There’s a health crisis in America.
It threatens our economy.
It threatens our national defense.
And almost no one is worried about it or talking about it.
It’s a crisis of chronic disease in America’s children.
Out of roughly 73 million kids under 18 in America, more than 40% of them — about 30 million — have one or more chronic health conditions according to the CDC.[1]
More than 1 out of every 5 children over the age of 6 in the U.S. is obese. This is more than 270% higher than in the 1970s, when less than 1 in 20 children over 6 were obese.[2]
Even worse, more than 75% of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 are ineligible for military service – primarily due to obesity, poor physical fitness, or mental health challenges.[3]
We spend twice as much per capita on healthcare as other high-income countries, yet the U.S. ranks last in life expectancy among those nations – and has higher rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.[4]
America’s children today suffer higher rates of chronic diseases than any generation in American history – and the trends continue to worsen each year.[5]
What’s driving these grim realities?
It’s something I’ve written and spoken about for over 40 years… and now is becoming recognized.
A recent report by the Make America Healthy Again Commission – a 14-member panel established by Executive Order 14212 on February 13, 2025 – discusses 4 root causes of the childhood chronic disease epidemic in America.
Root Cause #1: The shift in diet to ultra-processed foods.
The MAHA report supplies the following brief summary of the development of the ultra-processed food industry:
“Following World War II, much of Europe and Asia’s agricultural system was destroyed, and the United States responded by increasing its agricultural output through mechanization, synthetic fertilizers, industrial-scale farming, and shelf-stable processing techniques to feed the world.”[6]
“An outgrowth of this shift in food production and resulting abundant food supply was the increased development of ultra-processed foods” — food products that undergo multiple physical and chemical processing steps and contain additives such as flavors, colorants, non-sugar sweeteners, and emulsifiers.[7]
In the 1960s, most food was still cooked at home using whole ingredients. Since then, the production and consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have increased exponentially.
Today, almost 70% of an American child’s calories today come from UPFs[8] – compared to 0% 100 years ago.
UPFs are formulated for long shelf life and are typically high in added sugars, refined grains, chemical additives, saturated fats and sodium, and are low in fiber and essential nutrients.
This modern diet has been linked to a range of chronic diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.[9]
Many UPFs are designed to override the normal sense of feeling satisfied and full, so that kids – and adults – want more.[10]
UPFs also make up over 50% of the diets of pregnant and postpartum mothers.[11]
Research suggests that the additives and nutritional alterations used in the industrial processing of UPFs cause harmful health effects in children.[12]
Root Cause #2: The chemicals in our environment.
More than 86,000 chemicals are registered for use in the U.S., with over 46,000 of them actually in use today.[13]
Children are exposed to thousands of synthetic chemicals through the food they eat, the water they drink, and the air they breathe.
Pesticides, micro-plastics and dioxins are routinely found in the blood of American children and pregnant woman – in some cases at alarming levels.
Children are particularly sensitive and vulnerable to synthetic chemicals during infancy, early childhood and puberty.[14]
Infants and toddlers ingest much more dust than adults. Household dust often contains detectable levels of lead, flame retardants, and residue from pesticides.[15]
According to research, cumulative exposures to some chemicals may be contributing to the increasing rates of chronic childhood diseases.[16][17]
Fluoride was first added to community water supplies in 1945 to combat tooth decay. A recent review of 74 high-quality studies “found a statistically significant association between exposure to fluoride above recommended levels and reduced IQ levels in children.”[18]
For years I’ve warned about fluorides’ dangerous side effects. I’ve been attacked by the American Dental Association and medical establishment.
Finally, states are banning it in our water supply.
Root Cause #3: Behavioral dysfunction in the digital age.
Since the 1980s, “American children have transitioned from an active, play-based childhood to a sedentary, technology-driven lifestyle…”[19]
This timeframe coincides with the introduction of computer video games and the cellphone.
The reduced physical activity of American children today – combined with excessive screen time — contributes to declines in both physical and mental health.
Teens average nearly 9 hours of non-school screen time every day, often leading to loneliness, chronic stress and sleep deprivation.[20]
Sleep deprivation has severe metabolic and physiological consequences:
- Metabolic – Six nights of 4-hour sleep lowers insulin sensitivity and impairs glucose tolerance.[21]
- Physiological – Contributes to insulin resistance by elevating inflammation and oxidative stress.[22]
Chronic stress among teens has surged since 2010 – especially in 2022 when mental distress scores rose sharply.[23]
Chronic stress triggers inflammatory cytokines, which impact obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.[24]
Persistent anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, and even suicidal thoughts are also side effects of spending too much time on social media.
Many psychologists attribute the rise in adolescent mental health issues to increased smartphone use and decreased in-person interactions.[25]
Teens who use social media for 3 hours daily face double the risk of anxiety and depression – and a 2022 meta-analysis showed that each additional hour increases depression risk by 13%, with girls facing nearly four times the risk of boys.[26]
Root Cause #4. The overprescribing of prescription drugs.
Another issue I’ve warned about for years is prescription drug abuse.
