RFK Jr. touts IHS funding at tribal conference while spreading false claims about diabetes [View all]

Source: Arizona Mirror

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a crowd of Native American leaders on Wednesday that cutting out “ultra-processed” foods would reverse high rates of diabetes within their communities.

Joined on stage by his new upside-down food pyramid at Gila River Indian Community’s Wild Horse Pass Casino, Kennedy mentioned the high incidences of Type 2 diabetes within Arizona’s Indigenous communities.

“Type 2 diabetes is curable,” he said. “You can reverse the diagnosis by changing the food source.”

But that isn’t true. Studies have shown that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods is correlated with increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, and while cutting consumption of those foods can help with management of symptoms, it will not “cure” the disease.

Read more: https://azmirror.com/2026/04/08/rfk-jr-touts-ihs-funding-at-tribal-conference-while-spreading-false-claims-about-diabetes/