And one in the eye for the trolls!

Adding milk to a cup of tea can destroy its ability to protect against heart
disease, according to research.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6241139.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5405686.stm

nemo wrote:
> And one in the eye for the trolls!
>
> Adding milk to a cup of tea can destroy its ability to protect against heart
> disease, according to research.
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6241139.stm
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5405686.stm

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/hea...out600813.html

On Nutritious Drink Studies, Consider the Funding Source
01.08.07, 12:00 AM ET

TUESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Before you take to heart any
research about the health effects of beverages such as milk, fruit
juice or soft drinks, find out who paid for the study.
If a beverage manufacturer or industry group funded the research, the
finding may be biased, researchers report.

"When a food company sponsors a study, it is much more likely to be
positive" about the health effects of the product, said Dr. David
Ludwig. He's the study's senior author and director of the Optimal
Weight for Life program at Children's Hospital Boston, the pediatric
teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School.

Ludwig and his colleagues analyzed 206 articles from medical journals
that evaluated the health benefits or effects of soft drinks, juice and
milk. The studies were published from 1999 to 2003.

Of the 206 studies, 111 supplied information on funding. To prevent
bias in Ludwig's review, one researcher selected the articles for
inclusion in the study. Another two researchers who were not told the
funding sources classified each study as favorable, not favorable or
neutral toward the beverage studied. A fourth researcher who didn't
know the conclusions of the study determined the funding source and
classified the studies, based on whether they would be beneficial,
negative or neutral to the funder's bottom line.

In all, 22 percent of the studies were funded totally by industry,
while 32 percent had both industry and independent funding.

"We found when a food company pays for a study, the results are about
eight times more likely to be favorable to the company's financial
interest than when the studies are funded independently," Ludwig said.
"It is a strong association. It raises concern for bias."

The same association has been found in studies of medications funded by
drug companies, Ludwig said. But, he added, bias in studies of
beverages could have a greater impact because nearly everyone drinks
milk, juices or soft drinks.

"This is the first time this issue has been investigated systematically
in the area of nutrition," Ludwig said. "More research needs to be
done. No one study can prove an issue. This [conclusion] argues for the
need for more independent funding" of research.

The results of Ludwig's study are published in the Jan. 9 online issue
of the journal PloS Medicine.

Susan K. Neely, president and chief executive officer of the American
Beverage Association, took exception to the study. "This is yet another
attack on industry by activists who demonstrate their own biases in
their review by looking only at the funding source and not judging the
research on its merits. The science is what matters -- nothing else,"
she said in a prepared statement.

In an accompanying perspective article in the journal, Martijn Katan,
professor of nutrition at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the
Netherlands, noted that a "blanket condemnation of industry-supported
research" isn't the answer. He said collaboration with industry allowed
him "to discover things that I could not have found otherwise." For
instance: "We discovered the effects of trans fatty acids on
heart-disease risk thanks to the expertise of Unilever, and the
cholesterol-raising factor in unfiltered coffee thanks to Nestle."

In the Netherlands, Katan wrote, "The Royal Netherlands Academy of
Sciences has put forth an innovative proposal on how to supervise
relations between researchers and their sponsors."

Until more guidance is available, another expert, Connie Diekman,
director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis,
has a suggestion. "The [Ludwig] study reminds consumers and the media
that all research studies should be viewed as one part of the puzzle
about food and health and not conclusive answers to questions." Any
conclusions must come from several studies, not one, she added.

*********

TC

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> nemo wrote:
> > And one in the eye for the trolls!
> >
> > Adding milk to a cup of tea can destroy its ability to protect against
heart
> > disease, according to research.
> >
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6241139.stm
> >
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5405686.stm
>
>
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/hea...out600813.html
>

Interesting.

When the Vegan Society, the Vegetarian Society, myself and many others used
to say that studies sponsored by the food industry years ago which used to
state over and over again that there was no link between Coronary Heart
Disease and what passed for a 'normal' omnivorous diet in those days were
biased, we were told we were wrong and sometimes even ridiculed!

Look what the opinion is nowadays - and at that time, my relations who
followed such a 'normal' diet were dropping like flies from coronaries and
strokes.

The evidence from Finland where even miscarried foetuses were found to have
coronary arteries already furred up with cholesterol was also ignored -
fortunately not by the Finnish government. And while they were busy
instituting a government-lead dietary health education scheme which has
saved a huge number of lives, our miserable apology for a government was
still saying that there was no link, nothing to worry about and that such a
scheme here in the UK would be unconstitutional! Meat etc. industry leaders
and MPs in the same Masonic Lodges, obviously!

