Sponsored food studies too could be fudged

NEW DELHI: It is said that pharmaceutical studies funded by industry are biased. Now, an analysis from researchers of the Children���s Hospital, Boston, claims that the same holds true for scientific studies on nutrition, particularly those related to beverages.

The analysis shows that beverage studies funded solely by industry are four to eight times more likely to have conclusions favorable to sponsors��� financial interest than research with no industry funding.

The researchers believe that the ���biased��� nutrition studies have adverse effects, as they influence governmental and professional dietary guidelines, and the design of malnutrition intervention programmes.

During their five-year long analysis, the researchers focused on studies on soft drinks, juice and processed milk. They chose beverages because these drinks represent an area of nutrition that���s very controversial, relevant to children, and involves a part of the food industry that is highly profitable and where research findings could have direct financial implications.

The researchers found that the bias reflects in subtle manipulations, such as framing the study survey questions in a way that make the results more favorable to a sponsor. In some cases, papers with unfavorable results simply go unpublished.

The findings of the analysis are particularly relevant for countries like India, where food habits are becoming urbanised. The household food budget has been thinned out to buy less cereals and spend more on beverages, refreshments and processed food. In 1987-1988, rural India spent 26% on cereals but by 2004, it was spending only 16% on cereals.

In the same period, its spending on processed food and beverages went from 4% to 6% of its food expenditure.