01.09.07
OMG Really?
Industry money may bias drink studies
Really? What I’d like to know - which this study doesn’t seem to address - is why?
OK, so they’re 8x more favorable… Is it an issue of favorable subject selection? Poor methodology? Tainted data? Suppression of unfavorable studies? Outright fraud? There’s a big difference…
According to the study itself:
These findings suggest that a high potential for bias exists in research into the health benefits or harms of nonalcoholic drinks. It is not clear from this research study why or how this bias comes about, but there are many different mechanisms that might cause it. The researchers suggest that certain initiatives might help to reduce bias, for example, increasing independent funding of nutrition research.
Yes, knowing that bias exists is important. However, the reasons are often just as important, and I’d be more curious about the “why” than the “what” of this finding.