I hear about some strange occurrences in our nation’s capital. Bipartisan meetings are held with witnesses that everyone agrees on, without any hard feelings. An important topic is receiving serious attention.
This has to do with the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ that Robert F Kennedy Jr. from his Democratic presidential campaign to the Trump campaign.
The idea being explored is that America’s processed food is making people sick, with everything from obesity to diabetes and more.
The. The Ways and Means Committee’s Health Care Subcommittee has already held a hearing on “Investing in a Healthier America: Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment.”
Testifying about that has been quite tough on the food industry because of diet-related illnesses from all that ultra-processed food.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, then held a roundtable discussion on the issue expected by RFK Jr. would be heard.
Former Senator William H. Frist, himself a physician and Senate Majority Leader, said from 2003 to 2007: “When I started my medical career, these national epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes did not exist. These diet-related chronic diseases have increased in our adult lives.”
Frist was among those who detailed the diet crisis that now exists in the United States, including the fact that poor nutrition is the leading risk factor for death and disability in the United States, causing more damage to health than other major risk factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption and alcohol. , opioids, physical inactivity or air pollution
It is estimated that poor eating habits kill 10,000 Americans every week, cause 1,500 new cases of cancer every week and 16,000 new cases of diabetes every week
These numbers tell us that more American adults are sick than healthy.
Children and teenagers are not spared; one in eight of 2-5 year olds is obese. Among teenagers, one in four is obese, and almost one in three has pre-diabetes
Frist also had a national security alert.
In 1941, one in three draft-age Americans was ineligible for military service due to nutritional deficiencies resulting from the Great Depression. Today, nearly eight in 10 young Americans are ineligible for military service, and the top medical disqualifications are overweight and obesity.
In other words, raising a world-class army in 1941 was not easy. Nowadays it’s impossible. Instead, everyone who is overweight is put on medication for life.
Among the witnesses who gave their opinions during these congressional proceedings were Dr. Marek Hyman, Dr. Anne Peters, Dr. Francesca Rinaldo and Professor Ashley Gearhardt – all experts.
“Make America Healthy Again” appears to have a bipartisan following. But politics will have a lot to say about where MAHA goes from here.
And the food industry has not yet taken any significant action
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