
50 Years Ago, Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists To Point Blame At Fat
A newly discovered cache of internal documents reveals that the sugar industry downplayed the risks of sugar in the 1960s. 2016 was a big year for uncovering scandal in the research annals of our country and the result is a fair amount of Sugar Shock. Mostly shock that sugar could really be so bad for human health. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University questions,
Back in the 1960s, the sugar industry funded research that downplayed the risks of sugar and highlighted the hazards of fat, according to a 2016 article published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The following excerpt are from NPR.org.
"Is it really true that food companies deliberately set out to manipulate research in their favor? Yes, it is, and the practice continues. In 2015, the New York Times obtained emails revealing Coca-Cola's cozy relationships with sponsored researchers who were conducting studies aimed at minimizing the perceived effects of sugary drinks on obesity. Even more recently, the Associated Press obtained emails showing how a candy trade association funded and influenced studies to show that children who eat sweets have healthier body weights than those who do not."
As for the article authors who dug into the documents around this funding, they offer two suggestions for the future. "Policymaking committees should consider giving less weight to food industry-funded studies," they write. They also call for new research into any ties between added sugars and coronary heart disease... and any other threats to Americans health as well. Excerpts from NPR.org"Is it really true that food companies deliberately set out to manipulate research in their favor? Yes, it is, and the practice continues. In 2015, the New York Times obtained emails revealing Coca-Cola's cozy relationships with sponsored researchers who were conducting studies aimed at minimizing the effects of sugary drinks on obesity. Even more recently, the Associated Press obtained emails showing how a candy trade association funded and influenced studies to show that children who eat sweets have healthier body weights than those who do not."
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