Boxing legend Mike Tyson is out with an emotional Super Bowl ad sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services-aligned organization MAHA Center, amid the agency’s push to promote healthy eating.
Tyson’s 30-second ad posted on his X account ahead of Super Bowl LX details what he says is his personal journey with his weight, where the former boxing champion said at one point his addiction to processed foods caused him to weigh nearly 350 pounds and consider harming himself.
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In the ad, which was paid for by nonprofit MAHA Center Inc. — a reference to the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again movement — Tyson says that processed food kills, suggesting that eating it can lead to obesity and could lead to death.
Mike Tyson – PHOTO: Mike Tyson appears in a video posted to his X account, encouraging people to eat real food instead of processed foods.
The MAHA Center, which is not affiliated with the federal government, said that the video launches a nationwide campaign featuring ads in taxicabs that will carry the “Processed Food Kills” ad alongside an image of Tyson.
Obesity medicine specialist Dr. Holly F. Lofton said she largely agrees with the video’s messaging because she said eating processed foods in excess can lead to an amalgamation of high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and high cholesterol. Lofton told ABC News it also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and obesity.
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The former heavyweight champion’s ad focuses on his appearance and self-loathing as much as the possible health risks obesity can lead to.
“I was so fat and nasty – I would eat anything,” Tyson said in the video to his nearly 6 million X followers. “I had so much self-hate when I was like that,” Tyson later added, as a tear appeared to run down his face.
Lofton said in a statement to ABC News “You do not have to feel ashamed about your weight and know that this [weight gain] is a discussion you can have with your healthcare provider to see which steps will be best for you to take first.”
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“You never know where anyone is in their weight journey, and everyone has different goals so sensitivity around the discussion of weight is integral to making the results sustainable,” she added.
Additionally, healthcare providers stress obesity is a chronic health condition and anybody feeling hopeless should seek immediate help like that available through the National Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
Mike Tyson – PHOTO: Mike Tyson appears in a video posted to his X account, encouraging people to eat real food instead of processed foods.
Manufactured food may lead to obesity, the condition that’s characterized by an excessive accumulation of fat cells or adipose tissue, while mental and environmental factors can also play a significant role, according to Lofton.
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Lofton stressed that some foods cause the body to become insulin resistant, which can lead to hunger, brain fog, and mental health issues. Through the concept of epigenetics, she also said the preservatives and additives in processed foods can turn on an obesity gene in someone who didn’t express that gene before.
In Tyson’s post, which mostly depicts a direct-to-camera video statement with an extreme close-up of his tattooed face, he said that his sister died from a heart attack that he claims she suffered during her own battle with obesity at the age of 25.
Tyson also claims that his health has been “the most important fight of his life” : “I’m not fighting for a belt,” he wrote in the X post, adding “I’m fighting for our health.”
Last month, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins encouraged Americans at a press event to limit highly processed food and reduce refined carbohydrates at the White House rollout of the new dietary pyramid.
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Kennedy applauded Tyson in a post on X, calling it the most important message in Super Bowl history.
“We don’t have to be the sickest country in the developed world,” Kennedy wrote. “The answer is simple: EAT REAL FOOD,” Kennedy concluded, echoing his comments at the White House announcement.
The White House’s X account reposted the video on Saturday, with the statement, “MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN.”
Public health specialists say the advice is good, but equal access to more nutritious foods is also necessary. Excess calories, regardless of where they come from, can lead to weight gain. Tyson’s video ad ends with the boxing legend eating an apple and issuing a call to action to visit RealFood.gov, the government’s website with the new food pyramid guidelines.
