When soda makers fund studies, links to obesity weaken
If you come across a study claiming that sugary drinks dont cause obesity or diabetes, check to see whos 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. Hes a professor of medicine and founding director of the University of California, San Franciscos 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 Franciscos attempt to require health warning labels on billboards promoting soft drinks.
Its 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 experiments examining the health effects of sugary beverages. These are all actual head-to-head comparison studies where you take people and you make them drink soda and you take other people and you make them drink water -- actual experiments in humans over the last 15 years, Schillinger said.
Out of 60 studies uncovered by the review, 26 received financial support from the beverage industry, the researchers found. Either the studies had been paid for by the beverage industry, or researchers participating in the study had financial ties to the industry.
HealthDay
