Junkfood Science - Is that evidence for real?

[Guest guest]

For those of you who, like me, are epidemiologically challenged, I

just ran across a great discussion about how to interpret health studies:

" Math phobia — Is that evidence for real? "

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/11/math-phobia-is-that-evidence-for-rea\

l.html

It's written by Sandy Szwarc, BSN, RN, CCP on her " Junfood Science " blog:

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/

The blog looks interesting too, but I haven't explored it yet.

[Guest guest]

-

According to SourceWatch, she works for corporate front groups:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Szwarc

Here's how SourceWatch describes Junkfood Science:

" Szwarc's current blog, " Junkfood

Science " <http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/>includes opinions about

obesity-related concerns, namely: obesity is not an

epidemic, bariatric surgery does more harm than good, diets are ineffective,

processed foods and refined sugars do not have a negative effect on one's

diet, and that the public pressure to push children and adults to be less

sedentary is unnecessary.

Potential biases

Szwarc has been an active member of the staff of the Competitive Enterprise

Institute<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Competitive_Enterprise_Inst\

itute>

think

tank

<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Think_tank>[9]<http://www.sourcewatc\

h.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Szwarc#_note-7>,

which has positions that climate

change<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Climate_change>may

have several positive aspects, and is also critical of

government-mandated environmental emissions and pollution standards. 40% of

the CEI's funding comes from corporations, including gasoline and fossil

fuel companies such as

ExxonMobil<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ExxonMobil>,

Texaco <http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Texaco>, and Arch Coal,

along with members of the chemical industry such as the American Plastics

Council and the Chlorine Chemistry

Council[10]<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Szwarc#_note-8>.

Plastics companies have in the past two decates been fighting regulations on

phthalates in the United States

[11]<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Szwarc#_note-9>,

and Scwarc's papers for the CEI have defended

phthlates<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Szwarc#Articles_publi\

shed_by_Sandy_Szwarc>.

Coal is a large contributer to mercury

emissions[12]<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Szwarc#_note-10>,

and Scwarc has also claimed in her works on CEI that the regulations against

mercury emissions should be

eased<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Szwarc#Articles_published\

_by_Sandy_Szwarc>

..

Another large sponsor of the CEI, the

Coca-Cola<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Coca-Cola>company,

which could benefit financially from easing the consumers' fears of

calorie intake, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, Type II Diabetes,

and the possible consequences of obesity. "

I find her blog just as despicable as the Milk is Milk blog written by

Avery -- funded by front group The Hudson Institute.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=_Avery

http://www.milkismilk.com/

Actually, when I read the Milk is Milk blog, and then uncovered who funds it

(Monsanto and other chemical companies), that is one of the biggest things

that convinced me to drink raw milk from trusted farmers. I figured that if

people like Avery are being paid by Monsanto (Agent Orange, RoundUp,

Posilac) to write blogs promoting pasteurized milk with growth hormones,

then there must be something really wrong with it.

Ann Marie

On Jan 18, 2008 2:06 PM, <oz4caster@...> wrote:

>

> It's written by Sandy Szwarc, BSN, RN, CCP on her " Junfood Science " blog:

> http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/

>

> The blog looks interesting too, but I haven't explored it yet.

>

>

[Guest guest]

--- Ann Marie <inasnit@...> wrote:

> According to SourceWatch, she works for corporate front groups:

> http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Szwarc

> Here's how SourceWatch describes Junkfood Science:

> " Szwarc's current blog, " Junkfood Science "

><http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/> includes opinions about

> obesity-related concerns, namely: obesity is not an

> epidemic, bariatric surgery does more harm than good, diets are

> ineffective, processed foods and refined sugars do not have a

> negative effect on one's diet, and that the public pressure to push

> children and adults to be less sedentary is unnecessary.

Ann Marie, thanks, that's good to know. I was reading more of her

articles, and it looks to me like she doesn't follow her own advice on

carefully examining studies - when they are studies on obesity and

dieting. She implies that dieting is useless, that no diets work, and

obesity is not bad in several of her articles - because there are no

conclusive studies to confirm it. The referenced diet studies to me

only confirm that most people don't stick to the diet they were

supposed to follow, not that diets cannot provide long-term weight

loss for those who are overweight. I also disagree with her

assessment that factory foods and refined sugar/carbs don't have a

negative effect on health and I do believe that exercise is beneficial.

I was wondering how she could find time to write so many blogs.

It looks like she's being paid to do it

Yet another way that big money can peddle it's wares.

[Guest guest]

Yeah, Sourcewatch is a great site. Their page on front groups is really

interesting:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Front_groups

Another site I love is Political Friendster. It was built as a project by a

student at Stanford.

You can see how people, organizations and companies are connected.

For example, here is the Monsanto page:

http://www.politicalfriendster.com/showPerson.php?id=238 & name=Monsanto

The problem with the internet is there is so much conflicting information

out there. You read about how great raw milk is but then you see a site like

Milk Is Milk and think, hmmm... maybe raw milk is not so good? But then you

find out that Milk is Milk is funded by Monsanto! Helps you understand why

they are against small raw dairy farmers.

And all the pro-vaccine stories in the news talking about medical studies

funded by -- why, of course, the pharmaceutical companies.

These sites really help me dig to see who is funding these sources of

information. I really think media literacy and propaganda should be taught

in schools.