Here's Another Aspect Of Bias — Bias In Medical Research

[tex]

The article at the following link came to light today and it's a good example of how bias in medicine affects research:

A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that a diet containing unsaturated fats, such as those found in walnuts and olive oil, has similar weight loss effects as a lower fat, higher-carbohydrate diet.1 The research, led by Dr. Cheryl Rock of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, also showed that a diet containing walnuts, which are primarily comprised of polyunsaturated fats, positively impacts heart health markers, such as cholesterol.

"One of the surprising findings of this study was that even though walnuts are higher in fat and calories, the walnut-rich diet was associated with the same degree of weight loss as a lower fat diet," said Dr. Rock.

Research shows weight loss and improved cholesterol levels with walnut-rich diet

And guess who funded the research:

This research was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health (CA155435) and the California Walnut Commission.

. . . a government agency and the walnut industry.

Plenty of recent research has already confirmed that high fat (low carb) diets are much more effective at taking off weight and keeping it off than high carb (low fat) diets. And yet here these guys are still implying that a low fat diet is better (by comparing the effectiveness of a diet that includes a lot of walnut-based fat with the effectiveness of a low-fat diet. Well sure eating walnuts will not cause weight gain, because they contain a lot of fat, and we already know that fat doesn't promote weight gain — carbs hold that honor. So this research basically accomplished nothing except to sell more walnuts and put money into the researchers pockets.

But they just couldn't keep from adding that line paying homage to a low fat diet in order to perpetuate the bias of promoting a low fat diet, even though we already know that dog won't hunt.

Tex

[Adelaide]

So no mention of avocados, coconut oil, fatty fish and other healthy fats! And still talking about the effectiveness of a low fat, high carb diet. At least carbs have moved up a step in the healthy eating pyramid telling us to consume a lesser amount than we were advised to consume previously.

[tex]

Yes, they're slowly making progress. I suppose they think that by taking 20 or 30 years to reverse their position no one will notice that they were wrong in the first place, but I've got news for them — most people are smarter than they are, and they notice.

Tex

[Rosie]

The funding of research by pharmaceutical companies and other special interest groups is disturbing. However, I think that much of the blame has to rest on the drying up of grant funding by the federal government in the form of NIH and NSF grants. According to NIH, in 2015, only 18.1% of grant applications were funded. http://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2015/06/29/ ... ng-funded/

And here is a quote from that NIH report:

And clearly, the NIH budget is not keeping pace with demand; as a result, the success, award, and funding rates are at historically low levels.

As a retired scientist, I am familiar with the scramble for funding to keep a professor's research program from collapsing. Also, at many universities now, it is part of the employment contract that a certain percentage of salary comes from grants. For example, my daughter, who is a professor at a state university has to bring in 25% of her salary from grants.

So is it any wonder that under such pressure, scientists resort to accepting funding from dubious sources to survive.

Rosie

[tex]

But unfortunately it results in a lot of worthless research. But c'est la vie I reckon.

If a scientist wants to take a few years or so off from working and go on a starvation diet these days, the surest way to accomplish that would be to specialize in climate change and deny the importance of climate change due to man-made influences. I'll guarantee no funding would be available from the current administration.

Tex