Fwd: Breaking News - Advertising Passed Off As Research Confuses Public Again - Vegetarian Diet Weakens Bones

[Guest guest]

Read this McDougall Announcement online: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009other/news/090704news.htm

 

 

Advertising Passed Off As Research

Confuses the Public Again

 

Vegetarian Diet “Weakens Bones” (Worldwide headlines July 2,

2009)

 

A joint Australian-Vietnamese meta-analysis of 9 observational studies of 2,749 people

found that vegetarians had bones five percent less dense than

meat-eaters and vegans were six percent weaker. However, the

results were of such little significance that the authors ended their

paper by saying: “In conclusion, the results of this meta-analysis

suggest that there is a modest effect of vegetarian diets,

particularly a vegan diet, on BMD, but the effect size is unlikely to

result in a clinically important increase in fracture risk.”

 

This article, released ahead of scheduled

publication, which gives the public the perception that the news

was so important that it could not wait, in the American Journal of

Clinical Nutrition was by the same authors as the vegan-osteoporosis article

I discussed in my June 2009 newsletter. The article I reported

on received little press worldwide and showed results very favorable

for a vegan diet and bone health. Published in the April 2009 issue of

the journal Osteoporosis International, the same researchers directly

examined 105 postmenopausal Mahayana Buddhist nuns, and compared them

to 105 omnivorous women and found, “…although vegans have much

lower intakes of dietary calcium and protein than omnivores, veganism

does not have (an) adverse effect on bone mineral density (BMD) and

does not alter body composition.”

 

The highly publicized study showing negative effects of a vegan

diet was a meta-analysis—a selected compilation of similar studies.

This kind of analysis is notorious for showing bias and is easily

manipulated by the choice of studies included or excluded in the

research paper. Because of the ease of exploitation,

meta-analysis has been referred to as an exercise in “mega-silliness.” Their original research found 922

studies, but after applying exclusion criteria there were only 9

studies left, which included 2749 individuals; 5 studies were of

Asians, populations where osteoporosis-related fractures are much

lower because of their healthier diet and greater physical activity,

than Westerners.

 

This analysis found no correlation between dietary calcium intake

or protein intake and BMD. The results comparing diets of

vegetarians and omnivores with BMD were considered clinically

insignificant by the authors. Furthermore, BMD is a poor predictor of future fracture risk. The

criticisms could go on, making this one of the worst studies ever

published in a respected journal. So why did this article condemning

eating a vegan diet get so much attention?

 

This flawed research telling people worldwide that vegan diets

are bad for the bones was funded by the AMBeR alliance incorporated in

Malaysia, which owns Amber F & B Nutrition Sdn Bhd, a dairy products

producer and wholesaler. This company’s business is the “manufacturing of sweetened condensed

milk, evaporated milk and dairy products.” Once a study is published

then the public relations department of the industry takes over and

sends “Press Releases” to the media worldwide. Because people love

to hear “good news about their bad habits (eating beefsteaks, fried

chicken, cheese, and ice cream),” the press and the public revel in

this good news, even when the conclusions are untrue as in this case.

You might think there would be at least one curious reporter who would

read the research before spreading the lie.

 

You can write the authors at: tuan.nguyen and

ask your questions about the two studies and why the one funded by a

dairy industry showing no relevance to a person’s choice of a vegan

diet and the risk of fracture received so much worldwide

attention.

 

© 2009 John McDougall

McDougall Wellness Center P.O. Box 14039, Santa Rosa, CA

95402

 

http://www.drmcdougall.com

[Guest guest]

Thanks.

 

Jo

 

, yarrow wrote:

>

> Read this McDougall Announcement online:

>

<http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009other/news/090704news.htm>http://www.drmcdo\

ugall.com/misc/2009other/news/090704news.htm

>

>

> Advertising Passed Off As Research

> Confuses the Public Again

>

> Vegetarian Diet " Weakens Bones " (Worldwide headlines July 2, 2009)

>

> A joint Australian-Vietnamese

>

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19571226?ordinalpos=1 & itool=EntrezSystem2.PE\

ntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum>meta-\

analysis

> of 9 observational studies of 2,749 people found

> that vegetarians had bones five percent less

> dense than meat-eaters and vegans were six

> percent weaker. However, the results were of

> such little significance that the authors ended

> their paper by saying: " In conclusion, the

> results of this meta-analysis suggest that there

> is a modest effect of vegetarian diets,

> particularly a vegan diet, on BMD, but the effect

> size is unlikely to result in a clinically

> important increase in fracture risk. "

>

> This article, released ahead of scheduled

> publication, which gives the public the

> perception that the news was so important that it

> could not wait, in the American Journal of

> Clinical Nutrition was by the same authors as the

> vegan-osteoporosis

> <http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/jun/fav5.htm>article

> I discussed in my June 2009 newsletter. The

> article I reported on received little press

> worldwide and showed results very favorable for a

> vegan diet and bone health. Published in the

> April 2009 issue of the journal Osteoporosis

> International, the same researchers directly

> examined 105 postmenopausal Mahayana Buddhist

> nuns, and compared them to 105 omnivorous women

> and found, " …although vegans have much lower

> intakes of dietary calcium and protein than

> omnivores, veganism does not have (an) adverse

> effect on bone mineral density (BMD) and does not

> alter body composition. "

>

> The highly publicized study showing negative

> effects of a vegan diet was a meta-analysis—a

> selected compilation of similar studies. This

> kind of analysis is notorious for showing bias

> and is easily manipulated by the choice of

> studies included or excluded in the research

> paper. Because of the ease of exploitation,

> meta-analysis has been referred to as an exercise

> in

>

" <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed & pubmedid=94512\

74>mega-silliness. "

> