RFK Jr Sparks Outrage After Urging Americans To Eat More Saturated Fats, Health Experts Sound Alarm

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Health experts are raising red flags after Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to issue new federal guidance encouraging Americans to eat more saturated fats. The move directly contradicts decades of dietary advice warning against high consumption of these fats, which are linked to heart disease.

According to The Hill, Kennedy has indicated that the new guidelines will “stress the need to eat saturated fats of dairy, of good meat, of fresh meat and vegetables.” He added that these recommendations will shape how nutrition is taught in schools and may influence federal food programs.

The proposal represents a dramatic shift from current dietary standards, which recommend limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total daily calories.

Experts Express Concern

“This recommendation around saturated fat has been one of the most consistent since the first edition of the dietary guidelines,” said Cheryl Anderson, a board member of the American Heart Association and a professor at the University of California, San Diego.

Anderson said she was shocked to hear about Kennedy’s potential move. “My response was to stay calm and see what happens,” she explained. “There was no clear reasoning given for why or how this change would occur.”

Anderson warned that increasing saturated fat consumption could raise cholesterol levels across the population and lead to more cases of cardiovascular disease. “The more saturated fat that’s consumed, the higher the risk for elevated cholesterol and heart problems,” she said.

Mixed Views from Researchers

Not all scientists fully oppose Kennedy’s statements, but most caution against his approach. Ronald Krauss, a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, has studied fats for years. He said that while saturated fats may not be as dangerous as once thought, promoting higher intake sends “the wrong message.”

“If [Kennedy] is actually going to go out and say we should be eating more saturated fat, I think that’s really the wrong message,” Krauss said.

Krauss’s research suggests that saturated fat is “relatively neutral” in its health effects—neither as harmful as once believed nor as beneficial as Kennedy’s comments suggest. He noted that the impact depends largely on what replaces it in the diet.

“Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats like olive oil can improve heart health,” Krauss explained. “But replacing them with sugars and refined carbs can actually make things worse.”

Both Krauss and Anderson agree that Americans already consume too much saturated fat. The difference, Anderson said, lies in how to guide the public. “When you look at the American diet today, there’s too much saturated fat in it,” she said. “It’s not having a neutral effect on our population.”

A Break from Tradition

Nutrition experts are also alarmed at how Kennedy’s plan is being developed. Dietary guidelines are usually the result of years of research and review by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which updates national nutrition standards every five years.

Anderson said the next version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans covering 2025 through 2030 has not yet been released. “It’s not normal for an HHS secretary to make such changes independently,” she noted.

Krauss believes the scientific process is being undermined. “It appears that the official report is being overruled,” he said. “If Kennedy pushes this through, it could immediately affect school lunches and military rations.”

Currently, both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend that no more than 10% of total daily calories come from saturated fats. Kennedy’s proposal could increase that limit to 18% or 19%, a move Krauss said could “raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.”

A Divided Response

Kennedy’s supporters argue that he is challenging outdated science and encouraging Americans to eat more “natural foods.” But critics say he is misrepresenting research to promote a politically charged agenda.

“The guy is looking at evidence in a very cherry-picking kind of way,” Krauss said. “There are parts of his argument that sound reasonable, but they’re mixed with claims that simply aren’t supported by science.”

Experts say any shift in the government’s dietary advice could reshape national food policies and public health outcomes for years. For now, nutrition scientists are urging caution and calling for the administration to rely on long-standing evidence rather than political ideology.

Joseph Johnson

They say not everyone has the gift of gab to be able to talk about politics in the correct light - but Joseph is the perfect mix between a healthy critic, and a realist cynic. His unique personality works wonders at political discussions which are bound to cause a stir. He is an intellectual with many years of experience in the field, and his work is a reflection of his dedication to making political scenarios common knowledge among the citizens of the nation.