These were the words used by Dr Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic about the new US dietary guidelines. Lets look at the fiasco that is nutrition science research.
The recent UN review of meat consumption looked at 800 studies (probably costing tens of millions of dollars in all), with their only conclusion on fresh meat being to eat a bit less. Really? Researchers have milked grants, salaries and funding to come to the same conclusion as my mother did 40 years ago as she watched the neighbours get fatter and have heart attacks.
After decades of advice from dietitians to limit egg consumption, we now have the NHS saying there is "no recommended limit" Limits on fat intake have also been relaxed, for the reasons that thousands of health bloggers have been pointing out for years.
Dietitians' advice changes more than the weather. Bran and wheat germ on your cereal were once heavily promoted. Thankfully no longer.
Decades of research has done little but line researchers pockets. Dr Nissen laments " Diet is essential to health.. we are really left with no solid advice for most people"
He calls on Governments to conduct well controlled studies that address the right questions. Medical researchers are failing to answer the questions that are important to patients. As a diabetic I want information on long term effects and important outcomes like quality of life, mobility, good eyesight and absence of fatigue, not the short term effect of some drug on serum rhubarb.
Before you donate money to medical research, consider the vast amount of futile research which never had any chance of producing Nissen's "solid" evidence, but merely muddied the waters. Choose your beneficiaries wisely.
NHS pic
Nissen pic
