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Truth-Checking RFK Jr.’s Well being Claims on Weight problems, Medicaid and Fluoride

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Throughout the listening to to contemplate his nomination to steer the Division of Well being and Human Providers, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at size about points in well being and medication, together with the reason for persistent sicknesses, Covid-19 and ultraprocessed meals.

Here’s a operating checklist of key well being claims, fact-checked by our reporters.

Mr. Kennedy’s opening assertion centered on rising persistent well being circumstances, saying there was a disaster in youngsters’s well being in america. Many consultants agree — although they disagree in regards to the causes.

Forty % of youngsters have a persistent well being situation, and the determine is larger for adolescents when weight problems is included.

Roughly one in 36 youngsters is identified with an autism spectrum dysfunction, in line with information from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. One in 4 has an allergy or eczema, and charges of Kind 2 diabetes have been rising in these 19 and below yearly.

And whereas Kind 2 diabetes charges are rising, they’re nonetheless low: Based on the American Diabetes Affiliation, it happens in 0.35 % of Individuals below the age of 20.

Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado pressed Mr. Kennedy on an announcement Mr. Kennedy made in 2023 during which he prompt that the coronavirus focused and spared sure ethnic teams.

“Covid-19 is focused to assault Caucasians and Black individuals,” he stated in a video from The New York Submit. “The people who find themselves most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese language.”

In response to Mr. Bennet, Mr. Kennedy referred to a federally funded research from the Cleveland Clinic revealed early within the pandemic that attempted to decipher who was most prone to the virus.

Scientists have stated that Mr. Kennedy’s interpretation of the research broadly distorted the findings within the paper. Whereas it discovered genetic variations which may make one particular person extra prone to Covid than one other, the variations have been too uncommon to make any generalizations about giant teams of individuals.

Throughout the listening to, Mr. Kennedy additionally asserted that 6-year-old youngsters “mainly” have “zero” danger from Covid.

The C.D.C. has famous that youngsters with underlying medical circumstances are at larger danger from extreme outcomes from Covid, in addition to infants youthful than six months of age.

Early within the listening to, Mr. Kennedy singled out processed meals as a driver of the weight problems epidemic.

“We shouldn’t be giving 60 % of the youngsters at school processed meals that’s making them sick,” he stated.

Many public well being and vitamin consultants say that ultraprocessed meals — which make up an estimated 73 % of the U.S. meals provide — are most likely an element within the weight problems disaster in america, and it will be useful to chop again on them.

However different researchers say that the weight problems epidemic is probably going a results of many entangled elements, each environmental and genetic, and that the phenomenon could have began lengthy earlier than there have been ultraprocessed meals.

The class can also be wide-ranging, and it’s not clear if all ultraprocessed meals are dangerous, consultants say. There could also be downsides to avoiding some ultraprocessed meals, like flavored yogurts and entire wheat breads and cereals, they add, as a result of they will present worthwhile vitamins.

Lindsey Smith Taillie, an affiliate professor of vitamin on the U.N.C. Gillings Faculty of International Public Well being, stated that it will be “transformative” to take away ultraprocessed meals from college lunches. However, she added, faculties would want extra assets to arrange meals from scratch.

All through the listening to, Mr. Kennedy struggled with the nuances of Medicaid and Medicare.

He prompt “extra individuals would moderately be on Medicare Benefit” however can’t afford it as a result of it’s dearer. In truth, Medicare Benefit is typically inexpensive on a month-to-month foundation for beneficiaries.

He additionally described Medicaid as being totally federally funded. Spending is definitely break up between the states and the federal authorities. He went on to explain the premiums and deductibles as being too excessive when, besides in very uncommon circumstances, Medicaid enrollees don’t pay both of these forms of charges.

Mr. Kennedy referenced a current research that discovered an affiliation between fluoride and I.Q. — analysis that he felt vindicated his earlier considerations in regards to the risks of fluoridated ingesting water.

Whereas the outline of the research’s findings was correct, there are notable caveats.

The research, by scientists from the federally funded Nationwide Institute of Environmental Well being Sciences, was an evaluation of dozens of fluoride research, which discovered larger fluoride exposures have been linked to decrease I.Q. scores.

Nevertheless, researchers cautioned that not one of the research included within the evaluation have been performed in america, the place beneficial fluoridation ranges in ingesting water are very low. At these quantities of fluoride, proof was too restricted to attract definitive conclusions.

The C.D.C. has famous that its consultants “haven’t discovered convincing scientific proof” linking group water fluoridation with antagonistic well being results.

