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Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

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Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#81
post #12

When this news first came out it was mind blowing, but at the same time I don't entirely get it. So the money quote seems to be: > The literature review heavily criticized studies linking sucrose to heart disease, while ignoring limitations of studies investigating dietary fats. They paid a total of 2 people $50,000 (edit: in 2016 dollars). That doesn't seem like enough to entirely shape worldwide discourse around nu…

> I guess the thing that I most don't get is it's now been 10 years since then, and I haven't seen any news about the link between sugar and CVD.

Decades - not 10 years. The payment was made in the 1960's.

Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but do you trust Big Butcher?

Based on the history of the past 1-ish century, I trust Big Meat & Dairy to have less capability for and competence at evil than Big Sugar. Because otherwise we'd have been hearing far more "Fat is Fine, Carbs are Crap" messages.

> I trust Big Meat & Dairy to have less capability for and competence at evil

Why? You've never heard of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ag-gag?

Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#83
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which are crafted by individuals with strong financial ties to the meat, dairy, or egg industries, thus should be disregarded by any reasonable person.

Going through that link, it's hard to see where you came to that conclusion? It seems to have pretty reasonable dietary advice.

The food pyramid also seemed like pretty reasonable dietary advice until it wasn't. The skepticism expressed by other posters about where the guidelines originated from is well founded.

Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on the history of the past 1-ish century, I trust Big Meat & Dairy to have less capability for and competence at evil than Big Sugar. Because otherwise we'd have been hearing far more "Fat is Fine, Carbs are Crap" messages.

Surely you jest as the animal agriculture industry is many times larger than any "big sugar" boogeyman.

"Bigger = Badder" is quick & easy heuristic, but not a particularly accurate one.

Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#86
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could buy a house and a 69 Charger for $25K in the 60's with a tidy sum left over.

$50k in 2016 dollars.

You're correct, but for some reason heavily downed at the moment (Edit: no longer the case!). Relevant excerpt backing this up:

> the sugar industry paid the Harvard scientists the equivalent of $50,000 in 2016 dollars

I.e. it was something more like 6k-7k in terms of dollars at the time of payment.

Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#87

Here’s a gift link to a NYT article that was posted a few minutes ago: Kennedy Flips Food Pyramid to Emphasize Red Meat and Whole Milk https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/well/rfk-jr-food-pyramid-...

These evil people want us sick and hospitalized with chronic disease from eating this crap. Now that it's political, hopefully people will see it for the bullshit it really is.

Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#88
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What annoys me the most is that sat fat is a huge way that sugary products are made more palatable to people. People love butter. It is every chef's 2nd favorite tool, just after salt.

Butter is only a favorite because Lard has been some demonized that no chef would ever use it anymore.

Ever spread lard on toast? Do you prefer croissants made with lard? Is everyone's favourite dish these days lard chicken (I mean the Indian dish, not the Soul Food dish, which is of course popular in some locales).

Nope. Butter is favoured because it tastes unctuous. Nothing to do with Big Cow or any special interest lobby local to certain valleys in the USA. Except maybe Big Bacon Drippings, because if there's one thing better for a grill cheese than butter it's bacon grease (thick-sliced sourdough bread, sharp Cheddar cheese, a shmear of chili crisp)

Now, suet has been demonized to the point that nobody makes suet pudding any more. A shame, really.

Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is a lot of speculation that we will soon see a new food pyramid that is inverted. Pretty much everyone I know understands that the food pyramid is the product of various lobbies coming together and does not represent a legitimate theory of diet or nutrition. That is independent of their politics or opinions about RFK. I don't think a change to the food pyramid would change anyone's actions, people haven't ta…

Don't public school lunches have to follow the food guide recommendations? Assuming that hasn't changed since I was in school, a recommendation based on something other than industry lobbying could help quite a bit with children's health and long term outlooks. That said, I obviously don't know what this administration would propose as a new recommendation so I'm not implying it will be better. We'd have to see what…

When people say that SNAP (food stamps) should "only be able to buy healthy foods", they have to be reminded what the government considers to be healthy and just importantly, what the government considers to be unhealthy. Since SNAP is a government program, it almost certainly would use government guidelines on what is healthy.

Re: Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

#90

CVD and links to saturated fats is a long, long established phenomenon and has a lot of science behind it. A single study or even studies should not invalidate or discount it. Before people misinterpret what this is saying. Sugar may also contribute some to CVD but most cardiologists still think fats are the main driver of CVD.

?

Every health authority mentions both cholesterol/saturated fat and blood sugar as contributing factors.

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