A doctor tapped for a top job in Robert F Kennedy Jr’s new overhauled health department has laid out the policy roadmap to Make America Healthy Again.
While much has been made about Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism, cracking down on the American food supply and people’s diets is at the top of the incoming MAHA team’s agenda, according to Dr Aseem Malhotra.
He told DailyMail.com that decoupling Big Pharma’s influence on health recommendations and drug and vaccine approvals was another top priority, describing ‘commercial influence as the single biggest issue in US healthcare.’
Kennedy and the MAHA movement believes many of America’s health woes – high rates of cancer, disease, obesity and mental health problems – can be traced back to unhealthy food and lifestyle choices and a healthcare system that puts profits over people.
Dr Malhotra, a British cardiologist and former advisor to the UK government who is being eyed for a top advisory role alongside Kennedy, rejects the view from critics that their diagnosis of America’s health crisis is too simplistic.
Within months, Kennedy’s HHS could look to ban additives and food dyes already outlawed in Europe due to their links to cancer, infertility and other health problems, according to Dr Malhotra.
The team will look to wean the population, especially children who are a big focus in the new health agenda, off junk food using more regulation, much like the US did with cigarettes. ‘We will focus on cutting sugar, ultra-processed foods and harmful ingredients from people’s diets.’
This could include a ‘sugar tax’ on the unhealthiest snacks, such as candy and ice cream. It could also see a ban on burgers, pizzas and other high calorie items from certain premises like schools and hospitals. ‘Ask any doctor—junk food shouldn’t be sold in these places,’ he said.
Robert Kennedy Jr. speaking after being sworn in as the Health and Human Services Secretary on February 13
Dr Aseem Malhotra (right) is pictured with Robert F Kennedy Jr, the newly confirmed Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services
However, plans like these are likely to need congressional support, which could stall progress.
Dr Malhotra acknowledges some of the more ‘nannying’ ideas could go down badly with a Republican party that has traditionally been in favor of free market policies.
After Kennedy was confirmed as head of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday, President Donald Trump welcomed him to the White House where he signed an executive order establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.
The commission will be chaired by Kennedy and will be tasked with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with an initial focus on children.
The conditions it will look at include autism and fatty liver disease, and also investigate adult chronic diseases, such as asthma and the U.S. average life expectancy compared to other nations.
The commission will work to ‘restore trust in medical and scientific institutions and hold public hearings, meetings, roundtables’ to receive input from health leaders.
FIX AMERICA’S ‘POISONOUS’ FOOD ADDICTION
Dr Malhotra says MAHA believes that ‘tackling diet-related issues would deliver the biggest and quickest impact’ on the nation’s health.
‘We believe diet changes alone could dramatically improve people’s health within weeks,’ he said.
Recent figures suggest nearly three-quarters of the US food supply is ultra-processed, while 40 percent of Americans are now obese, up from 15 percent in 1980.
And nine in 10 US adults suffer high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, and excess belly fat, which raise their risk of conditions like heart disease, the number one killer in the US. Dr Malhotra said: ‘Diet would be at the top of the hierarchy of causation.’
In fact, recent research from The Lancet found that dietary factors contribute to more chronic diseases across the globe than inactivity, smoking, and alcohol combined.
As well as more regulation, Dr Malhotra said other policy ideas which don’t involve congressional input could include overhauling the US dietary guidelines.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer guidance on which foods are ideal for preventing chronic disease and promoting healthy growth and development.
President Trump is pictured working at a McDonald’s during his time on the campaign trail. RFK Jr and Dr Malhotra have proposed cutting down on processed foods
The current guidelines, which are set to be renewed this year, suggest limiting foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol, including animal products like red meat and eggs.
However, Dr Malhotra believes there is a lack of evidence on cholesterol- and fat-rich foods causing chronic diseases and obesity.
He said: ‘We need to stop demonizing saturated fats, cholesterol, red meat, eggs, and dairy and start clamping down on sugar and processed foods.’
Another idea being floated is mandating doctors are educated about diet and nutrition as part of their continuing medical education.
Dr Malhotra said: ‘Doctors get almost no training in diet and nutrition. Ninety-nine percent of doctors can’t define metabolic health.’
On education, the doctor believes there should be mandatory nutrition and culinary skills in schools.
He said: ‘Kids absorb information like sponges— we could bring in home economics classes that teach children about cooking and nutrition.’
PARTNERING WITH FARMERS AND OTHER HEALTH AGENCIES
The executive order also states health agencies ‘shall work with farmers to ensure that United States food is the healthiest, most abundant, and most afforable in the world.’
