On May 16, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Report, a sweeping document outlining strategies to combat the nation’s rising burden of chronic illness. Spearheaded by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who serves as its chair, the MAHA Commission spotlights the need to address the root causes of disease through lifestyle-based interventions, including focusing on physical activity and nutrition, and analyze pharmaceutical industry prescribing practices.
The MAHA report is framed as a national call to action, zeroing in on the drivers and burdens of chronic disease among American children, but the ripple effects extend far beyond pediatrics. Because women are disproportionately affected by chronic diseases — like obesity and autoimmune disorders — and are often responsible for managing the health of their families, they stand at a critical intersection in this conversation. The report’s contents carry significant implications for women as caregivers, patients, and the role of pregnancy in shaping outcomes for children. The report draws a direct line between childhood health and adult health outcomes, and this connection becomes especially relevant when viewed through the lens of women’s health, pregnancy, and maternal care.
Women at the Crossroads of Chronic Disease
The report opens with information about the growing prevalence of childhood obesity, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disease, and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. It also spotlights a mental health crisis among youth, attributing part of the problem to the overuse of technology and reliance on pharmaceuticals. The report attributes these trends to factors like poor diet and increasing exposure to environmental toxins.
While the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) supports additional research to address childhood chronic conditions, it’s important that research efforts take a lifespan approach and account for biological sex differences. Many of the issue areas highlighted in the report are key areas of study in women’s health. For example, chronic illnesses such as autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease disparately affect women. The report also entails implications direct to maternal and fetal health, highlighting how prenatal exposures can have long-lasting impacts on a child’s immune, cognitive, and metabolic development. The report notes, for example, that “fetal development depends on maternal nutrition, influencing everything—from membrane composition and mitochondrial integrity to nervous system wiring and hormone regulation.” A similar point can be made about the relationship between maternal health and responses to drug therapeutics. When maternal biology is not adequately accounted for, it can lead to ineffective or even harmful treatment protocols, with implications that extend across generations. More than 90% of women take at least one medication during pregnancy, and yet, pregnant or lactating women remain vastly underrepresented in clinical research, limiting our understanding of how medications may impact not only the mother, but her infant and their long-term health outcomes, as well. These insights underscore the urgent need for a more inclusive and preventive approach to health care that recognizes the central role of women’s health in shaping the well-being of future generations.
Moving Forward in Research and Accountability
While the MAHA report brings needed attention to the growing burden of chronic disease, some of its claims warrant closer examination. Certain sections reference contested and scientifically controversial theories, and it has faced criticism for purportedly relying on inaccurate or AI-generated citations, raising concerns about the validity of its sources.
A report coming from the highest levels of the federal government which seeks to create a vision for national health policy must maintain the highest standards of scientific integrity and ensure the trust of those whose health and lives are affected by such policy. The MAHA Commission is crafting a strategy to carry out its mission, which is expected to be released in August 2025. As the conversation on chronic disease prevention evolves, it is crucial that all public health recommendations are rooted in peer-reviewed, evidence-based research to ensure both credibility and effectiveness.
Regardless of the debate surrounding the report, its core message is worth amplifying: true prevention must start early. To truly address the root causes of chronic diseases, our nation’s federal research agencies must be sufficiently funded, and that research must center women. Therefore, SWHR continues to urge U.S. lawmakers to prioritize robust federal investment in biomedical research and sex-based research to uncover why certain diseases disproportionately affect women and close critical gaps left by decades of excluding women from clinical trials.