RFK Jr, who doesn’t have a medical degree, says he can diagnose children just by just looking at them
Kennedy has often raised concerns about the increasing juvenile diabetes and autism rates
Ariana Baio in New York
Thursday 28 August 2025
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asserted, on Wednesday, that he could tell when a child is dealing with “mitochondrial challenges” or “inflammation” by just looking at them.
Lamenting about the health of America’s youth, Kennedy, who does not hold a medical degree, espoused misinformation about juvenile diabetes and autism rates while claiming he can look at a child and determine they are sick.
“I know what a healthy child is supposed to look like,” Kennedy said during a press briefing with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who signed a Make America Healthy Again bill on Wednesday.
“I’m looking at kids while I walk through the airports today, as I walk down the street, and I see these kids that are just overburdened with mitochondrial challenges, inflammation, you can tell it from their faces, from their body movement, and from their lack of social connection,” Kennedy continued.
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But the HHS secretary, who has a long history of spreading misinformation about health, also used incorrect statistics to raise alarm about childhood diabetes and autism.
“I came from a big family. I have seven kids, I had 11 brothers and sisters, I had about 70 first cousins, and I never saw anyone with diabetes, never knew anyone with a food allergy, never knew anyone with autism,” Kennedy said – repeating a common anecdote he uses.
Kennedy went on to claim that 38 percent of teenagers are “diabetic or pre-diabetic” – however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Diabetes Association found that 0.35 percent of people under 20 years old are diabetic.
Independent UK |