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Truth-Checking RFK Jr.’s Well being Claims on Weight problems, Medicaid and Fluoride

spot_img


Throughout the listening to to contemplate his nomination to steer the Division of Well being and Human Providers, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at size about points in well being and medication, together with the reason for persistent sicknesses, Covid-19 and ultraprocessed meals.

Here’s a operating checklist of key well being claims, fact-checked by our reporters.

Mr. Kennedy’s opening assertion centered on rising persistent well being circumstances, saying there was a disaster in youngsters’s well being in america. Many consultants agree — although they disagree in regards to the causes.

Forty % of youngsters have a persistent well being situation, and the determine is larger for adolescents when weight problems is included.

Roughly one in 36 youngsters is identified with an autism spectrum dysfunction, in line with information from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. One in 4 has an allergy or eczema, and charges of Kind 2 diabetes have been rising in these 19 and below yearly.

And whereas Kind 2 diabetes charges are rising, they’re nonetheless low: Based on the American Diabetes Affiliation, it happens in 0.35 % of Individuals below the age of 20.

Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado pressed Mr. Kennedy on an announcement Mr. Kennedy made in 2023 during which he prompt that the coronavirus focused and spared sure ethnic teams.

“Covid-19 is focused to assault Caucasians and Black individuals,” he stated in a video from The New York Submit. “The people who find themselves most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese language.”

In response to Mr. Bennet, Mr. Kennedy referred to a federally funded research from the Cleveland Clinic revealed early within the pandemic that attempted to decipher who was most prone to the virus.

Scientists have stated that Mr. Kennedy’s interpretation of the research broadly distorted the findings within the paper. Whereas it discovered genetic variations which may make one particular person extra prone to Covid than one other, the variations have been too uncommon to make any generalizations about giant teams of individuals.

Throughout the listening to, Mr. Kennedy additionally asserted that 6-year-old youngsters “mainly” have “zero” danger from Covid.

The C.D.C. has famous that youngsters with underlying medical circumstances are at larger danger from extreme outcomes from Covid, in addition to infants youthful than six months of age.

Early within the listening to, Mr. Kennedy singled out processed meals as a driver of the weight problems epidemic.

“We shouldn’t be giving 60 % of the youngsters at school processed meals that’s making them sick,” he stated.

Many public well being and vitamin consultants say that ultraprocessed meals — which make up an estimated 73 % of the U.S. meals provide — are most likely an element within the weight problems disaster in america, and it will be useful to chop again on them.

However different researchers say that the weight problems epidemic is probably going a results of many entangled elements, each environmental and genetic, and that the phenomenon could have began lengthy earlier than there have been ultraprocessed meals.

The class can also be wide-ranging, and it’s not clear if all ultraprocessed meals are dangerous, consultants say. There could also be downsides to avoiding some ultraprocessed meals, like flavored yogurts and entire wheat breads and cereals, they add, as a result of they will present worthwhile vitamins.

Lindsey Smith Taillie, an affiliate professor of vitamin on the U.N.C. Gillings Faculty of International Public Well being, stated that it will be “transformative” to take away ultraprocessed meals from college lunches. However, she added, faculties would want extra assets to arrange meals from scratch.

All through the listening to, Mr. Kennedy struggled with the nuances of Medicaid and Medicare.

He prompt “extra individuals would moderately be on Medicare Benefit” however can’t afford it as a result of it’s dearer. In truth, Medicare Benefit is typically inexpensive on a month-to-month foundation for beneficiaries.

He additionally described Medicaid as being totally federally funded. Spending is definitely break up between the states and the federal authorities. He went on to explain the premiums and deductibles as being too excessive when, besides in very uncommon circumstances, Medicaid enrollees don’t pay both of these forms of charges.

Mr. Kennedy referenced a current research that discovered an affiliation between fluoride and I.Q. — analysis that he felt vindicated his earlier considerations in regards to the risks of fluoridated ingesting water.

Whereas the outline of the research’s findings was correct, there are notable caveats.

The research, by scientists from the federally funded Nationwide Institute of Environmental Well being Sciences, was an evaluation of dozens of fluoride research, which discovered larger fluoride exposures have been linked to decrease I.Q. scores.

Nevertheless, researchers cautioned that not one of the research included within the evaluation have been performed in america, the place beneficial fluoridation ranges in ingesting water are very low. At these quantities of fluoride, proof was too restricted to attract definitive conclusions.

The C.D.C. has famous that its consultants “haven’t discovered convincing scientific proof” linking group water fluoridation with antagonistic well being results.

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To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.