In early April, prominent National Institutes of Health nutrition scientist Kevin Hall took early retirement at the age of 54, citing administrative censorship as the main reason.

Why? One of his recent publications did not support claims that ultra-processed food is addictive, which went against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s narratives about the dangers of ultra-processed food. Hall shared that he had been “banned from speaking freely with reporters” about this study.

Whether or not food is truly addictive is still an area of controversy.

Whereas there are a growing number of professionals, including myself, that believe that certain foods have addictive properties, and that “ultra-processed food addiction” needs to be recognized and treated within mainstream medicine, others, such as eating disorders treatment professionals who believe that labeling food addictive could make eating disorders worse, are disbelieving of and/or afraid to embrace the food addiction construct.

The ambiguity causes much suffering for people who have an addictive relationship with foods, who get nothing but mixed messages when they seek help.

However, the last thing we need is the government to step in and muddy the waters. What we need is more unbiased research — such as what Hall’s group has been doing — because it is by seeking the truth that we will figure out how to help people break free from cravings and obsessions.

Hall is now

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