The Congressional "American Health and Nutrition Roundtable" was an egregious display of anti-science disinformation
The Congressional "American Health and Nutrition Roundtable" was an egregious display of anti-science disinformation
Legislators propagating pseudoscience from influencers claiming to advocating for health is an insulting distraction from the REAL issues that affect people's health.
Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin.
But for those who aren’t aware, Ron Johnson, GOP Senator for Wisconsin, used our taxpayer dollars to host an event where he claimed a panel of “experts will provide a foundational and historical understanding of the changes that have occurred over the last century within public sanitation, agriculture, food processing, and healthcare industries which impact the current state of national health.”
The problem? Well, there are many. But let’s start with the fact that:
1) none of the panelists have the qualifications to do what was stated
2) the selected “nonpartisan individuals” are notorious anti-science disinformation purveyors
3) they all profit off peddling said disinformation.
What ensued on Monday September 23, 2024 was a disgusting display of wellness snake oil peddling, anti-science disinformation, chemophobia, lies, and platforming of wholly unqualified individuals who should have no platform whatsoever, much less a televised presence at our Congress.
The event was an amalgamation of all of the the things wrong with how our society currently functions: the exploitative and unregulated wellness industry, lack of science literacy, conflating notoriety for expertise, the social media ecosystem, and the rejection of science when crafting laws and policy.
The biggest irony of all? These individuals don’t actually care about national health. If they did, this would have been a discussion of the actual things that impact health the most. Instead, this was hours of lies and distractions, exploiting the risk perception gap (discussed here).
None of the panelists have relevant expertise or are remotely qualified to speak on the supposed topics.
Who did Ron Johnson include in this group of supposed experts in the historical and current topics in public sanitation, agriculture, food processing, and healthcare?
Surely toxicologists, molecular biologists, food scientists, regulatory experts, plant biologists, chemists, biomedical scientists, farming experts, microbiologists, dietitians, nutrition scientists, medical historians, and epidemiologists?
NOPE. Not even a little bit.
Here is the line-up:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: he is one of the most virulent anti-science voices of the modern era. I’ve written about him at length (here), including his history of chemophobia, frivolous lawsuits, unfounded claims about illness and causes of disease, anti-vaccine rhetoric, and more. He believes that AIDS is caused by poppers (amyl nitrate), denies that viruses are real, claims water treatment turns people trans, Wi-Fi causes “leaky brain”, that mass shootings are because of anti-depressant use, genetic engineering is causing cancer, and more. He has zero credentials, expertise, or training that would qualify him to speak on health topics, but he rakes in millions of dollars every year propagating disinformation.
Jordan Peterson: he is a psychologist from Canada. So, he isn’t involved in the American Health and Nutrition landscape, he isn’t a biomedical scientist, he isn’t a clinical nutrition expert. He has zero business being involved in this. He is known for advocating for the carnivore diet, promoting anti-vaccine rhetoric, and claiming that people get physically dependent on sugar.
Mikhaila Fuller: Jordan Peterson’s daughter who has zero relevant credentials, training, or expertise. Aside from getting a Bachelor’s degree in biology, she has NO knowledge about any science, health, or nutrition topics. Her claim to fame is 1) being Jordan Peterson’s daughter, 2) hyping up a ridiculous diet called “The Lion Diet,” essentially a carnivore diet that she claims cures autoimmune disease and psychological disorders, and 3) having a podcast which is sponsored by - you got it! - lots of supplement and wellness companies. During this session, among other things, Mikhaila claimed that leaky gut is real (it isn’t, read details here), and that autoimmune diets are legit (they aren’t, read details here). She also promotes the notion of chronic Lyme, toxic mold, and a myriad of other pseudoscience diagnoses.
Casey Means: a woman who got her MD at Stanford, started a fellowship in head and neck surgery, then left before she completed residency. She started Levels, a wellness company that sells continuous glucose monitors and pseudoscience about blood sugar. Levels is endorsed by all of the pseudoscience MDs from the fraudulent individuals touting the autoimmune diet, to those waging a war on sugar like Mark Hyman and Robert Lustig, to anti-vaxxer protege and “hack your hormones with supplements” peddlers Sara Gottfried. Casey is not a board-certified medical provider, she is not a scientist, she does not have relevant training in metabolism and nutrition, yet wrote a book called “Good Energy” where she makes unfounded claims about hacking your metabolism.
