Food Dyes to Fluoride: Is RFK Jr Making America Healthier?

The secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is charged with overseeing the department’s mission: “to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.”

Sworn in as HHS secretary on February 13, how well is Robert F. Kennedy Jr upholding this mission?

An environmental lawyer, Kennedy has no background in healthcare administration or research, which has become common among those appointed to the role. Over the last 30 years, only one person with an educational or professional background in healthcare administration has held the position.

As secretary, Kennedy has taken on chronic disease and autism awareness as his primary health concerns. He is also focusing on food and water safety as part of the government’s Make America Healthy Again initiative. He has encouraged avoiding seed oils in favor of animal fats like beef tallow, suggested removing fluoride from water supplies, and developed policy to eliminate petroleum-based artificial foods dyes from the nation’s food supply. But will these methods make America healthy again?

Seed Oils or Beef Tallow?

As a sustainability lover, I appreciate the videos on social media where homesteaders boil down beef bones for tallow and bone broth. I keep a bag of veggie scraps in my freezer so I can throw them in a pot with my rotisserie chicken bones for bone broth. Do I think it’s the magical healing potion that some influencers suggest? No. But, it’s a nice way to use up my scraps while I get a tasty, protein-rich broth for my next pot of soup.

However, Kennedy’s argument for beef tallow isn’t in the name of sustainability. It’s in the name of health. He argues that seed oils are pro-inflammatory but doesn’t elaborate.

I am left to assume he is referring to the pro-inflammatory process that may develop when omega-6 fatty acids, found in large quantities in seed oils, grossly outweigh omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. If this is the case, the obvious solution is to recommend increasing intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, mussels, walnuts, flax seed, algae oil, and soybeans.

Instead, Kennedy decided to promote beef tallow as an appropriate substitute for seed oils. Beef tallow is about 50% saturated fat. The United State Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that saturated fat intake be kept below 10% of total calorie intake, and the American Heart Association recommends that saturated fat be kept below 6% of total calorie intake to promote cardiovascular health.

A medium order of Steak ‘n Shake french fries cooked in beef tallow contains 11 g of saturated fat, or 5% of the average American’s total calorie intake in saturated fat alone. If the fries are the side for another food high in saturated fat, like a cheeseburger or chicken tenders, that dinner has likely already exceeded the daily recommended total intake of saturated fat before they’ve left the table. That doesn’t include a milkshake.

Is there some ongoing research that suggests saturated fat may not be the villain that noted physiologist Ancel Keys, PhD, thought it was? Sure. But, until we have adequate research to support such a theory, trading canola oil for beef tallow isn’t going to make American healthier.

Fluoridation May Cause Neurological Problems?

One of Kennedy’s claims about fluoridated water is it increases the risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and neurological injuries. Some studies indicate a correlation between early exposure to fluoridated water and ADHD, and a recent cohort study conducted in Los Angeles, California, suggested a link between using fluoridated water for drinking and food preparation while pregnant and development of neurodivergent behavior in toddlers. The study included pregnant women who were predominantly Hispanic and of low socioeconomic status and found that those with elevated urinary fluoride metabolites had children more likely to develop neuroatypical behaviors at or before their third birthday. The researchers noted that many study participants reported regularly cooking dishes like rice at home, which may increase fluoride intake from tap water used in cooking.

Most municipal water in the United States is fortified with fluoride, a practice that began in the 1940s to combat dental cavities. Now, most toothpaste is fluoridated, and 65.9% of American adults and 86.9% of children aged 2-17 years have regular access to a dentist for dental cleanings that can hinder the development of cavities.

However, 34.1% of American adults remain without regular dental care. Utah and Florida have already passed legislation to remove fluoride from tap water and other states are sure to follow.

The government of Calgary, Canada, ceased water fluoridation in 2011 and is currently in the process of refortifying the water supply due to a significant spike in dental caries among children in the years following.

Would it be prudent for the administration to simply recommend decreasing recommended fluoride levels in tap water while further research is conducted? Sure. But, that line of thought suggests that funds will be available in the coming years for such research.

A recent analysis published in JAMA found that more than $1.2 billion in research grants disbursed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were cancelled between February 28, 2025 and April 8, 2025, and the proposed 2026 budget would slash the total budget of the NIH to 56% of its 2025 budget. These proposed cuts are almost certain to handicap future research on everything from fortification of our water and food supply to neurobehavioral disorders.

In the meantime, it may be wise for those of us working with patients to take extra steps to promote oral hygiene, connect patients with dental care resources, and to recommend high fluoride foods like potatoes, grapes, raisins, and canned shrimp and/or crab, or to consider fluoride supplements, especially in children.

Artificial Dyes Cause Behavioral Problems?

Kennedy’s most recent target has been petroleum-based artificial food dyes based on concern that they promote behavioral problems in children. The research is mixed. But of all the items on Kennedy’s agenda, this is the one I am least concerned about. Artificial food dyes have no nutritional value or any known benefits. If there is even a chance that they could be harming Americans, we should work to get them out of the food supply. It won’t hurt us if our sugar-laden breakfast cereals are a slightly duller shade of red, green, or purple.

I would argue that limiting artificial dyes in the food supply may encourage manufacturers to use natural dyes that could provide health benefits like beet juice, turmeric, or chlorophyll. This is a non-issue in my eyes.

Will We Make America Healthy Again?

America has a diet problem. As a dietitian, I appreciate that Secretary Kennedy is promoting health and wellness. But, swapping out beef tallow for seed oils isn’t the answer to the obesity epidemic. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects about 1 in 31 children in the United States, and I’m pleased that the Secretary is so driven to find the cause. But I don’t think that handicapping our research institutions and limiting fluoridation or artificial dyes will get us any closer to discovering what causes ASD.

I fear that the Secretary’s agenda is overly focused on sowing mistrust in traditional healthcare, while inadequately focused on the health and wellness of the Americans that the DHHS is charged with caring for. It remains to be seen less than 100 days into his tenure whether his agenda will “enhance the health and well-being of all Americans,” but I can already see that he is not interested in “fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences,” and that alone frightens me.

Note: This article originally appeared on Medscape.