science and against RFK Jr.’s
quackery. About one quarter, or 20,000 people, are expected to be removed from
the 80,000 from the HHS, which includes the NIH, CDC, and FDA. Marks led
Operation Warp Speed to develop a COVID vaccine in record time when Trump was
president. His work saved thousands, or more likely, millions of lives. Marks
noted in his letter that new threats like H5N1, or bird flu, are a threat that
may need mass vaccines at some point:
“Efforts currently being advanced by some on the adverse
health effects of vaccination are concerning.”
“Undermining confidence in well-established vaccines
that have met the high standards for quality, safety, and effectiveness that
have been in place for decades at FDA is irresponsible, detrimental to public
health, and a clear danger to our nation’s health, safety and security.”
“As you are aware, I was willing to work to address the
Secretary’s concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency by hearing from
the public and implementing a variety of different public meetings and
engagements with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the
Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation
and lies.”
Speaking out against the madness of RFK Jr. can ruin one’s
career. That is basically where we are. Marks concluded his letter as follows:
“My hope is that during the coming years, the
unprecedented assault on scientific truth that has adversely impacted public
health in our nation comes to an end so that the citizens of our country can
fully benefit from the breadth of advances in medical science.”
Zaruk salutes Marks and compares the current purge to the
purge of European scientists from the 1990s to the 2010s regarding their views
supporting GMOs. Many emigrated from Europe.
RFK Jr.’s plan for
restaurants to replace vegetables with beef fat for frying is gross. There is
no convincing evidence that seed oils cause inflammation. As a mostly vegan
vegetarian, I am disgusted at the idea, although it is quite rare that I eat at
any restaurant. RFK Jr. believes that seed oils are the main cause of obesity.
The U.S. and most countries in Europe recommend vegetable oils for health over
animal fat, including butter. An article in Science Norway notes that it is
relatively easy to cherry-pick studies that suggest a relationship between seed
oils and health problems and others that say saturated fat is not related to
heart disease, but those studies are in the minority. Linda Granlund at the
Norwegian Directorate of Health notes:
“Kennedy is sceptical of seed oils because they are
processed. Vegetable oils are extracted from seeds and fruit that are crushed
and pressed to release the oil. To extract as much oil as possible, heat, a
solvent, or water is used. The oil then undergoes several treatments, including
filtration and the removal unwanted odour and taste. "This is a
purification process that does not alter the composition of fatty acids,"
says Granlund. Animal fats are also processed. "Butter doesn't come straight
out of the cow," she says. Granlund explains that the fat is treated using
gentle methods.”
Zaruk also wrote about Zen
Honeycutt and her organization, Moms Across America, which he describes as a “fringe
army of radical moms, anti-vaxxers and organic food industry interest groups.”
They also sell many “snake oil” cures to do things like removing glyphosate
from the body. Zaruk writes:
“There is a rising culture of contempt against anyone
with a post-graduate degree in any of the sciences. Expertise, rather, is to be
found more in shared community experiences and an intuitive, clannish common
sense (however loosely defined). The meteoric rise of the MAHA cult movement is
a direct result of the insatiable activist pounding against industry,
scientific research, expertise and innovative technologies.”
Apparently, Honeycutt is
ready and willing to go to Washington and be given reins to lead some section
of public health despite having no scientific background, although she does have a
degree in fashion design.
Displaying fairness and
even-handedness, Zaruk also wrote recently about Honeycutt’s claim that Girl
Scout cookies were harming health and NPR’s rebuttal citing a Michigan
toxicologist that that was not the case at all, especially if eaten in
moderation. However, he then proceeds to skewer past views from NPR stories
that have given credence to unsubstantiated food scares:
“NPR’s been peddling the same breathless food-scare
nonsense it now smugly debunks, from lead-laced baby food to glyphosated
granola bars, for at least a decade.”
He also points out mostly debunked past NPR stories about
the dangers of Girl Scout Cookies due to their use of palm oil that is
associated with deforestation, and another equating them to the dangers of
sugary foods.
“Compare that inflammatory rhetoric to yesterday’s
story, where NPR dismissed MAA’s cookie critique as a credibility issue fueled
by Americans “fed an information diet from social media and subversive
podcasts,” who “seem to increasingly distrust the experts and regulatory
authorities.” Same cookies, same science, different politics—suddenly, the food
safety debate is settled when conservatives are the bogeymen.”
He complains, correctly, I would say, since I listen to NPR
a lot, that they give too much airtime to those heralding the often-debunked
dangers of food, GMOs, chemicals, and environmental issues over those who say
they are not dangerous.
