Studies funded by the sugar-sweetened beverage industry have been designed to mislead the public about how harmful sugar can be, a new study suggests.
According to a report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, independent studies were far more likely to link sugary drinks to obesity or diabetes, while sugar-funded studies were more likely to skew their results.
Researchers looked at 60 sugar related studies that were published between January 2001 and July 2016. They then compared the studies that were independently funded versus those backed by the sugar-sweetened beverage industry.
Out of 26 articles that found no connection between sugar consumption and obesity or diabetes, 100 percent were funded by the sugar-sweetened beverage.
“This industry seems to be manipulating contemporary scientific processes to create controversy and advance their business interests at the expense of the public’s health,” the report stated.
Researchers say misleading study results can influence laws and convince the public to continue drinking soda. By disputing the science linking sugary drinks to diabetes and obesity, the industry has been able to successfully fight taxes on soda and stop the government from putting warning labels on sugary drinks.
“The sugar industry and soda companies are following the same playbook as the tobacco industry did,” Dr. Mark Hyman, director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine told the New York Daily News. “They subvert the science by financing scientists who are actually pushing their agenda and designing flawed trials that show there’s no harm. They sway public opinion, and they lobby politicians.”
This is not the first time the sugar industry has tried to influence medical research. According to PLOS Medicine, in the 1960s and 1970s the sugar industry persuaded government doctors to study ways to prevent cavities without cutting out sweets and refined sugars.
New studies on sugar are published often and can be confusing for many. So in the future, if you don’t know what to believe, Dr. Hyman suggests to just “follow the money.”
Danielle Tarasiuk is a multimedia journalist based in Los Angeles. Her work has been published on AllDay.com, Yahoo! Sports, KCET, and NPR-affiliate stations KPCC and KCRW. She’s a proud Sarah Lawrence College and USC Annenberg alumn.
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