Ultra-processed food expert and nutrition scientist Kevin Hall resigns: What it means for research

Amidst funding cuts and layoffs, the United States’ National Institute of Health also lost one of its foremost nutrition and metabolism scientists, Kevin Hall.

- 

After working for 21 years, he resigned earlier this month, saying “recent events have made me question whether NIH continues to be a place where | can freely conduct unbiased science.”

Why did Hall decide to quit?

The move comes after the scientist's views on one of his recent publications about addiction to ultra-processed foods was censored.In a post on X, Hall said: “I experienced censorship in the reporting of our research because of agency concerns that it did not appear to fully support preconceived narratives of my agency's leadership about ultra-processed food addiction. | was hoping this was an aberration. So, weeks ago | wrote to my agency's leadership expressing my concerns and requested time to discuss these issues, but | never received a response.”