Calley Means: Casey Means’ brother who founded a company called TrueMed, which checks ALL the unregulated wellness industry boxes in the products it sells. It has an extensive catalog of dietary supplements, all of which are unregulated, most of which are “boutique” brands that have quite the influence in the podcast advertising space, many that have proprietary blends that are not only ineffective but can be harmful.
Vani Hari: also known as “The Food Babe,” she has zero scientific training or expertise, but has created a long and lucrative career of bastardizing basic scientific concepts, not understanding science fundamentals, and vilifying perfectly safe and nutritious foods. She is nothing more than a shill and a fraud that profits off exploiting people’s health anxieties (more on her to come, though). Oh, and she sells a ton of unregulated dietary supplements, along with her other unproven wellness products.
Max Lugavere: this guy is nothing more than a podcasting bro. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Psychology - the end. But he wrote some books - where he makes dietary prescriptions for people based on zero evidence, zero expertise, and zero credentials. And he’s leveraged that into a lucrative podcast career: sponsored by - yes, you’ve got the hang of this now - many supplement and unregulated wellness products.
Courtney Swan: claims to be a nutritionist but as we know, nutritionist is not a regulated term. Hell, I can call myself one, right now!
She has a degree from Maryland University of Integrative Health, which, if that sounds sus, it’s because it is. This school offers degrees in pseudoscience: acupuncture, herbalism, “integrative nutrition,” even ayurveda. She founded Realfoodology, where she promotes misinformation about nutrition, pseudoscience about food safety, echoes the EWG Dirty Dozen talking points (read here), and yes, sells supplements! Ironically, she is also promoting the same water purifier that Max Lugavere is an affiliate of. Courtney has no dietitian credentials, no nutrition scientist training, and no expertise in how food is produced and regulated.
Marty Makary: after COVID-19, he may need no introduction, but he’s a gastrointestinal surgeon, not a dietitian, not a scientist. He’s also the guy that fabricated data to claim that medical errors were the third-leading cause of death (they’re not), and wrote a book that profits off the same myths. He has invested a lot of time and energy into eroding evidence-based medicine and trust in healthcare and regulatory oversight, including during the pandemic where he spread misinformation about the public health impact of COVID-19 and the safety and benefit of vaccines.
Makary gave a big spiel during on how “pancreatic cancer rates have doubled in the last 20 years”, an objectively false statement. Perhaps he doesn’t understand math? Honestly, couldn’t even tell you, but considering he fabricated other data, nothing surprises. But here are the real data:
In 1992, the rate of new pancreatic cancer cases was 11.1 per 100,000 people. In 2021, thirty years later, the rate was 13.2 cases per 100,000 people.
Alex Clark: not a “nonpartisan” panelist at all, but a contributor to Turning Point USA. Turning Point USA is a radical rightwing organization founded by Charlie Kirk. She has zero education, training, or expertise in anything science or health related.
Jason Karp: not a scientist, regulatory, or health professional, but a former hedge fund manader. He co-founded Hu Chocolate, a paleo chocolate company, which sold to (irony!!) Mondelez for $340M in 2021. He then founded another company, HumanCo, which owns several frozen (processed) foods companies under that umbrella. Weird how processed is only a bad thing when it’s companies they don’t have vested interests in, huh?
Brigham Buhler: he has zero scientific expertise or healthcare experience. He founded the wellness company Ways2Well that sells unregulated and unapproved health testing, supplements, and more. Everything from “peptide therapies”, IV supplements, unapproved cell therapies, and blood tests. There’s an app where they diagnose “deficiencies” and prescribe alterations in your lifestyle. Technically, this is illegal as wellness companies cannot make medical claims or prescribe - if they do, that means their products are subject to FDA regulation. Should someone tell him?