The bottom line is that RFK
Jr. is whacko, and Trump’s elevation of him to the highest health officer in
the land is an insult to science and an insult to the American people. If we
can’t condemn and shame this guy, we can’t do it to anyone.
The Autistic Self Advocacy
Network (ASAN) described Kennedy’s recent boast to find the cause of autism by
September as alarming, untrue, impossible, and ableist. There is very good
reason for concern. ASAN says it is impossible since real scientific studies
take much longer than that to do. That he intends to utilize fake science to
show a connection between autism and “exposures,” likely to mean vaccines, is
substantiated by his hiring of quack David Geier. Geier and his father, Mike
Greier, according to ASAN:
“…have a scandalous past of subjecting autistic children to
unproven medical treatments for their own financial gain. They have published
multiple fake studies claiming a link between vaccines and autism. Hiring David
Geier is a clear indication that the Trump administration plans to rig the
upcoming study and claim that it proves vaccines cause autism. This will set
public health back decades at a time when vaccine hesitancy and infectious
disease are both spreading at alarming rates. This plan will harm autistic
people and the health of all Americans.”
ASAN’s repudiation of the Geiers details the
fake studies, fake cures, and real consequences of their sham work. Some of
their methods even appear to be criminal. ASAS also notes that Trump’s
extensive cuts to research include cuts to autism research, in this case,
likely replacing them with sham studies. Kennedy claims autism is getting more
common, but it is likely that it is only being recognized and diagnosed more
than it was before, as we get better at identifying it.
An article by Breakthrough
Institute’s Emily Bass focuses on RFK Jr.’s views on pesticides and processed
food, including seed oils. She notes:
“There is little reason to believe that his proposals to
restrict or regulate these food production practices will measurably improve
public health or environmental outcomes in the United States. Worse, should
Kennedy succeed in implementing his agenda, he risks making America's food
supply less healthy and more expensive—undermining the Commission’s own
objectives.”
Kennedy wants to forego
pesticides in favor of regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is
fine as it promotes soil health and fertility, but without pesticides,
especially mild ones like glyphosate, it will likely lead to lower crop yields
and higher food prices. Both the U.S. and the EU recognize glyphosate as safe
and not a cause of cancer at the low levels it is used. Activists have tried to
ties glyphosate to many maladies including cancer, celiac disease, DNA damage,
gluten intolerance, inflammation, liver damage, kidney damage, non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma (NHL), and I even remember some trying to tag it as the cause of Zika
virus and why some people get sicker with Covid than others. None of these
links has been shown to be real. I remember the 2019 meta-analysis that found a
link between glyphosate and NHL (which I found unconvincing then), but
subsequent studies have not shown any links. Some studies have used very high
levels of glyphosate to establish possible links, but those are not realistic.
We know that dosage, exposure levels, and toxicity are major factors. She does
concede that more studies are needed to rule out long-term low-dose effects.
She notes EPA’s conclusion that glyphosate, as normally used, is not dangerous:
“…glyphosate does not pose a significant risk to consumers
at current exposure levels. EPA’s risk-based approach to setting these levels
enables farmers and consumers to reap the benefits. Though pesticide use has
increased for some crops over the last two decades, there has not been a
corresponding increase in overall toxicity, due in part to the shift toward
glyphosate as a replacement for older, more toxic products.”
She also notes that precision agriculture technologies such
as sensors, variable-rate applicators, and GPS-based yield mapping have allowed
farmers to use fewer pesticides to get the same effect. These technologies also
help to protect those who apply pesticides. She also notes that the natural
pesticides used by organic farmers may leave higher levels of residues and may
also be more toxic than synthetic pesticides. Organic foods cost more and most
often have lower yields than non-organic crops. Thus, they also use up more
land. Organic foods are not safer or healthier, according to the majority of
studies. She notes that RFK Jr. has called for “regenerative,
no-till, and less chemically intensive agriculture.” I agree that those are
good general practices that should be promoted but even no-till methods are
associated with slightly lower yields. However, they do not make the foods more
nutritious. She notes that recent studies have confirmed this, also
noting that processing after harvest is more likely to affect nutrition, which
makes it harder to find links either way.
In March, over 300
organizations sent a letter to health, agriculture, and environmental leaders
in D.C. calling for sound science and data to be used by the Make America
Healthy Again Commission in upcoming evaluations for products essential to food
and agriculture. The letter addressed pesticides, biotechnology, foods, and
feed, and their current regulations.
