MAHA report reaction: First impressions from a cardiologist-chef-professor who has studied ultraprocessed foods

Michael S. Fenster, MD, FACC, FSCA&I, FRSM, MAINE, PEMBA, is a cardiologist and professional chef better known as Chef Dr. Mike. He’s the author of several books on food and people’s relationships with cooking and eating it, and he instructs people on culinary medicine. In this video series, he shares his first impressions of the new Make America Healthy Again Report.The administration of President Donald J. Trump and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. published 73-page analysis of the health of American children. The report specifically aims at poor diet and reliance on ultraprocessed foods as one of four factors increasing chronic disease in people. While the report focuses on youths, it may hold lessons about health effects on adults who eat the same things. In the discussion, Fenster refers to several studies and presentations:

• “Identification and validation of poly-metabolite scores for diets high in ultra-processed food: An observational study and post-hoc randomized controlled crossover-feeding trial,” published in PLOS Medicine.
• “Unraveling the Mechanisms of Ultra-processed Foods,” by Kevin D. Hall, PhD.
• “Ultra-processed food: the scope for Government Action,” a conference hosted by Imperial College Business School – Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation.
• His study, “Trump wants RFK Jr. to Make America Healthy Again. This is what they need to know about ultraprocessed foods,” is available here and a podcast with follow-up discussion is here.