Ultra-highly processed foods, seed oils, pesticides, fluorides: they are all targets of the “American Health Again” movement, with its main supporters being Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services.
Maha Films, a production company currently specializing in promoting the value of the movement, has released its first documentary.
“Toxic Countries: From Fluoride to Seed Oils – How We Come Here, How to Make Profit, and What You Can Do” by Kennedy’s nonprofit Maha Action, the film’s advocacy partner, highlights four food and environmental issues that put millions of Americans at risk every day. Released online on Tuesday, the film is the first in a planned, four-part series.
“If we can love our kids more than we hate each other, we can solve the chronic disease epidemic that affects them,” producer and director Jeff Hayes said in a news release, citing Kennedy’s spirit. “The “toxic nation” is our love letter to its vision and a call to create an America where families can ultimately thrive in true health. ”
The documentary’s release follows the publication of the first Maha Committee Report on May 22nd. This lays the foundation for an overhaul of federal policies to reduce the burden of chronic illness in American children. Still, significant budgets and staff cuts at the HHS and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could potentially undermine the agenda for overhauling food systems, medicines and environmental toxins.
“The Trump administration can’t have it both ways,” wrote Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization, in an email. (There is considerable overlap with some issues that became Kennedy’s focus on HHS, but the documentary was not released by the federal government.)
“On the other hand, they are sounding alarms about diet-related illnesses and diseases caused by dangerous chemicals,” Faber added. “On the other hand, they make it difficult for people to make healthy meals and eliminate safety measures that protect us from toxins such as PFA and pathogens.”
Some experts have been talking for a long time about the impact of what we have on the risk of illness, but there is a controversy about potential risk, benefits, or neutrality regarding details.
Here’s what recent research has said about the four targets of “toxic countries.”
Claim: The documentary calls ultra-positive foods as one of the roots of chronic diseases.
background: Ultra-highly processed foods, which make up to 70% of the US food supply, are made with industrial technology and ingredients. “The class of additives has the ability to never be used in the kitchen or rarely be used, or to make the final product taste and appeal.”
Ultra-positive foods usually contain less fiber. It has high calorie content, added sugar, refined grains and fats, and sodium. Includes additives such as preservatives, flavor enhancers, and dyes.
the study: Many studies over decades of research have shown that consumption of ultra-highly processed foods is associated with disease or health issues such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, premature birth, cancer, depression, cognitive decline, stroke and sleep disorders.
The harm could be partly due to the effects on the metabolism of ultra-positive foods, experts said – for example, refined carbohydrates can increase blood glucose levels in triglycerides and spikes, for example.
quiz: How many super positive foods do you eat?
What you can do: Limit the intake of ultra-highly rocessed foods by increasing consumption of whole fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. Read the ingredient label and pay attention to the amount of sodium you are eating and how certain foods make you feel. Super positive foods are more cravings, whereas whole foods are more satisfying.
Read more about ultra-highly processed foods: Eating more ultra-positive foods is at risk of premature death, research finds
Claim: The documentary challenges the long-standing guidance that for heart health, chefs need to exchange saturated fats in animal products such as beef, pork lard and butter for seed oils. (Kennedy praised the shake’s switch from seed oil to beef fat, as he calls it a healthier choice by deep fries.)
background: Vegetable oil and seed oils were popular in 20th The century when scientists began to see animal fat It promoted oil as a healthy alternative to the perpetrators and heart behind the increased cardiovascular problems.
Some of the concerns of seed oils are based on chemistry, industrial production involving a variety of chemicals, and the behavior of seed oils when exposed to heat, air and light. The oil is extracted from plant seeds, such as canola oil from canola, or rapeseed plant seeds. Other seed oils of concern are corn, cottonseed, grape seeds, sunflower, safflower and rice bran oil.
Seed oil is primarily polyunsaturated fats and is less chemically stable than saturated fats, the main lipid of animal fats. Thus, polyunsaturated fats can cause faster peroxidation when exposed to oxygen or cooked, producing molecules related to cell damage and oxidative stress, Dr. Daige Zamora, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, told CNN in March.
the study: Over the past decades, scientists continue today have published a wealth of data showing that a diet with high plant fats produces higher health outcomes than animal fats.