Ironically, he also founded a company called ReviveRx, a mail order compounding pharmacy. Are you surprised that ReviveRx had a class I recall by the FDA earlier this year? 751 units of what were labeled as tirzepatide were testosterone cypionate - and shipped out to people around the country! Wild, right?
A Class 1 recall by the FDA is the most serious; it means the product could cause serious health issues or death. Which makes sense, when you’re sending compounded testosterone products to people thinking they are receiving compounded GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist for type 2 diabetes management (GLP-1 = glucagon-like peptide-1, GIP = glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide).
It gets better! ReviveRx has ALSO been warned by the FDA for poor manufacturing conditions and issues with quality. In 2022, FDA sent an FDA Form 483 because of multiple violations, including blocked ventilation, lack of proper sterile technique, open beakers and contamination issues, not using pharmaceutical grade reagents, and more. ReviveRx is also selling non-FDA approved biological products, including human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) that they manufactured. That product was ALSO mislabeled.
But yes, this guy should definitely be included in a discussion on health and science.
Jillian Michaels: a fitness personality, specifically, an aerobics instructor and trainer on the Biggest Loser. That’s her claim to fame. She now platforms an array of pseudoscience beliefs and people who promote misinformation.
Chris Palmer: a psychiatrist who is a keto diet fanatic, much like Paul Saladino “CarnivoreMD”. Chris claims diet can cure mental health issues, denigrates pharmacological interventions, claims randomized controlled trials for lifestyle interventions are impossible to conduct (clearly, he’s never done clinical research), and really wants to “hack” mitochondrial health. I’m sure it’s no surprise that he was also a guest on Huberman’s podcast, and wrote a book called “Brain Energy” which promotes these same things.
Grace Price: an 18-year old who claims to be “self teaching” about epigenetics and cancer. She created a “documentary” about how cancer is caused by food. Obviously, she is not qualified, either. (Side note: epigenetics and cancer are two of the most complex topics in biomedical science - and I say that as someone who has been working and studying in the field for over a decade and a half).
These are not people who are experts in anything related to “changes that have occurred over the last century within public sanitation, agriculture, food processing, and healthcare industries which impact the current state of national health.”
Who would be appropriate experts?
Scientists: toxicologists, molecular biologists, food scientists, food safety experts, regulatory scientists, plant biologists, chemists, biomedical scientists, agricultural scientists, environmental health scientists, microbiologists, nutrition scientists, epidemiologists.
Clinical providers: credentialed and accredited dietitians, obesity specialists, endocrinologists, internal medicine providers?
Other: medical historians, supply chain experts, anthropologists, hell, even an economist would be useful.
Nope, none of those! Just a panel of people with financial motivation to undermine evidence-based science and our regulatory organizations.
The panel spent 4 1/2 hours spewing pseudoscience, exaggerations, and in many cases, outright lies.
They claim to care about “health”, yet focused on performative topics, to distract from the ACTUAL things that we should be focusing on. If they cared about health:
Why was there no discussion on equitable and affordable national healthcare for all? Ron Johnson opposes the Affordable Care Act and has voted to repeal or defund it. He also opposes expanding Medicaid, which provides healthcare for lower income people.
Why was there no discussion on addressing housing instability and affordable housing for all? Ron Johnson opposes federal funding for public housing or Section 8 vouchers.
Why was there no discussion on addressing food deserts and stable food supply? Ron Johnson wants to restrict eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). He also opposes expanding unemployment benefits and wants to cut federal supports to alleviate poverty.
Why was there no discussion on funding for FDA to increase food production safety assessment? Ron Johnson wants to deregulate agencies that oversee quality of food production facilities. Without federal inspection, foodborne illness will be more common.
Instead, they demonized vaccines, medical interventions that improve our health and save millions of lives every year. Because of vaccines, we have increased life expectancy and no longer die primarily of acute illnesses.
