>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
The HHS secretary also highlighted the dramatic changes that have occurred in American health over the past several generations.
“Thirty-five percent of American adults are obese,” RFK Jr. said. “When my uncle [John F. Kennedy] was president [in the early 1960s], 3 percent of children were obese. Now, it’s 20 percent.”
Those figures paint a troubling picture of how rapidly obesity has spread throughout the country, particularly among younger Americans.
Recent polling data appears to support Kennedy’s claim that the trend may finally be reversing. A Gallup survey released last year found that the national obesity rate had fallen from its peak of 39.9 percent in 2022 to 37.0 percent in 2025. Gallup estimated that millions fewer Americans now qualify as obese compared to just three years ago.
Researchers noted that the growing popularity of weight-loss medications such as Ozempic may be playing a role in the decline. However, Kennedy argues that prescription drugs alone do not address the root causes of the crisis.
Instead, he placed much of the blame on the modern American diet.
“Why did Americans suddenly get obese?” Kennedy asked. “It’s not because they suddenly became indolent or lazy or hungry. It’s because they were being mass poisoned by ultraprocessed foods. And because of the food pyramid and the dietary guidelines, we were directed away from protein, away from healthy foods. Seventy percent of the calories, when we came in … are ultra-processed foods, and it’s poisonous. It destroys your metabolic system. It makes you obese.”
Kennedy’s criticism reflects one of the central pillars of his Make America Healthy Again initiative, which has focused heavily on reducing the consumption of heavily processed foods and encouraging Americans to return to more natural diets.
He also connected the nation’s eating habits to the alarming rise in diabetes, particularly among younger people.
“Diabetes, for example, is driven by ultra-processed food. When I was a kid, a typical pediatrician would see one or two cases of Type 2 diabetes over a 40 or 50-year career. Today, 38 percent of American teens are diabetic or pre-diabetic,” he added.
The diabetes numbers are equally concerning. Gallup recently reported that diabetes rates have climbed to a record 13.8 percent of the U.S. population.
Medical research increasingly supports concerns about excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods. Studies have found that many packaged foods are loaded with sugar, sodium, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients while offering little nutritional value. Researchers have linked these products to insulin resistance, weight gain, prediabetes, and Type 2 diabetes.
Health experts say insulin resistance develops when the body’s cells stop responding efficiently to insulin, causing excess glucose to remain in the bloodstream. Over time, that process can contribute to obesity and serious metabolic disorders.
Doctors continue to recommend lifestyle changes as one of the most effective tools for combating the problem. Diets centered on whole foods, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and regular exercise have consistently been shown to improve metabolic health.
Kennedy’s department is attempting to push those principles into federal nutrition programs as well. Under the MAHA initiative, officials are exploring ways to reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods in school meal programs and government-supported nutrition assistance programs.
For Kennedy, the solution does not require complicated government mandates or expensive interventions.
He boiled the entire issue down to a simple message that resonates with many Americans frustrated by decades of declining health outcomes.
“Eat real food.”
As obesity rates show signs of finally moving downward after half a century of steady increases, Kennedy and the Trump administration are betting that a renewed focus on nutrition, physical activity, and personal responsibility can help reverse one of the nation’s most costly public health crises.
