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Confused by Nutrition Research? Sloppy Science May Be to Blame
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of New York Times
Posted: November 19th, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/well/live/confused-by-nut...
The unstated goal of most company-sponsored studies is to increase the bottom line. Its marketing research, not science, [New York University professor Dr. Marion Nestle] said. Noting that nutrition research, especially that funded by industry, requires careful interpretation, she suggests an approach that all consumers would be wise to follow: Whenever I see studies claiming benefits for a single food, I want to know three things: whether the results are biologically plausible; whether the study controlled for other dietary, behavioral, or lifestyle factors that could have influenced its result; and who sponsored it. Fifty years of research has demonstrated the influence of pharmaceutical companies on physicians behavior even giving doctors pads or pens printed with the brand name of a drug can prompt doctors to ignore a generic or competing brand, Dr. Nestle [said]. However ... while there have been thousands of studies of conflicts of interest among physicians who publish drug studies and those who prescribe industry-touted medications, she could identify only 11 such studies of the influence of industry funding on the outcome of food and beverage research in relation to health. Consumers who are not scientifically savvy can be easily misled by the findings of studies, especially when they emanate from a prestigious institution or professional association. Dr. Nestle says such organizations need to pay closer attention to both blatant and potential conflicts of interest lest they be caught touting sloppy science.
Note: Dr. Marion Nestle recently published a book on this topic titled, "Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat." Read more about the bias in industry-funded nutrition research in this article. For more, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on corruption in science and in the food system.
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