Instead, they demonized “ultra processed foods” and blamed them for chronic illnesses, a claim that is not supported by causal evidence. They conflate correlation with causation, and suggest that these foods are inherently harmful, instead of the confounding factor as it relates to overall lifestyle (diet patterns, exercise, access to healthcare, discussed here). They made no mention of the fact that illnesses that occur as we age like cancers and neurodegenerative disorders are a result of us living longer - and we live longer now BECAUSE of things like vaccines.
They vilified processed foods while selling processed supplements and their own processed foods: protein bars, snacks, frozen foods. But processed is only bad when it serves your personal interests. They claim they want people to eat whole foods, but you gotta make sure to combine them with their supplement stacks!
They vilified “processed foods” while omitting ANY nuance on what food processing mean. Processing is not linearly related to food quality. Processing methods can improve food access for many, especially those of lower socioeconomic status. This is a position that reeks of affluence and privilege. Read more below:
They undermined safe, nutritious, and more affordable foods.
They vilified genetic technologies, though GE crops allow us to improve stability of food supplies, reduce pesticide use, and increase yield while reducing costs. If they cared about health, wouldn’t they want everyone to access affordable, safe, and nutritious foods?
They vilified conventional produce and claimed “toxic pesticides” are causing a myriad of health issues, while ignoring that organic farming uses pesticides and organic foods are not healthier or more nutritious, just more expensive. If they cared about reducing the consumption of “processed foods”, wouldn’t they want to reassure about the safety of produce and encourage people to eat more veggies and fruits, no matter which type you can afford?
No, only their non-GMO, organic, gluten-free, keto certified, [insert other marketing labels slapped on to upcharge customers] are good enough. Otherwise, they must scare people about objectively safe foods using buzzwords and lies.
Panelists demonized “Big Pharma” & “Big Food” while making money from “Big Wellness” & “Big Organic Food”.
The hypocrisy of these people claiming that evidence-based medicine and “the food industry” (but not the organic food industry) is evil and for-profit while hawking unproven, untested, and unregulated modern day snake oil is truly astounding.
Every one of the panelists DIRECTLY profits from the $5.6 TRILLION global wellness industry, an industry with almost no oversight.
Vani Hari has Truvani, Calley Means his TrueMed catalog of wellness pseudoscience, Max Lugavere has an array of sponsors and affiliates… the list goes on.
Why doesn’t the wellness industry have oversight?
Because Congress was lobbied by people very similar to those on this panel several decades ago. The 1994 Dietary and Supplement Health and Education Act was created to remove regulatory oversight on supplements from the FDA. This to drive growth of the wellness industry, so companies could sell products without needing to demonstrate safety, efficacy, or quality (and those politicians had financial stake in this). The wellness industry is not concerned about people’s health. It is concerned about making money. And these panelists are integral parts of that very lucrative, very anti-science industry.
But in order to get people to buy into that industry and help them profit more, they need to erode trust in evidence-based medicine and scientific rigor that should shape our society. That was their goal on Monday.
This grotesque display is an insult to legitimate scientists, healthcare professionals, and members of the public who actually care about factual information.
It is an insult to everyone who paid taxes that funded this clown show. Platforming pseudoscience, chemophobia, and disinformation will continue to erode science literacy, public health, and our ability to actually live safe and healthy lives. Ron Johnson, Congress, and everyone that enabled this should be ashamed.
Science disinformation is a global health threat. It must be combatted.
Thank you for supporting evidence-based science communication. With outbreaks of preventable diseases, refusal of evidence-based medical interventions, propagation of pseudoscience by prominent public “personalities”, it’s needed now more than ever.
Stay skeptical,
Andrea
“ImmunoLogic” is written by Dr. Andrea Love, PhD - immunologist and microbiologist. She works full-time in life sciences biotech and has had a lifelong passion for closing the science literacy gap and combating pseudoscience and health misinformation as far back as her childhood. This newsletter and her science communication on her social media pages are born from that passion. Follow on Instagram, Threads, Twitter, and Facebook, or support the newsletter by subscribing below:
😮No words. Thank you!
Sad state of affairs. Thanks for calling out this sham panel (snakeoil salesmen) - you summarized it well.