The U.S. healthcare system has responded to the increases in chronic diseases and perceived behavioral problems among children by increasing its rate of pharmaceutical drug prescriptions.
This has been a windfall for the pharmaceutical industry, while treating the root causes of diseases have been ignored in favor of only treating symptoms.
Here are a few examples:
- The antidepressant prescription rate for teens rose by 1,400% between 1987 and 2014 even though psychotherapy has been shown to be just as effective in the short term, and potentially more effective in the long term – and without the side effects of the drugs.[27]
- Antipsychotic prescriptions for children increased by 800% between 1993 and 2009, but most of the medications prescribed were not approved by the FDA for treating children with these conditions.[28]
- Prescriptions for ADHD in the U.S. increased by 250% between 2006 and 2016, despite evidence that they didn’t improve long-term outcomes and have side effects.[29]
- Studies have shown that 35% of childhood prescriptions for antibiotics – equivalent to 15 million prescriptions – are unnecessary.[30]
- It has been found that infants given antibiotics in their first 2 years of life are more likely to develop asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, celiac disease, and ADHD.[31]
- Psychiatric drugs given to children are known to cause serious and often dangerous side effects such as seizures, manic episodes, heart arrhythmia, and withdrawal symptoms when the drugs are discontinued.[32]
It has been estimated that approximately one-third of healthcare spending in the U.S. provides no health benefit to the patient.[33]
Compounding the problems of known and potential long-term harms of child overtreatment is a knowledge gap caused by a lack of pediatric-specific drug trials. This is especially true in the area of childhood vaccines.
Since 1986, the number of recommended vaccines on the CDC childhood schedule from birth to one year of age has increased from 3 injections to 29.
Other than the polio vaccine, which was introduced in the 1950s, none of the childhood vaccines given to infants have ever been placebo-tested for safety or for effectiveness.
Also, vaccine side effects are not adequately tracked, which limits if not prohibits, knowledge about possible links between vaccines and chronic diseases.
The MAHA Commission report states, “Our understanding of vaccine safety and any links to chronic disease would benefit from more rigorous clinical trial designs.”
Exacerbating Factors
With 90% of medical costs in the U.S. tied to chronic conditions[34] – and in light of the long term consequences of this health crisis for the future of our country – why are we not hearing a hue and cry from government healthcare agencies for these four industries to be doing something to reduce the tidal wave of chronic diseases?
There are several exacerbating factors. Among them:
(1) The government itself is part of the problem.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – also known as Food Stamps or SNAP – allows parents to purchase junk food for their kids. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Ice cream, carbonated soft drinks, ultra-processed snack food and pastries – all high in sugars, salt and preservatives – contribute to obesity and chronic diseases.
On a state-by-state basis, restrictions can be placed on what may and may not be purchased with Food Stamp funds.
The USDA has approved a plan by Nebraska to ban the purchase of junk food with SNAP benefits.
Hopefully the USDA will issue new dietary guidelines and restrict how SNAP benefits can be used.
(2) Private industry funds the lion’s share of chronic disease research.
Most of the research funds being spent on chronic childhood diseases are supplied by the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries, plus special interest Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and professional associations.
It’s a case of the fox guarding the hen-house. Follow the money.
A British Medical Journal analysis found that the food industry alone spent over $60 billion on drug, biotechnology and device research in nutrition science.[35]
The food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries also spend millions of dollars each year lobbying for laws and regulations that favor their corporate interests and increase their profits.
(3) “Corporate Capture”
The MAHA report defines “corporate capture” as a phenomenon in which “industry interests dominate and distort scientific literature, legislative actions, academic institutions, regulatory agencies, medical journals, physician organizations, clinical guidelines, and the news media.”[36]
Corporate profitability takes precedence over the health of children.
The pharmaceutical industry is the primary driver of corporate capture – controlling all the medical information the public hears – but corporate capture occurs to a lesser extent in the chemical and food industries.
The pharmaceutical industry systematically distorts scientific literature, regulatory processes, clinical practices and public discourse by healthcare agencies – all for the purpose of maximizing profits.
The suppression of alternate viewpoints and treatment protocols during the COVID pandemic is a case in point.
The MAHA report covers in detail, with extensive footnote documentation, how the pharmaceutical industry controls the content of peer-reviewed medical journals, the practices of many medical hospitals, and the curriculum of medical universities.
If you are interested, begin reading on page 65. You can access the report here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/WH-The-MAHA-Report-Assessment.pdf
What do you think? Email me at [email protected]
[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/WH-The-MAHA-Report-Assessment.pdf
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Wang, L., Martínez Steele, E., Du, M., Pomeranz, J. L., O’Connor, L. E., Herrick, K. A., Luo, H., Zhang, X., & Mozaffarian, D. (2021). Trends in consumption of ultraprocessed foods among US youths aged 2–19 years, 1999–2018. JAMA, 326(6), 519–530. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.10238.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Jouanne, K. M., Tinker, S. C., Vannucci, A., Chiu, C.-Y., & Bailey, R. L. (2022). Greater ultra-processed food intake during pregnancy and postpartum is associated with multiple aspects of lower diet quality. Nutrients, 14(20), 4290.
