When soda makers fund studies, links to obesity weaken – Research
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If you come across a study claiming that sugary drinks don’t cause obesity or diabetes, check to see who paid for the research. Most likely the study has financial ties to the beverage industry, according to a new review of the scientific evidence.
Every experimental study that found no link between sugary drinks and obesity or diabetes has received financial support from the beverage industry, said lead researcher Dr. Dean Schillinger. He’s a professor of medicine and founding director of the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Vulnerable Populations.
On the other hand, nearly all experimental studies that establish a direct link between consuming sugary drinks and developing obesity and diabetes have not received funding from beverage makers, Schillinger and his colleagues reported.
“The industry seems to be using the scientific method to sow doubt about the truth related to their products,” Schillinger said.
The American Beverage Association (ABA) countered that Schillinger has a conflict of interest himself, calling him a “paid expert” in a lawsuit over San Francisco’s attempt to require health warning labels on billboards promoting soft drinks.
“It’s ironic that he would write about bias in research when he himself is clearly not an impartial researcher,” the ABA said in a written statement.
Schillinger and his colleagues reviewed all available literature for scientific head-to-head new research shows that industryfunded studies appear aimed mainly at raising doubt among consumers about the health hazards of excess sugar.
“If you were to poll the average American, you would find tremendous variation in the degree to which they understand and/ or believe drinking five Mountain Dews a day can cause diabetes,” Schillinger said. That’s the average amount consumed by teenagers in West Virginia, he added.
“We’re talking about a public that has not been made aware of these relationships because of the muddying of the water and the overwhelming amount of positive marketing to which they are exposed,” he concluded.
Siegel added that industryfunded studies also may have an impact on elected officials and policy makers who might favour more restrictions or higher taxes on sugary beverages.
“I think it makes it more difficult for them to stand up against the industry and take controversial stands, when they’re being fed 26 different studies all purporting to show there’s no tie between soda and obesity,” Siegel said.
The ABA contends that “beverage companies are engaged in public health issues because we too want a strong, healthy America. We recognize that we have a role to play in reducing obesity, and we are taking voluntary actions to reduce calories and sugar from beverage consumption -- working together as competitors and engaging with prominent public health groups.”