Conspiracy of sugar magnates: how people believed in the harmlessness of sweets


In the past few decades, many doctors around the world have declared the dangers of fatty foods for the body. They argued, for example, that fatty meat can provoke the occurrence of a number of heart diseases.

As for eating foods containing excess sugar, their dangers were first discussed only a few years ago. Why did this happen, because sugar has been eaten for a very long time? California researchers found that this could have happened due to the cunning of sugar magnates, who were able to pay a round sum of money to scientists for publishing the necessary result.

The attention of researchers was riveted by the publication of 1967, which contains information about the effect of fat and sugar on the heart. It became known that three scientists engaged in research on the effects of sugar on the human body received $ 50.000 (by modern standards) from the Sugar Research Foundation. The publication itself reported that sugar does not lead to heart disease. Other journals, however, did not require a funding report from scientists, the results did not arouse suspicion in the scientific community of that time. Prior to the publication of the scandalous publication, the American scientific community in the United States adhered to two versions of the spread of cardiovascular diseases. One of them concerned the abuse of sugar, the other – the influence of cholesterol and fat. At the time, the vice president of the Sugar Research Foundation offered to provide financial support for a study that would shift all suspicion away from sugar. Relevant publications were selected for scientists. The conclusions that the researchers had to draw were formulated in advance. Obviously, it was beneficial for the sugar magnates to divert all suspicions from the product being produced so that the demand for it among buyers would not fall. The real results could have shocked consumers, causing the sugar corporations to suffer big losses. According to researchers from California, it was the appearance of this publication that made it possible to forget about the negative effects of sugar for a long time. Even after the results of the “study” were released, the Sugar Research Foundation continued to fund research related to sugar. In addition, the organization has been active in promoting low-fat diets. After all, low-fat foods tend to have significantly more sugar. Of course, one of the main causes of various cardiovascular diseases is the consumption of foods high in fat. Recently, health authorities have begun to warn sweet lovers that sugar also contributes to heart disease. The scandalous publication of 1967, unfortunately, is not the only case of falsifying the results of the study. So, for example, in 2015 it became known that the Coca Cola company allocated huge funds for research that should deny the effect of carbonated drink on the appearance of obesity. The popular American company engaged in the production of sweets also went to the trick. She funded a study that compared the weight of children who ate candy and those who did not. As a result, it turned out that sweet teeth weigh less.

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