Health
RFK Jr. says kids 'swimming' in 'poisonous' foods as Dr. Marc Siegel calls out ‘sick care system’
Since President-elect Donald Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week, there has been a heightened focus on Kennedy’s initiative to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA).
One of Kennedy’s widely reported goals has been to reduce kids’ consumption of ultraprocessed foods.
“We have a generation of kids who are swimming around in a toxic soup right now,” Kennedy previously told Fox News. “We’re letting these industries corrupt our agencies and mass poison them.”
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Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, joined “Fox & Friends” on Monday to discuss the HHS Secretary nominee’s plans to reduce ultraprocessed foods, which have been shown to make up 73% of the country’s food supply.
One of the biggest dangers associated with the current food supply is food dyes, Siegel said.
“Food coloring is a problem,” he said. “Red Dye No. 3 has been banned in Europe. They’re banning it in California. It’s been associated with cancer in animals.”
Food dyes have been associated with hyperactivity in children, Siegel warned.
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Democrats and Republicans alike have pushed for banning food dyes, the doctor noted, but the food industry and food lobbyists have fought back.
“There’s a concern here that if this ends up with more regulations, that will drive prices up — and food grocery store prices are already a problem,” Siegel added.
Some of the most harmful additives include MSG and high-fructose corn syrup, the latter of which “directly causes obesity,” according to Siegel. (iStock)
In terms of ultraprocessed foods, Siegel said he agrees with Kennedy’s claims that kids are “swimming in a toxic soup.”
Some of the most harmful additives include MSG and high-fructose corn syrup, the latter of which “directly causes obesity,” according to Siegel.
“We’ve got to go back to a healthier lifestyle, and then we’ll have less money spent on being ultra sick.”
Nitrates are also a concern, as they have been shown to cause cancer in animals, the doctor said, as well as excess sugar and salt.
“People just get drawn in to eat and eat and eat, and they gain weight,” Siegel said.
“When they gain weight, they get high blood pressure, they get diabetes, they get heart disease, and they have a risk for cancer.”
Siegel pointed to some significant regulatory obstacles that Kennedy will need to overcome.
“We have a generation of kids who are swimming around in a toxic soup right now,” Kennedy previously told Fox News. “We’re letting these industries corrupt our agencies and mass poison them.” (iStock)
“There’s pressure being put on the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) by the food industry, by the pharmaceutical industry, by the lobby groups in Congress,” he said.
“They have so much power, they pretty much dwarf the FDA.”
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The goal isn’t to “squash big pharma,” however, Siegel said, pointing out that pharmaceutical companies are “doing great things,” such as coming up with “tremendous new treatments” and personalized solutions through artificial intelligence and other biotechnologies.
However, he noted, the health care system tends to operate like a “sick care system,” making money from people’s illnesses.
“People just get drawn in to eat and eat and eat, and they gain weight,” Siegel said. “When they gain weight, they get high blood pressure, they get diabetes, they get heart disease, and they have a risk for cancer.” (iStock)
“They should give tax incentives for going on the treadmill or taking a walk in the morning or eating farm-to-table food or having more produce,” Siegel said.
“We’ve got to go back to a healthier lifestyle, and then we’ll have less money spent on being ultra sick.”
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Overall, Siegel said, Kennedy is “on the right track” with his plans to fight ultraprocessed foods.
“Whether he can accomplish it is a different story,” he added.
A mother and daughter are sharing how and why people think they’re sisters.
California native Kelly Cantu, 40, and her daughter Madison, 20, claim they’re often mistaken for being sisters.
Kelly Cantu said she was just 20 years old when she had her daughter — and was excited to have her very own “mini me,” as Jam Press reported.
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That wasn’t just wishful thinking, the outlet noted.
As the daughter grew, the similarities between the two started to show.
A mother and daughter are sharing how and why people think they’re sisters. On the right-hand side, can you tell which one is which? (Jam Press)
Eventually, when young Madison turned 13 and mom Kelly was only 33, people started asking if the two of them were sisters.
“She was in high school when it started,” Kelly Cantu, a content creator, told What’s the Jam.
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“It would happen when I was picking her up. I was constantly being mistaken for her sister or another student,” she said.
“We both found it very funny.”
Madison Cantu said, “My friends and other classmates — when they first met my mom — would always ask if she was my sister. And their parents would always do the same!”
Kelly Cantu said she was just 20 years old when she had her daughter, Madison Cantu — and was excited to have her very own “mini me,” as Jam Press reported. Mother and daughter are shown in both pictures here. (Jam Press)
The duo said it has not stopped since then. They’ve said it happens not just in public, but online as well.
Said Kelly Cantu, “Any time we are out and I refer to her as ‘Baby Girl’ and someone finds out I’m her mom, people always say, ‘I thought you were sisters.’”
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The mother said it does become embarrassing at times.
“When Madison was younger, I would laugh,” she said. “But I do get embarrassed at times. Especially when people start asking how old I was when I had her.”
Eventually, when young Madison turned 13 and mom Kelly was only 33, people started asking if the two of them were sisters. Mom Kelly Cantu is shown holding her baby at left, and in the right-hand shot, at far right. (Jam Press)
The younger Cantu said she’s more than happy to hear it from time to time, however.
