HHS/USDA appointee to Dietary Guidelines Advisory Cmte has some, um, interesting takes on obesity

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were thrilled to announce the members of their 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, who will be charged with developing the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030.” Isn’t this exciting?

The 2025 Committee will examine the relationship between diet and health across all life stages, and will use a health equity lens across its evidence review to ensure factors such as socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and culture are described and considered to the greatest extent possible based on the information provided in the scientific literature and data. This will help HHS and USDA ensure that the resulting guidance in the Dietary Guidelines is relevant to people with diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. To aid in this process, the Committee members have substantial health equity expertise in human nutrition and experience conducting research with diverse populations.

How fun! Woke dietary guidelines are just what America needs to get healthy. It’s all part of Following The Science™.

And speaking of science, let’s get to know one of the members of the committee, Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, MBA, FAAP, FACP, FAHA, FAMWA, FTOS. That looks like a whole lotta credentials, which is what you’d expect from a physician on the faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. But there’s one pair of letters that seem to be missing from that list: BS.

Because this is BS, guys:

Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford appointed to DGA committee, responsible to tell American’s how to eat… herself doesn’t even believe nutrition or sleep has anything to do with obesity

“Its the genes”

🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/Db6dltXJix

— DoctorTro (@DoctorTro) January 23, 2023

Dr. Stanford is a highly sought-after expert on obesity, by the way. She’s dedicated her career to understanding it and addressing it, and apparently it’s all just been one colossal waste of time.

This is the person who’s going to be setting dietary guidelines. Idk how anyone takes health advice from the government seriously

pic.twitter.com/ppyuLKqsxD

— Nick Diller (@_Nick_Diller) January 23, 2023

Is there a genetic component to obesity? Sure, in some cases. But to suggest that genetics trump diet and exercise habits is ludicrous on its face and even more insane once you factor in science. We understand that Dr. Cody is trying to destigmatize obesity, but she’s doing so by attempting to take the onus off the obese person and blaming their genes for their condition. Sorry, but if you’re eating a bucket of KFC for breakfast every day and chasing it with three bags of pork rinds, that’s on you; not your genes.

And it’s not only disturbing that someone with so much education can be in such denial of reality, but it’s pretty terrifying that someone like that has been charged by the government with deciding what’s good for Americans’ health.

Saw your 60 Minutes clip calling obesity a “disease” and saying it’s majority genetics.

Shame on you, and pity the millions of children you are going to harm.

— Kevin Burch | Elite Parenting 🇬🇧 (@kevinburch) January 23, 2023

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