Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports expanded dietary recommendations for dairy products

WASHINGTON - U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is shaking up the nutritional landscape by publicly supporting expanded dietary recommendations for dairy products, raising eyebrows across the medical community.

In a news conference on Monday, Kennedy said he believes dairy deserves a larger role in the nation’s diet.

"I grew up in a world where milk was the healthiest thing that you could eat," Kennedy said, adding new research suggests protein and healthy fats should be more prominent in American diets. "There’s a tremendous amount of emerging science that talks about the need for more protein in our diet and more fats in our diet. And there’s no industry that does that better than this industry."

But Kennedy’s statements clash with guidance from public health authorities. The greater medical community, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), continues to advise adults to limit saturated fat, widely present in full-fat dairy, due to its links to heart disease.

While dairy has long been a dietary staple in American homes, scientific opinion has shifted over the decades. Many nutrition experts now advise moderation, particularly when it comes to high-fat dairy products.

"It’s become a lot clearer that saturated fats play a really large role in developing cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Thomas Unnasch, emeritus professor of global health at USF.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, however, is backing Kennedy’s push, saying, "We are going to have dietary guidelines that are based on science, not based on medical dogma."

The conversation has also veered into controversial territory surrounding raw milk, which is unpasteurized and banned for human consumption in many states, including Florida.

Kennedy, who has previously appeared in a video drinking raw milk with at least one popular social media doctor, has signaled openness to its alleged health benefits.

Other public health officials have cautioned against this move.

"There are a lot of pathogenic bacteria that are present in raw milk," said Unnasch. "Pregnant women, children, and immunosuppressed individuals could die suddenly from a contaminated batch."

Unnasch notes that pasteurization, which is a heating process to kill harmful bacteria, only affects Vitamin C content, meaning the nutritional difference between raw and store-bought milk is minimal.

As federal agencies prepare to revise official dietary guidelines, Kennedy’s comments may influence how dairy is positioned in public health messaging.

Some health experts, however, said Americans should be cautious before changing their diets.