"Documents Detail Sugar Industry Efforts To Direct Medical Research"

The sugar industry has been manipulating science about the health consequences of sugar for decades, newly released documents show.

'Back in 2007, Christin Kearns attended a conference for dentists like herself to learn about links between diabetes and gum disease.

She was handed a government pamphlet titled, 'How to Talk to Patients about Diabetes,' and was surprised to find that the diet advice didn't mention reducing sugar intake. She said it made her wonder if the sugar industry 'somehow impacted what the government can or cannot say about diet advice for diabetics?'

Kearns, now a fellow at the University of California, San Francisco wanted to answer that question. She went on a hunt for industry documents that might yield clues.

After months of online searches, she started uncovering some documents which ultimately led to an archive at the University of Illinois, 1,551 pages of documents that show how closely the sugar industry worked with the federal government during the 1960s and early 1970s, when dentists were trying to find a way to prevent cavities in children."

Lisa Aliferis reports for KQED/NPR March 11, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Big Sugar’s Deceitful Past: How Industry Spin Impaired the Government’S Anti-Cavity Program" (Salon)