Health
Kennedy, in His Own Words: Flu, Diabetes, Autism and More
At Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings, beginning on Wednesday, senators are expected to question him closely about his controversial views on vaccines.
For years Mr. Kennedy has questioned the safety of vaccines, including those for polio and measles, two diseases that continue to harm children. More recently, he has said that he’s not planning to take vaccines away from Americans but wants to release safety data to the public — even though nearly all of the data is already publicly available.
Mr. Kennedy’s contrarian views extend well beyond vaccines. And as secretary of health and human services, he would have enormous influence on health policy, even on issues typically under state control, by cutting funding for certain programs or elevating others.
Here’s a fact check of some of his claims.
This is false. Mr. Kennedy’s number is off by orders of magnitude.
The National Diabetes Statistics Report estimated that in 2021, about 35 per 10,000 children and adolescents younger than 20 — that is, 0.35 percent — had a diagnosis of diabetes. Another study found that 0.1 percent of young people 10 to 19 had diabetes in 2017.
Mr. Kennedy also seems to be conflating juvenile or Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease, with Type 2 diabetes, which can result from an unhealthy lifestyle. He is correct that new cases of diabetes — both types — are on the rise. But the prevalence in teenagers is still much lower than in adults and increases with age; the highest prevalence, 29.2 percent, is among adults 65 and older.
In a later comment that included prediabetes, Mr. Kennedy said, “These kids are now dependent on, you know, insulin and diabetes treatments, on chronic disease treatments for the rest of their lives, and that’s bankrupting our health care system.”
While prediabetes is a warning sign for diabetes, most cases don’t require treatment with insulin and can be reversed with lifestyle changes, including modest weight loss. Prediabetes, too, is rising; about 28 percent of teenagers are prediabetic.
This is false. Every year, scientists track the effectiveness of the annual flu vaccine. And every year, dozens of studies document the vaccine’s effectiveness against hospitalizations and deaths. The exact numbers vary, but the results always show that vaccination is beneficial.
Injected flu vaccines do not contain live virus, and nasal spray vaccines contain weakened virus; neither type can transmit the flu.
The flu vaccine’s composition is typically determined in the spring, based on the dominant variants in the Southern Hemisphere at that time. In some years the vaccine that is produced is an excellent match for the viruses that emerge in the fall, and in other years the scientists’ best guess is a little off.
As a result, effectiveness may range from 30 to 90 percent, depending on the age group and the subtype of influenza. But even when effectiveness is low, the vaccine can shorten the duration and severity of illness.
Because flu tends to be most severe in children under 5 and in older adults, the vaccine is particularly recommended — not mandated — for those age groups. And since the flu vaccine was introduced in 1945, life expectancy, including among older adults, has risen steadily.
This needs context. Mr. Kennedy is partly right. One in 36 American children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the one-in-34 estimate is specific to boys). And in California, one in 22 children has autism.
But autism is a spectrum, and a majority of those diagnosed can participate in sports, write poetry (if they are so inclined), pay taxes, date and marry; many are parents. The list of people with autism includes successful athletes, writers, actors, activists, artists, politicians — and even Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and head of the Trump administration’s government cost-cutting effort.
Studies suggest that most of the increase in autism diagnoses is on the milder end of the spectrum, in part because the diagnostic criteria have widened.
What Mr. Kennedy describes is a subset of autistic people, about one in four with the diagnosis, who are profoundly affected. But even they are more likely to harm themselves than others. (The prevalence of profound autism is rising, but slowly.)
Mr. Kennedy may not have seen such people when he was a child because back then, most of them were isolated at home or institutionalized, misdiagnosed with mental illnesses and heavily medicated.
This needs context. First, most states mandate that children receive about 20 shots to enter school, but those shots include doses of eight or so vaccines (depending on which combination vaccines are used) that together protect against a dozen diseases.
Even including vaccines that are recommended and not required, such as a yearly flu shot, children may receive 35 shots by age 5. Mr. Kennedy’s math would be correct only if the number included vaccines given in pregnancy, and if each component and each dose of a combination product were considered a separate vaccine.
All vaccines must meet strict requirements for safety before approval. Even after their approval, federal officials monitor reports of side effects in multiple systems that analyze medical records and reports from patients and doctors.
Mr. Kennedy’s claim that none of the shots have been tested in placebo-controlled trials also needs context. Some of the vaccines currently in use have indeed been tested against a placebo; others are newer alternatives to vaccines that underwent placebo-controlled trials before approval.
A newer vaccine is often tested against an approved one — rather than against a placebo — to show that it is just as good at preventing disease. Newer treatments for certain diseases like cancer are similarly tested in such trials, which are called non-inferiority trials.
That’s because it would be unethical to deny some children in a trial protection against a dangerous pathogen, as it would be to deny treatment to patients with a disease, by giving them a placebo.
This is false. Numerous studies have examined this claim and found it to be unsubstantiated. On the contrary, pertussis itself, rather than the vaccine, can be dangerous or even fatal to young children.
In both statements, Mr. Kennedy is referring to a vaccine for pertussis, or whooping cough, that was discontinued in the 1990s. The vaccine was made from inactivated bacteria and, compared with the newer vaccines, was associated with more side effects, including fever, drowsiness and irritability.
But research has not found severe short- or long-term consequences. According to one large study, for every 100,000 doses of the vaccine, fewer than nine produced a febrile seizure on the day of vaccination.
Febrile seizures are seizures caused by high fevers and can occur during any childhood illness, including an ear infection; they do not cause lasting harm. Longer-term follow-ups by several teams have shown no evidence of brain damage in children who received the vaccine.
Mr. Kennedy is correct that one team reported increased mortality after pertussis vaccination in West Africa. But a series of independent panels that was convened to examine the studies unanimously concluded that the team’s data did not support this conclusion.
“Indeed, the papers provide substantial evidence against such a conclusion,” the experts wrote.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.
A growing social media trend, dubbed “nonnamaxxing,” draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.
The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.
MARTHA STEWART SHARES 7 TIPS FOR AGING WELL: ‘LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD, BE GOOD’
“Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.
“We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
LONELINESS MAY BE SILENTLY ERODING YOUR MEMORY, NEW RESEARCH REVEALS
Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.
Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.
One longevity expert stresses that staying healthy isn’t just about food — it’s also about joy and community. (iStock)
There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real,’” she said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional “nonna” lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.
The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Singer added, “Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
GRANDPARENTS WHO BABYSIT THEIR GRANDCHILDREN STAY MENTALLY SHARPER, NEW STUDY REVEALS
“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
EXPERTS REVEAL HIDDEN LINK BETWEEN POOR SLEEP AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RISK
The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
DEMENTIA RISK SIGNALS COULD LIE IN SIMPLE BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS, SAY RESEARCHERS
Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
-
New York38 minutes agoInside the NYC Power Stations That Keep Trains Moving — or Bring Them to a Halt
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoDetroit Pistons already facing must-win Game 2 vs Orlando Magic
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoGiants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoNew video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
-
Miami, FL2 hours ago
Ty Simpson considered staying in college for $6.5 million offer from Miami
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoTools for Your To Do List with Spot and Gemini Robotics | Boston Dynamics
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver beekeeper says swarm season came a month early this year thanks to warm weather
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoHere, Kitty, Kitty: Scenes from POP Cats Seattle 2026