And anyway - I *like* black tea, so there! ) I only hope they don't find
that a squeeze of lemon damages its health-giving properties as well.

Nemo

nemo wrote:
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >
> > nemo wrote:
> > > And one in the eye for the trolls!
> > >
> > > Adding milk to a cup of tea can destroy its ability to protect against
> heart
> > > disease, according to research.
> > >
> > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6241139.stm
> > >
> > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5405686.stm
> >
> >
> http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/hea...out600813.html
> >
>
> Interesting.
>
> When the Vegan Society, the Vegetarian Society, myself and many others used
> to say that studies sponsored by the food industry years ago which used to
> state over and over again that there was no link between Coronary Heart
> Disease and what passed for a 'normal' omnivorous diet in those days were
> biased, we were told we were wrong and sometimes even ridiculed!
>
> Look what the opinion is nowadays - and at that time, my relations who
> followed such a 'normal' diet were dropping like flies from coronaries and
> strokes.
>
> The evidence from Finland where even miscarried foetuses were found to have
> coronary arteries already furred up with cholesterol was also ignored -
> fortunately not by the Finnish government. And while they were busy
> instituting a government-lead dietary health education scheme which has
> saved a huge number of lives, our miserable apology for a government was
> still saying that there was no link, nothing to worry about and that such a
> scheme here in the UK would be unconstitutional! Meat etc. industry leaders
> and MPs in the same Masonic Lodges, obviously!
>
> And anyway - I *like* black tea, so there! ) I only hope they don't find
> that a squeeze of lemon damages its health-giving properties as well.
>
> Nemo

On Nutritious Drink Studies, Consider the Funding Source
01.08.07, 12:00 AM ET


TUESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Before you take to heart any
research about the health effects of beverages such as milk, fruit
juice or soft drinks, find out who paid for the study.
If a beverage manufacturer or industry group funded the research, the
finding may be biased, researchers report.


TC

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> nemo wrote:
> > > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> > >
> > > nemo wrote:
> > > > And one in the eye for the trolls!
> > > >
> > > > Adding milk to a cup of tea can destroy its ability to protect
against
> > heart
> > > > disease, according to research.
> > > >
> > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6241139.stm
> > > >
> > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5405686.stm
> > >
> > >
> >
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/hea...out600813.html
> > >
> >
> > Interesting.
> >
> > When the Vegan Society, the Vegetarian Society, myself and many others
used
> > to say that studies sponsored by the food industry years ago which used
to
> > state over and over again that there was no link between Coronary Heart
> > Disease and what passed for a 'normal' omnivorous diet in those days
were
> > biased, we were told we were wrong and sometimes even ridiculed!
> >
> > Look what the opinion is nowadays - and at that time, my relations who
> > followed such a 'normal' diet were dropping like flies from coronaries
and
> > strokes.
> >
> > The evidence from Finland where even miscarried foetuses were found to
have
> > coronary arteries already furred up with cholesterol was also ignored -
> > fortunately not by the Finnish government. And while they were busy
> > instituting a government-lead dietary health education scheme which has
> > saved a huge number of lives, our miserable apology for a government was
> > still saying that there was no link, nothing to worry about and that
such a
> > scheme here in the UK would be unconstitutional! Meat etc. industry
leaders
> > and MPs in the same Masonic Lodges, obviously!
> >
> > And anyway - I *like* black tea, so there! ) I only hope they don't
find
> > that a squeeze of lemon damages its health-giving properties as well.
> >
> > Nemo
>
> On Nutritious Drink Studies, Consider the Funding Source
> 01.08.07, 12:00 AM ET
>
>
> TUESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Before you take to heart any
> research about the health effects of beverages such as milk, fruit
> juice or soft drinks, find out who paid for the study.
> If a beverage manufacturer or industry group funded the research, the
> finding may be biased, researchers report.
>
>
Don't worry. I always take everything with a small pinch of salt.

Sea salt of course because they put a cyanide compound in ordinary table
salt as an anti-caking agent!! It's true. Sodium Hexacyanoferrate, using the
form of the chemical name where the word 'cyanide' isn't all that obvious to
the average member of the public.

They used a calcium compound up to a decade or so ago but the new stuff is
probably cheaper - probably a waste product from some industrial process or
other.

Nemo

I wouldn't say I'm paranoid, but if someone tells me 2+2=4, the first
thought that comes into my head is: Why does he want me to believe that?
)