Overview
- Kennedy told a crowd at the Tennessee State Capitol that a Harvard doctor had cured schizophrenia using ketogenic diets and said food is driving mental illness.
- Columbia psychiatrists Paul S. Appelbaum and Mark Olfson said there is no credible evidence for a cure, noting only very preliminary findings that the diet might help some patients.
- Kennedy pointed to a 2019 report by Dr. Christopher Palmer describing two remission cases, which experts characterize as hypothesis‑generating case reports rather than proof.
- An allied advocacy group, MAHA Action, amplified the claim on social media, then removed its post after The New York Times requested evidence; HHS did not provide supporting data in the coverage.
- The remarks came as Kennedy promotes an overhaul of federal dietary guidelines emphasizing protein and fats, a push that follows past controversies over his medical claims and public health actions.