Health or Hype?

Judging from the packaging and advertising I see, pretty much all food is now healthy, good for you, and backed by "clinical research" that proves it. Even ice cream now boasts of its fiber, and foods with the tiniest trace of some trendy new "superingredient of the month" boast about it as though there were enough of it in their product to make any difference.

For decades, food industry organizations have supplied substantial amounts of cash to fund studies of the health and wellness impact of their products. Just last year Ocean Spray committed $10 million to study the antimicrobal properties of cranberries. Pom Wonderful has spent $35 million on pomegranate research, sparking endless reviews hailing the fruits' antioxidant benefits. It also sparked a warning from the FDA to stop making health claims that the research did not substantiate but somehow that did not generate the same media interest.

Here's the thing. Just because a study is funded by the industry does not invalidate the study. But you need to be wary and skeptical. Any study can be designed to produce the result desired. A New York University review of 168 food industry funded studies found that 156 of them (93%) drew conclusions favorable to their sponsors. "There may be a rare case when a company is motivated by a concern for public health or to advance nutrition science," says Bonnie Liebman, Director of Nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "But overall, the purpose of this research is marketing, not science."

Whenever you see claims being made based on "studies", you need to do your part in weeding out the credible from the false. And your very first question should be "Who paid for this study?"