To do this, the administration plans to install the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, which will be headed by RFK Jr.
Members of the MAHA Commission will include heads and secretaries of the Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Veterans Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CDC, NIH, and FDA.
This would bring together multiple agencies under the HHS umbrella and keep a clear line of communication.
Dr Malhotra suggested a commission like this could subsidize farmers to lower the cost of vegetables and whole foods, as high cost of minimally processed food is one of the main barriers millions of Americans face.
In 2023, 14 percent of US households were unable to afford nutritious foods, forcing them to pick cheaper, often ultraprocessed, alternatives.
ERODE BIG PHARMA’S INFLUENCE
The MAHA commission states that all federally-funded health research must have open data to increase transparency around health decisions.
Dr Malhotra says the new administration could force all drug studies be evaluated independently without pharmaceutical influence, saying pharma companies ‘shouldn’t oversee their own testing.’
‘We need to move to a model where rigorous, independent scientists with no industry ties are reviewing data that lead to the approval of drugs and vaccines.’
While clinical trials are conducted by pharmaceutical and medical device companies, they need to have the approval of the FDA which ensures they are designed, conducted, analyzed and reported according to federal law and good clinical practice (GCP) regulations.
Dr Malhotra is pictured with Kim Pearson, a London-based nutritionist. The two have worked together on a diet plan similar to the Mediterranean diet
But currently, the FDA receives 65 percent of its funding from the pharmaceutical industry, such as money from companies applying for drug or medical device approval.
Dr Malhotra proposes that the FDA should receive none of its budget from Big Pharma, as officials shouldn’t fear ‘biting the hand that feeds them.’
This could reduce the risk of drugs being approved that may still need further testing or could be considered unsafe, he says.
Dr Malhotra said: ‘You can’t fix healthcare without removing corporate interests.’
But this may not be easy — altering the agency’s funding would likely require Congressional approval. It would also mean the federal government would have to invest billions more dollars in the agency.
VACCINES
After Trump’s win last November, Kennedy said he wouldn’t ‘take away anybody’s vaccines’.
During his confirmation hearings, he insisted he ‘wasn’t antivax’.
But Dr Malhotra says the new MAHA team could look at removing the vaccine mandate for school attendance in the US.
He said: ‘Americans don’t like being told what to do. The UK doesn’t have mandates either.’
Vaccines are not compulsory for school entry in the UK but parents are strongly recommended to get their children inoculated with routine shots. Uptake is about the same in the UK as it is in the US, with around nine in 10 elementary-aged children being vaccinated when they start school.
Dr Malhotra believes childhood vaccines are safe but he stresses the importance of winning back Americans’ trust in the medical establishment, which was eroded during the Covid pandemic.
According to a recent study in JAMA Network Open, trust in doctors fell from an all-time high of 72 percent in April 2020 to 40 percent in April 2024.
Dr Malhotra believes this is due to poor communication about and mishandling of the pandemic.
Dr Malhotra said: ‘We were well-intentioned but shouldn’t have claimed certainty about Covid vaccines, mandates, lockdowns and other measures that came with extreme downsides.’
TACKLING CHILDHOOD DISEASES
Trump’s MAHA executive order highlights rising childhood disease rates as one of the problems it will tackle.
Autism is one of its main priorities. In 2022, one in 36 children were diagnosed with autism, a stark contrast from seven in 1,000 in the early 2000s.
Kennedy has previously suggested that childhood vaccine rates are to explain for the rise, a link which has been disproven.
Most mainstream doctors say better diagnostics and awareness of the condition explain the sharp increase is cases.
Dr Malhotra says the new health team should not shy away from reinvestigating potential links between vaccines, autism, ADHD, and other disorders.
RETHINKING MEDICARE AND MEDICAID
Dr Malhotra did not provide any insight into Medicaid and Medicare, though the Trump administration has offered some insight into the future of the programs.
Together, both programs insure around 140million Americans, more than one in three.
As part of his presidential campaign, President Trump stated: ‘We will protect Medicare and ensure seniors receive the care they need without being burdened by excessive costs.’
However, the programs may be organized differently for the 12million Americans who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.
During RFK Jr’s confirmation hearing, he stated that ‘dual eligibles are not right now served very well under the system’ and acknowledged a need for better integration.
Republican lawmakers have also debated slashing Medicare and Medicaid coverage in order to cut government spending.
And as of now, Medicare covers all adult vaccines recommended by the CDC, so a shift in vaccine policy could alter that coverage.