Food Industry-Funded Study Attempts To Discredit U.S., WHO Sugar Intake Guidelines

New York Times: Study Tied to Food Industry Tries to Discredit Sugar Guidelines
“A prominent medical journal on Monday published a scathing attack on global health advice to eat less sugar. Warnings to cut sugar, the study argued, are based on weak evidence and cannot be trusted. But the review, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, quickly elicited sharp criticism from public health experts because the authors have ties to the food and sugar industries…” (O’Connor, 12/19).

NPR: How Much Is Too Much? New Study Casts Doubts On Sugar Guidelines
“…Over the past two years the World Health Organization and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines have begun urging us to consume no more than 10 percent of our daily calories from added sugar. Drinking more than one sugar-sweetened soda a day can put you over that limit. But a new industry-funded study published in a prominent medical journal questions the evidence used to generate the specific recommendations to limit sugar in our diets…” (Aubrey, 12/19).

Reuters: Study funded by food makers disputes advice to cut sugar intake
“…The review of research used as a basis for policymaking was funded by the International Life Sciences Institute, which includes among its members Coca Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc., Mars Inc., and Hershey Co. … In a rare move, AIM published an editorial in the same issue that slammed the latest study as a ‘politicization of science’ and said that recent guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public Health England, and WHO all show ‘remarkable consistency.’ AIM decided to publish both the new study and the critical editorial because sugar consumption is ‘of great interest’ to readers and their patients, said Editor-in-Chief Christine Laine in an emailed statement…” (Prentice, 12/19).

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