“Millennials!” shout every major senior publication. “They’re so obsessed with those ‘healthy’ foods! Kale and coconut oil this! No cereal that! Paleo and pescaterian, vegans! Ovolactovegetarians! Blah, blah, blah, kids! Back in my day, we ate refined sugar and liked it! It’s safe, you vegetable eating selfish hippies!” they say as they turn their noses up to us.
Except there’s evidence to support that the diets of yesteryear—heavy on carbs, fats and sugars—probably isn’t as safe as previous generations were led to believe. NPR reports that 50 years ago, the sugar industry paid off scientists to downplay the effects of sugar and instead point the finger at fats as the culprit of unhealthy living. In the lastest issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, a literature review, authored by University of California San Franciso, researchers analyze the link to sugar and heart disease and how the perception of sugar has decreased over time because of the Sugar Research Foundation. The link between coronary heart disease and sugar discovered around the early 1950s. Since then, they argue, the sugar industry has been trying to influence other scientists about the effects of sugar on the body and health.
The authors of the review say the Sugar Research Foundation paid and sponsored Harvard scientists to refute the aforementioned findings. The scientists then published their scapegoat research in a prominent medical journal without disclosing their sponsors. But the authors of the review say they are not trying to prove any link between sugar and heart disease, but instead just trying to publicize how industry giants are trying to influence science to fit their less-than-altruistic needs. In fact, the report also notes the president of the Sugar Research Foundation once gave a speech talking about how telling Americans they shouldn’t eat fat would increase their sugar consumption by a third.
However, there are limitations to the research given by the scientists. For example, they could not conduct adequate interviews with the scientists who did the initial research and publishing because many have passed away. In fact, they conclude much of their evidence is circumstantial, at best, due to the many limitations. But there is one thing I know from watching Law and Order SVU—circumstantial evidence is sometimes just enough to make a sound enough judgement. The researchers behind the review just suggest two things after the release of their report. One is that policy and science should stop mixing so cozily, and the other is new research into the link of coronary heary disease and sugar.
But in any case, I consider this a win for us. Point one for millennials!