Studies on seed oil have been featured over the past decade, including a clinical trial of Zamora, which found that restricting seed oil improves chronic pain in participants. Other studies have linked seed oil intake to biomarkers of atherosclerosis or fat accumulation within the arterial artery.
Dr. Eric Decker, professor of food science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst University, says that unless the oil is too hot, repeated, long-term, long-term use, or long-term use, there may be no risk of harmful, degraded products.
What you can do: If you’re worried about seed oil, you can replace extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, experts said. Experts also recommend that you consume moderate fat.
Read more about seed oil: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the tallow in beef is healthier than seed oil. Is he right?
Claim: The film raises concerns about the herbicide glyphosate, citing a previously documented link to cancer. Sources say glyphosate can cause endocrine destruction and damage to the gut microbiota, the latter of which could increase the risk of irritable bowel disease and celiac disease.
background: Glyphosate is commonly used to kill weeds in human and animal food crops, forestry and gardens.
the study: Although harm has been found in rats, studies on the effects of glyphosate on the human gut microbiota are in early stages. A 2019 analysis of studies in thousands of people and animals found that glyphosate exposure was associated with a 41% higher risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.
The role of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is to ensure that pesticides or herbicide residues set by the EPA do not exceed the limits set by the EPA, at a level that determines that the EPA will “provide reasonable certainty without harm.”
The EPA says glyphosate is likely not carcinogenic to humans and “there is no risk to public health if glyphosate is used according to current labels.”
The EPA’s conclusions contradict the World Health Organization’s stance, but the latter has been controversial among both the industry and some health experts. The decision was followed by thousands of lawsuits against major producers of glyphosate-based weed killers, alleging that glyphosate exposure caused plaintiffs’ cancer. Some have been successful to varying degrees, including some well-known cases that Kennedy partially discussed when he was an environmental lawyer.
What you can do: You can limit the consumption of herbicides (and pesticides) primarily or by eating organic foods alone. Because it is unfeasible for many people, it can be impacted by intake of food on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list and increasing the intake of “clean 15” foods. The list refers to traditional fruits and vegetables that each have the lowest or lowest amount of pesticide residues.
Still, EWG also should not make perfection an enemy of good, as the health benefits of a fruit and vegetable rich diet outweigh the risk of pesticide exposure.
Read more about pesticides: Many breakfast cereals still polluted by weed killers, environmental groups say
Claim: Sources in the documentary claim that the type of fluoride used primarily in drinking water for most of the US population is different from sodium fluoride. It’s a hydrous separated spherical acid, a chemical by-product of the phosphate fertilizer industry, and it’s a problem because it contains heavy metals such as arsenic.
It is true that fluorosylic acid is the perfect fluorinating agent for many municipalities. The fact that it contains more arsenic than sodium fluoride limits the amount of arsenic allowed in water, according to the EPA.
Sources of “toxic countries” He added that fluoride blocks thyroid receptors and can cause dental fluorosis. This is a cosmetic change in the enamel of children’s teeth caused by excessive fluoride while permanent teeth are still forming beneath the gums, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
background: Medical institutions or institutions such as the American Dental Association and CDC continue to support water fluorination and use of fluoride toothpaste. Most documentary sources acknowledged that sodium fluoride can enhance enamel.
the study: According to the American Dental Association, “water fluoride is effective in reducing at least 25% in children and adults, and at least 25% in children and adults.”
A new study published in the journal JAMA confirms this. Data on 8,484 children, average age 9, estimated that removing fluoride from public water systems is associated with a 7.5% increase in tooth decay.
However, several studies, including federal review published in August, support concerns about the high levels of fluoride in water that affect children’s intellectual development. Others have discovered only the small dental benefits of supplying water with fluorescent water. However, federal review noted that the association between normal levels of fluoride and pediatric IQ is not very consistent. And research on adults is rare.
What you can do: If you want to avoid fluoride intake, you can purchase a water filter that filters out fluoride. They should be independently accredited, such as the National Foundation for Health or another official research institute. Also, make sure your child does not swallow toothpaste containing fluoride.
To help prevent cavities, brush and floss teeth every day and every night, and limit the intake of sweet foods and drinks, the American Dental Association recommends. If you eat them, do so at mealtime. You should also visit your dentist regularly.
Read more about fluoride: Things you need to know about fluoride in drinking water