Health Farm

Just as the sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to implicate saturated fat, and not sugar, as a cause of heart disease, food and beverage companies are funding research that is spun into pseudoscience-based PR.

University of Sydney and its research funder, product maker Pharmacare, are the latest names added to the list of health product propagandists – with news that the university has been forced to retract a claim its study showed eating elderberries could help beat the flu.

The retraction comes after the university admitted overhyping its own research, part-funded by company Pharmacare – a company that sells elderberry-based flu remedies.

The flu-busting claim, made in a press release and published on the university’s website, attracted national and international media attention, most of which did not mention the Pharmacare funding.

The university initially stood by its research, but since has withdrawn the press release and launched an investigation into how it was produced, saying it would change its practices to always highlight industry funding.

Coca Cola at it again

And what do you know – exercise is a more effective weight loss tool than cutting down on food and drink. At least, that was the scientific conclusion reached by scientists paid by Coca-Cola to research obesity. They didn’t stop there, creating a ‘non-profit’ called the Global Energy Balance Network to push the message that Americans spent too much time focusing on cutting calories, and not enough time exercising.

Pro consumer tip: Always research the research.