Bringing the science back to MAHA: Spinning viral health trends into evidence-based recommendations for patients
Industry Buzz
If a trend aligns with basic principles that have withstood the test of time, like lots of movement, simple nutrition, and good sleep, it's probably worth considering. When it is pushing new boundaries with seemingly radical claims, it is ‘snake oil’ until thoroughly confirmed otherwise.
—Jesse Greer, MD
There’s no doubt that MAHA has identified real pressure points in American health: poor diet, environmental exposures, inactivity, poor sleep, chronic stress, and concern about overmedicalization.
The White House MAHA Report frames these as major drivers of childhood chronic disease. [] However, some of their claims are not supported by scientific evidence.
The clinical task is to keep the valid concern and remove the unsupported leap.
Jesse Greer, MD, an internal medicine physician and co-founder of Preamble Health, told MDLinx that his first screen for a trend touting health benefits is whether the trend fits basic health principles.
“If a trend aligns with basic principles that have withstood the test of time, like lots of movement, simple nutrition, and good sleep, it's probably worth considering. When it is pushing new boundaries with seemingly radical claims, it is ‘snake oil’ until thoroughly confirmed otherwise," Dr. Greer says.
Related: MAHA-linked trend promotes nicotine as an anti-dementia ‘hack’Diet
Diet confusion is where MAHA-adjacent messaging has the most traction. Nesreen Hermes, MD, a family medicine physician in Oak Park, Illinois, told MDLinx, "Currently, I am seeing that individuals are confused as to what they should be eating. Higher protein, avoiding carbs, prolonged fasting, or smaller more frequent meals? Many individuals are asking to test cortisol levels to address their ‘cortisol face.’"
Dr. Hermes’ response is to individualize, not moralize. “Different diets are studied for specific chronic diseases, such as individuals with diabetes may need smaller, more frequent meals secondary to treatment with insulin. Individuals with kidney disease need a lower protein diet. High-endurance athletes benefit from a higher carbohydrate diet, etc. We cannot apply blanket statements.”
The research base supports that restraint. The Lyon Diet Heart Study and later Mediterranean diet evidence linked Mediterranean-style patterns with fewer recurrent cardiovascular events and improved survival after MI. [][]
The beef tallow trend needs the same specificity. Beef tallow has become part of MAHA-adjacent food messaging, mainly through criticism of seed oils rather than through formal dietary guidance. Restaurants switching fries from seed oils to beef tallow are already being praised. []
However, this can fly in the face of AHA’s 2026 dietary guidance, which states that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat is associated with lower coronary heart disease risk. It names animal fats, including beef tallow and butter, as saturated fat sources. []
Another viral health fad relates to protein intake. Myrna Cardiel, MD, a board-certified neurologist, says, “In my experience, many patients are reacting to the sheer volume of conflicting nutrition information online. Protein intake is a major example. There has been a noticeable shift from fear of too much protein to confusion about how much is actually optimal. Most patients sense that older guidelines may have been too conservative, but they are unsure whom to trust. More broadly, this reflects a desire for clearer, more personalized guidance rather than one-size-fits-all recommendations.”
For counseling such patients, she says, “I have found that curiosity works better than correction. When a patient says, 'I eat really well,' I ask them to walk me through a typical day. That usually reveals important gaps, whether it is excess ultra-processed foods, misunderstanding around fats such as overuse of coconut oil, or misalignment with their cardiometabolic risk profile.”
Food dyes
In 2025, the FDA announced a national initiative to phase out several petroleum-based synthetic dyes—the six remaining certified color additives frequently used in the food supply by the end of 2027—and revoke authorization for others. []
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, said, “Parents and doctors have concerns about petroleum-based food dyes, which have no nutritional benefit.” []
But at the same time, dye-free junk food is still junk food. US youth still obtain a large share of calories from ultra-processed foods, and higher intake is linked with adverse cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes.
It’s reasonable to prefer foods without added dye. Foods eaten every day—like plain yogurt, oats, beans, eggs, fruit, frozen vegetables, nuts, canned fish, and lower-sugar cereals—move the needle more than switching from synthetic color to beet color in candy.
Longevity
MAHA figures have supported broader access to some unapproved peptides, especially BPC-157, which is promoted for healing, muscle growth, and anti-aging. []
The FDA, under RFK Jr’s HHS, plans to reconsider restrictions on several unapproved peptides “favored by RFK Jr. and other MAHA figures.” []
That does not mean MAHA formally endorses retatrutide or every peptide trend. The accurate framing is: MAHA-aligned figures have helped legitimize interest in unapproved peptides, while the FDA has cited safety concerns for some, including possible cancer and organ damage risks.
Dr. Greer said, “The peptide industry has gotten very good at guerrilla marketing, selling these compounds as a panacea.” He added, “People are bypassing well-established GLP-1 medications with known safety profiles to chase gray-market compounds like retatrutide, a drug still in research phases, sourced from overseas compounding pharmacies with little transparency into safety or manufacturing.”
For patient counseling, he says, “I always try to bring the conversation back to basic principles: movement, nutrition, sleep. If someone wants to improve their health, there are almost always clear deficiencies that should be addressed first.”
Related: Is it possible to counsel ‘MAHA curious’ patients away from misinformation to help restore trust in medicine?