By Ananya Swaroop
Boston University News Service
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has often landed himself in the limelight for his health-related statements. Recently, the health and human services secretary made it to the headlines after he claimed that a popular weight loss diet could cure psychiatric conditions.
On Feb. 4, Kennedy attended an event in Tennessee where he highlighted the work of a Harvard doctor. The health secretary claimed that the doctor has “cured schizophrenia using keto diets.” He further added that there was extensive research that showed that people living with bipolar disorder can get better if they change their diet.
“We now know that the things that you eat are driving mental illness in this country,” he told the crowd. “There are studies right now that I saw two days ago where people lose their bipolar diagnosis by changing their diet,” Kennedy added.
The health secretary was referring to a 2019 study done by Harvard’s Dr. Christopher Palmer. The study suggested that “two patients with longstanding schizophrenia experienced complete remission of symptoms with the ketogenic diet.” MAHA Action, Kennedy’s advocacy group that promotes his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, also posted these claims on social media.
Reacting to the news, Harvard Medical School assistant professor Christopher M. Palmer told The Crimson that his research never defined keto diets as an antidote for schizophrenia. “It’s unfortunate that he used the word cure,” Palmer said. “If he had simply said powerful treatment, it would have been spot on.”
Last year, Palmer had also worked on a new study that reviewed the evidence if ketogenic diets could aid treatment for schizophrenia. The study established that some people on a keto diet may experience improvement in certain symptoms of the disorder, while others might not.
A ketogenic diet “involves consuming a very low amount of carbohydrates and replacing them with fat to help your body burn fat for energy. Health benefits can include weight loss and lowering your risk for certain diseases,” as described by Healthline.
Palmer said if a person goes on such a diet based on Kennedy’s claims, it could pose a huge risk. “In the worst case scenario, a patient might hear ‘Oh, I can cure my schizophrenia with a keto diet,’ and does that mean I can stop all my meds?” he said. “That would be catastrophic.”
Kennedy’s policies have often endangered the credibility of the American vaccine system. The health secretary’s claims about keto diets have broadened the debate about his approach to health care policies. After he took office, many centers that were working to prevent future pandemics were shut down by him. At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he canceled studies on mRNA vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. He also appointed David Geier, an anti-vaccine activist, to take charge of an investigation into whether vaccines cause autism.
Palmer told The Crimson that this highlights the tendency to sensationalize scientific research. “I think there is a tendency and inclination to sensationalize everything – politics, research, healthcare, civil liberties, all sorts of things,” the professor stated. “I actually think it’s heartbreaking, because when people are polarized, they’re fighting, they’re not working together.”
