Health Secretary RFK Jr.’s Diet Claims Draw Scientific Criticism

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been making bold claims about diet's ability to cure serious mental illnesses and diabetes, but researchers say he's overstating the science. Medical experts worry his statements could lead patients to abandon proven treatments in favor of dietary changes alone.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving as the nation’s health secretary in the Trump administration, has been making sweeping statements about nutrition’s power to treat serious medical conditions as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.

Beyond his basic message encouraging Americans to “eat real food” for disease prevention, Kennedy has made more dramatic assertions during recent public appearances. He has stated that dietary changes can “cure” conditions like schizophrenia and diabetes, and claimed people can eliminate bipolar disorder diagnoses through nutrition alone. Medical researchers are pushing back, saying these statements go far beyond what current scientific evidence supports.

“Food is medicine, and you can heal yourself with a good diet,” Kennedy declared during an appearance on comedian Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast in February.

While Kennedy’s emphasis on nutrition’s health benefits has gained some bipartisan backing, public health experts are concerned about his tendency to misinterpret scientific studies. They argue this pattern mirrors his controversial approach to vaccine research, which has drawn criticism from medical professionals.

Kayla Hancock, who leads a public health initiative at the advocacy organization Protect Our Care, characterized Kennedy’s approach as “incredibly careless and irresponsible” when discussing health matters.

Dr. Theresa Miskimen Rivera, who heads the American Psychiatric Association, expressed concern that Kennedy’s language might encourage patients to abandon proven medical treatments in favor of dietary interventions alone.

“The concern always is that people can have hope and they might interpret that as, ‘Well, I don’t need medication. I do not need treatment. I just need to follow the diet,'” Rivera explained.

During a February address at Tennessee’s state capitol, Kennedy referenced research by Dr. Christopher Palmer, a Harvard Medical School scientist who documented two schizophrenia patients experiencing symptom improvement while following a ketogenic diet high in fats and low in carbohydrates.

Kennedy claimed that Palmer had “cured schizophrenia using keto diets.”

Palmer has disputed this characterization, telling The Associated Press that “as much as I wish we had cures for mental illness or other chronic diseases, it is important that we use more precise language.” Palmer said he prefers using the term “remission” rather than “cure.”

In the same Tennessee speech and later during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Kennedy mentioned research “where people lose their bipolar diagnosis by changing their diet.” He also claimed “there’s a big paper about to come out” demonstrating these results.

Kennedy’s representative Andrew Nixon said these statements were based on “a growing body of research,” including a UCLA study examining ketogenic diet effects on teenagers with bipolar disorder.

However, that UCLA research is still enrolling participants and won’t conclude until March 2027, according to federal records. Any published results would come months later.

Rivera emphasized that Kennedy’s assertions overstate existing evidence. She noted that studies examining ketogenic diets’ impact on mental health have been limited in scope, often lacking control groups for comparison.

“At this point, it’s premature. We cannot draw definitive conclusions,” Rivera stated. “There is not enough evidence to recommend a specific diet or as a standalone, without medication such as antipsychotics or mood stabilizers.”

Palmer acknowledged that research into dietary interventions for psychiatric conditions is expanding, with 20 controlled clinical trials currently investigating ketogenic diets for severe mental illness. Results from two studies are expected within the year.

While Palmer expressed enthusiasm about diet as a potential therapy for serious psychiatric disorders, he stressed the importance of medical supervision.

“I want to implore patients: Please do not stop your medications on your own,” he urged. “Please do not even try a ketogenic diet on your own as a treatment for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.”

Kennedy’s podcast statement that “most diabetes can be cured through diet” has also faced scrutiny from medical professionals.

Dr. Willa Hsueh, an endocrinologist and researcher at Ohio State University, explained that Type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune condition, cannot be treated through diet alone. While proper nutrition and exercise are crucial for managing Type 2 diabetes, she said using these methods alone to reverse the condition is challenging.

“The secretary is not wrong that it can work,” Hsueh acknowledged. “But it’s not common for people to cure themselves … by diet alone.”

Some medical experts have supported Kennedy’s diabetes claims. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist who directs the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, said proper nutrition could help “most individuals” with Type 2 diabetes reduce blood sugar levels, reverse symptoms, and potentially eliminate their need for medication.

“Whether you consider that a cure or remission, that’s medical speak, right?” Mozaffarian noted.

While acknowledging that Kennedy isn’t “always perfectly precise in the terminology and there could be risks to that,” Mozaffarian said he appreciates the high-level attention being given to diet’s role in managing chronic diseases.

“I’d rather exaggerate and get some attention and action than keep doing what we’re doing, which is have millions of Americans suffering from diet-related diseases,” Mozaffarian said.

Mark Gorton, who leads the Kennedy-affiliated MAHA Institute, said nutrition has been “an incredibly overlooked area in our medical system for decades,” though he wasn’t familiar with the specific studies Kennedy mentioned.

“I think to the extent that it is possible, we should be prioritizing focusing on diet and getting back to living healthy rather than taking sick people and medicating them forever, which is the current way our system works,” Gorton explained.

Kody Green, a mental health advocate living with schizophrenia, expressed support for healthy eating while emphasizing his need for psychiatric medications. He worried that Kennedy’s statements might discourage schizophrenia patients from trying treatments that already face stigma.

“For some people, maybe food can help with the issues they have, but schizophrenia is a very serious mental illness,” Green said. “Until further research is done, making claims like that can be really dangerous to people in my community.”