Bass notes RFK Jr.’s flawed
logic in saying that seed oils are a case of maladies simply because they are
heavily subsidized. Farming in general is heavily subsidized. She points to
several studies and meta-analyses that debunk the connection between omega-6
fatty acids in seed oils and inflammation. The American Heart Association has
recommended doing the exact opposite of what RFK Jr. recommended, replacing
saturated animal fats like beef tallow and butter with vegetable oils. She
notes MAHA’s directive to avoid ultra-processed foods as vague since there is
no consensus on what “ultra-processed” means. Certainly, foods with more sugar,
salt, and calories are not good for the consumer for several reasons. One is
that they replace more nutrient-dense foods. According to the NIH,
ultra-processed foods are more calorific, more energy-dense. Thus, they may
lead to health problems but again if ultra-processed has more to do with added
sugar, salt, and calories, then they are problematic but if it just has to do
with how they are processed, such as seed oils being subjected to pressing,
chemical extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing, those processes have not been
implicated in poor health outcomes. She writes:
“Kennedy’s focus on seed oils in particular is largely a
distraction from the added sugars, sodium, refined carbohydrates, and saturated
fat already dominating the junk food aisle and fast food menus. Americans eat
out more than ever, restaurants are increasing portion sizes and calories per
meal, healthier foods cost more, and snack food companies’ large marketing
budgets are all more prevalent factors contributing to today’s high obesity
rates.”
She opines that restricting pesticides and seed oils alone
won’t result in better health outcomes.
She concludes:
“The MAHA Commission should carefully weigh whether to
indulge Kennedy’s personal persuasions over data-based reasoning as they
develop their forthcoming assessment and strategy. Favoring the former will
doom any chance the Commission has at meaningfully improving health and
nutrition outcomes. Sweeping restrictions to our nation’s agricultural inputs
and rolling back advances in food processing risks far more in terms of food
security than it stands to gain in public health advances.”
References:
Mythbusting
MAHA’s Claims About Food and Farming. Emily Bass. Breakthrough Institute. April
7, 2025. Mythbusting MAHA’s claims about food
and… | The Breakthrough Institute
Viewpoint:
NPR and hypocrisy on science: It defends Girl Scout cookies under attack from
the MAGA right after years of promoting crackpot chemophobia. David Zaruk.
Genetic Literacy Project. April 8, 2025. Viewpoint:
NPR and hypocrisy on science: It defends Girl Scout cookies under attack from
the MAGA right after years of promoting crackpot chemophobia - Genetic Literacy
Project
Brain
Worms, Brain Fog And Tuna: More Strange Musings From RFK, Jr. Don't get your
science from the guy who says worms ate his brain. The Firebreak. May 9, 2024. Brain
Worms, Brain Fog And Tuna: More Strange Musings From RFK, Jr.
When
Regulators Bravely Stand Up for Science. Peter Marks’ FDA Resignation Letter
Shows the Utter Chaos Under RFK Jr. David Zaruk. Firebreak. March 29, 2025. When
Regulators Bravely Stand Up for Science
Mrs.
Honeycutt Goes to Washington. When all health experts are fired, the zealots
and gurus can roam freely. David Zaruk. Firebreak. April 7, 2025. Mrs.
Honeycutt Goes to Washington - by David Zaruk
Robert
F. Kennedy: The Harmful Effects Of Glyphosate, The Most Common Agrochemical.
Chris Gill. August 26, 2024. Pitch Stone Waters. Robert
F. Kennedy: The Harmful Effects Of Glyphosate, The Most Common Agrochemical
Viewpoint:
RFK, Jr. declares he will personally determine the cause of autism by
September—which means he will generate rigged and fraudulent research. Autistic
Self Advocacy Network. Genetic Literacy Project. April 11, 2025. Viewpoint:
RFK, Jr. declares he will personally determine the cause of autism by
September—which means he will generate rigged and fraudulent research - Genetic
Literacy Project
Robert
F. Kennedy Jr. claims to have found the cause of the obesity crisis. But is he
right?Nina Kristiansen. Science Norway. March
27, 2025. Robert
F. Kennedy Jr. blames seed oils for obesity. What does research show?
ASAN
Appalled by Hiring of Quack David Geier for HHS Study. Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
March 26, 2025. ASAN
Appalled by Hiring of Quack David Geier for HHS Study - Autistic Self Advocacy
Network
Food
& Ag Community to MAHA Commission: We Must Use Sound Science. American
Soybean Association. March 10, 2025. Food
& Ag Community to MAHA Commission: We Must Use Sound Science - American
Soybean Association
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