She said, “I think it’s funny, and I hope that her good genetics will rub off on me. When people find out she’s my parent and not my sister, they’re always shocked.”
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And they “usually make a comment about how she appears so young.”
She added, “I feel honored because she’s such a beautiful woman. Everyone says it and I know it, too. I hope I look just as good when I’m 40!”
“I think it’s funny, and I hope that her good genetics will rub off on me,” the younger Cantu said. “When people find out she’s my parent and not my sister, they’re always shocked.” (Jam Press)
The mother-daughter duo often go out in matching colors, they said.
Kelly Cantu, who is now living in England, said, “I love matching … I’ve been trying to match or at least wear color-corresponding colors. I actually just ordered us matching Christmas jumpers and Christmas pajamas,” she added.
Said Kelly Cantu, at left, “I love any time we hear we look alike. My daughter is the most beautiful person in the world to me, so for someone to think we look like means a lot to me.” (Jam Press)
She also said, “Once I dyed my hair dark to look more like Madison, too.”
The pair said they take the similarities in stride.
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Said Kelly Cantu, “I love any time we hear we look alike. My daughter is the most beautiful person in the world to me, so for someone to think we look like means a lot to me.”
Even their family and friends think the two are “practically identical,” Jam Press noted.
The mother and daughter say they are “each other’s best friends.” (Jam Press)
Kelly Cantu said, “My mother always tells me how she can’t get over how similar we look and act. I think moreso now … I would say my daughter and I are best friends and go everywhere together and act pretty similar.”
People have said they find it “strange” that they’re so close, said the mother.
But both women said they don’t care about that — as they feel they are “each other’s best friends.”
Health
A holiday gift guide for the fitness lover in your life, including workout equipment, athletic gear
That time of year is almost here: the time to start pondering what to buy your loved ones for Christmas.
As the years go by, ideas can run thin, and finding that perfect gift can be a challenge.
Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 drugs have been shown to curb alcohol effects, a new study suggests.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists — which contain either semaglutide or liraglutide — are prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, but previous studies have shown that people report decreased alcohol consumption when taking them.
In a new study by the University of Eastern Finland and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, researchers found that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) were less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol or substance abuse-related conditions.
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The researchers analyzed decades of data from 228,000 people in Sweden who had AUD, ranging in age from 16 to 64, according to a press release.
Studies have shown that people report decreased alcohol consumption when taking glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists. (iStock)
For participants who had AUD, obesity and type 2 diabetes, the use of GLP-1 medications was linked to “substantially decreased risk of hospitalization due to AUD,” the researchers wrote.
Patients taking semaglutide (such as Ozempic and Wegovy) showed a 36% lower risk, and those taking liraglutide (Victoza) had a 28% lower risk.
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The GLP-1 drugs were shown to be even more effective than naltrexone, which is regarded as the best drug for alcohol use disorder.
“Our study suggests that besides obesity and diabetes, GLP-1-agonists may also help in the treatment of alcohol and substance use disorders; however, these findings need to be further validated in randomized controlled trials,” lead study author Markku Lähteenvuo, docent of forensic psychiatry at the University of Eastern Finland and the Niuvanniemi Hospital, said in the release.
For participants who had alcohol use disorder, obesity and type 2 diabetes, the use of GLP-1 medications was linked to “substantially decreased risk of hospitalization due to AUD,” the researchers wrote. (iStock)
This isn’t the first study to link GLP-1s to reduced alcohol intake, according to Dr. Sue Decotiis, MD, a weight-loss doctor in New York City.
“There have been many studies that show GLP-1 mitigate the desire to consume alcohol,” Decotiis, who was not involved in the Swedish study, told Fox News Digital.
“Over 50% of my patients on semaglutide and tirzepatide have remarkably less desire to drink alcohol.”
OZEMPIC COULD HELP REDUCE ALZHEIMER’S RISK FOR SOME, STUDY SUGGESTS: ‘SHIFTING THE PARADIGM’
Decotiis also mentioned a new weight-loss drug — Retatrutide, made by Eli Lilly — that is said to be even more effective against alcohol addiction.
“All in all, these drugs have shown time and time again that they enhance overall, long-term health throughout the entire body,” she said.
Patients taking semaglutide (such as Ozempic and Wegovy) showed a 36% lower risk of alcohol-related hospitalization, and those taking liraglutide (Victoza) had a 28% lower risk. (iStock)
Approximately 28.9 million people 12 and older had AUD in the past year, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, provided the below statement to Fox News Digital.
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“Novo Nordisk welcomes independent research investigating the safety, efficacy and clinical utility of our products. However, none of our semaglutide-containing products are indicated for the treatment of addiction-related illnesses.”
Approximately 28.9 million people 12 and older had alcohol use disorder in the past year, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (iStock)
“Importantly, our clinical studies have not been designed to assess the effectiveness of semaglutide on alcohol use disorder and tobacco use disorder or other addiction-related illnesses. We support our products being prescribed to patients who meet the indicated criteria and only promote the FDA-approved indications of our medicines for appropriate patients.”
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers and also to Eli Lilly, maker of Retatrutide, requesting comment.
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