Would it surprise you If I told you that the sugar industry has actively worked to mislead the public about the health impacts of sugar?
Probably not!
A new report I came across published in the journal PLOS Biology goes into detail on these shenanigans. For example, the New York Times reports:
The documents show that in 1968 a trade group called the Sugar Research Foundation, known today as the Sugar Association, funded a research project on animals to shed light on the connection between sugar and heart health. But when the research pointed to a mechanism by which sugar might promote not only heart disease but also bladder cancer, the industry group ended the study and never published the results.
The sugar industry has long insisted that sugar has no unique role in promoting obesity, diabetes, or heart disease, though numerous studies by independent researchers have concluded otherwise. Not only that, but the same industry is the one that pointed all the attention to fat being the culprit. These are the very same tactics used by the tobacco industry for so many years. And, they highlight a key problem that we still have in research: the “I don't like this result so let me place this info into the file drawer problem.”
Tale a moment to think about it this way. Since the 1950's we've been told that fat and cholesterol were the driving factors with heart disease. This was the genesis of eating more carbs to be healthy. Fast forward to today... 40% of Americans are obese, approximately 65% are overweight. which means that the average person is not healthy. There are more factors than carbs of course but through the experience of changing clients' nutritional choices. A lot of issues are resolved when the reverse choices are practiced.
The majority of medical and health research is funded by either Big Pharma or Big Food. And when that research doesn’t align with their interests, they quietly “stuff it in a file drawer”—never to be seen by scientists, the media, or the general public.
This leads to potentially serious consequences. Would you want to take out your cash cow? Not in this capitalistic culture we live in.
For example: Say a pharmaceutical company does a trial on SSRIs (antidepressants) in children and finds that they are not only ineffective but also have serious side effects and risks. They don’t publish the results, which means that doctors will continue to prescribe them for kids, parents will continue to request them, and kids will continue to take unnecessary drugs that can cause harm—including an increased risk of suicide.
Unfortunately, there are just way too many examples like this.
Let's talk solutions!
Create a national database of scientific studies that all researchers would have to register their study with in order to perform it. Then make a publication of the results mandatory, regardless of what they are.
This has already been proposed, and it’s a sensible choice.
But as you can imagine those that are profiting from the system as it is; are dedicating some of their enormous fund's lobbying who they must to make sure it doesn’t happen! Again, let's not blame them. I don't think that people in these companies want to harm people. They just have a different mindset that is driven narrowly by profits.
It’s so important for us to stay informed and to let our voices be heard when we don't agree with the way things are going. Sweat Nation is on top of research to make sure you are getting valuable info that you can take in without having to dedicate your life to learn about all the nuances.
Applied Knowledge is power! Here's to your health.
Track Of The Day - Madness - Muse
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