[12] Mescoloto, S. B., Pongiluppi, G., & Domene, S. M. Á. (2024). Ultra-processed food consumption and children and adolescents’ health. Jornal de pediatria, 100 Suppl 1(Suppl 1), S18–S30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2023.09.006.
[13] https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-first-major-update-chemicals-list-40-years
[14] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2015). America’s children and the environment. https://www.epa.gov/americaschildrenenvironment
[15] 1 U.S. EPA. Exposure Factors Handbook 2011 Edition (Final Report). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R09/052F, 2011.
[16] 2 Elcombe, C. S., Evans, Neil P. & and Bellingham, M. (2022) Critical review and analysis of literature on low dose exposure to chemical mixtures in mammalian in vivo systems. Critical Reviews in Toxicology 52, 221–238.
[17] Kassotis, C. D., & Phillips, A. L. (2023). Complex mixtures and multiple stressors: evaluating combined chemical exposures and cumulative toxicity. Toxics, 11(6), 487.
[18] Taylor KW, Eftim SE, Sibrizzi CA, et al. Fluoride Exposure and Children’s IQ Scores: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2025;179(3):282–292. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.5542.
[19] https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/WH-The-MAHA-Report-Assessment.pdf
[20] Anderson, M., Faverio, M., & Park, E. (2024, December 12). Teens, social media and technology 2024. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/.
[21] Spiegel, K., Leproult, R., & Van Cauter, E. (1999). Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. The Lancet, 354(9188), 1435-1439.
[22] Kanagasabai, T., Dhanoa, R., Kuk, J. L., & Ardern, C. I. (2022). Inflammation, oxidative stress, and antioxidant micronutrients as mediators of the relationship between sleep, insulin sensitivity, and glycosylated hemoglobin. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 13, 897784.
[23] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) overview. https://www.cdc.gov[(https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html).
[24] 1 Liu, W., Zhang, Y., & Li, H. (2020). Chronic stress and inflammation: The role of cytokines in metabolic diseases. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 130(10), 5123-5135. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI139553.
[25] Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2019). Media use is linked to lower psychological well-being: Evidence from three datasets. Psychiatric Quarterly, 90(2), 311–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-019-09630-7.
[26] 2 Ivie, E. J., Pettitt, A., Moses, L. J., & Allen, N. B. (2022). A meta-analysis of the association between adolescent social media use and depressive symptoms. Journal of Affective Disorders, 275, 165–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.014
[27] Hetrick, S. E., McKenzie, J. E., Bailey, A. P., Sharma, V., Moller, C. I., Badcock, P. B., … & Meader, N. (2021). New generation antidepressants for depression in children and adolescents: a network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (5).
[28] 7 Alexander, G. C., Gallagher, S. A., Mascola, A., Moloney, R. M., & Stafford, R. S. (2011). Increasing off-label use of antipsychotic medications in the United States, 1995–2008. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 20(2), 177–184.
[29] Jensen, P. S., Arnold, L. E., Swanson, J. M., Vitiello, B., Abikoff, H. B., Greenhill, L. L., … & Hur, K. (2007). 3-year follow-up of the NIMH MTA study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(8), 989–1002. https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e3180686d48.
[30] Fleming-Dutra, K. E., Hersh, A. L., Shapiro, D. J., Bartoces, M., Enns, E. A., File, T. M., Finkelstein, J. A., Gerber, J. S., Hyun, D. Y., Linder, J. A., Lynfield, R., Margolis, D. J., May, L. S., Merenstein, D., Metlay, J. P., Newland, J. G., Piccirillo, J. F., Roberts, R. M., Sanchez, G. V., … Hicks, L. A. (2016). Prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions among US ambulatory care visits, 2010-2011. JAMA, 315(17), 1864- 1873. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.4151.
[31] Aversa, Z., Atkinson, E. J., Schafer, M. J., Theiler, R. N., Rocca, W. A., Blaser, M. J., & LeBrasseur, N. K. (2021, January). Association of infant antibiotic exposure with childhood health outcomes. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 96, No. 1, pp. 66-77). Elsevier.
[32] Solmi, M., Fornaro, M., Ostinelli, E. G., Zangani, C., Croatto, G., Monaco, F., … & Correll, C. U. (2020). Safety of 80 antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti-attention-deficit/hyperactivity medications and mood stabilizers in children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders: a large scale systematic meta-review of 78 adverse effects. World Psychiatry, 19(2), 214-232.
[33] McGinnis, J. M., Stuckhardt, L., Saunders, R., & Smith, M. (Eds.). (2013). Best care at lower cost: the path to continuously learning health care in America. Institute of Medicine.
[34] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, July 12). Fast facts: Health and economic costs of chronic conditions. https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html.
[35] Mozaffarian, D., and N. G. Forouhi. 2018. Dietary guidelines and health—is nutrition science up to the task? BMJ 360:k822. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k822.
[36] https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/WH-The-MAHA-Report-Assessment.pdf, pg. 66.