Doctors warn of 'trifecta' of chronic illnesses plaguing Americans after MAHA report
Chronic diseases have long been plaguing Americans, which HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called an "epidemic."
The MAHA Commission, which Kennedy chairs, released a report on Thursday assessing chronic diseases, particularly pertaining to children.
An estimated 133 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic illness, according to the American Hospital Association.
"The report shines a necessary spotlight on a crisis that has long been ignored: skyrocketing rates of obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disease, developmental issues and mental health challenges," Kelly McKenna, CEO of the coalition End Chronic Disease, who was at the White House for the release, told Fox News Digital.
"Americans are living shorter, sicker lives despite record healthcare spending that exceeds that of other developed nations by orders of magnitude," she said. "The MAHA agenda confronts that disconnect head-on."
McKenna added, "With Americans increasingly aware of the role that factors such as ultraprocessed foods, environmental toxins, stress, trauma and poor sleep play in chronic disease, the demand for action transcends partisanship."
Andy Tanner, D.O., a family medicine physician in West Virginia, said he's seeing more chronic illnesses in patients, noting that his state is the "oldest and fattest in the country." He was also at the White House on Thursday.
"The big things we see a lot are diabetes, hypertension and obesity, kind of 'the trifecta,’" he told Fox News Digital.
Some 38.4 million Americans had diabetes in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with excess sugar causing the common symptoms of fatigue, blurry vision, hunger and thirst.
Tanner works with his diabetic patients to change their diets and improve their blood sugar levels.
"[But the] sad thing is, we're just surrounded by bad food," he said. "It's hard to make good choices of what we eat, and we're all guilty of it."
Many people think of diabetes as being just a "sugar disease," he pointed out, but it can become a vascular issue as it progresses, often leading to coronary disease or stroke.
The doctor noted that he is seeing "younger and younger" patients with diabetes.
Over 350,000 children have been diagnosed with the disease, and its prevalence among teens is more than one in four, according to the MAHA report.
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Given its association with "bad food," diabetes goes "hand in hand" with obesity, according to Tanner.
The MAHA report linked rising obesity rates with the consumption of ultraprocessed foods — which comprise nearly 70% of American children's calorie consumption.
Tanner said obesity can lead to the diagnosis of other chronic illnesses, including hypertension (high blood pressure).
"Sometimes people with hypertension come in and report fatigue, headaches, sometimes blurred vision, sometimes with their blood pressure very high," he told Fox News Digital. "They can have some very serious symptoms of stroke or heart attack."
Hypertension is known as the "silent killer," Tanner said, because many people don't know they have the condition.
In most cases, resolving chronic illnesses starts with getting regular physical activity and eating the right foods, Tanner said.
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"Diet and exercise are so important," he said. "Those are such easy things for physicians to prescribe, but it's much harder for patients to accomplish."
He added, "[It’s] sometimes difficult to come home and prepare a good, healthy meal, and it's easier to reach for things that are not healthy."
Psychiatrist Daniel Amen, M.D., CEO of BrainMD in Los Angeles, was also in attendance during the MAHA report announcement.
"Chronic illness devastates mental health," Amen told Fox News Digital. "It increases stress hormones that damage the brain, disrupts sleep (which turns off 700 health-promoting genes), and increases inflammation, which can lead to anxiety and depression," he cautioned.
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"If our bodies aren’t healthy, our brains will never be."
When it comes to diet, Amen suggested, "Only choose foods you love that love you back and are good for your brain."
McKenna noted that the MAHA Commission’s findings "affirm preventative solutions."
"Better nutrition, cleaner food systems, and systematic transparency — as well as innovation — are not just possible, but urgently necessary to protect the health of our children and the future of the nation," she added.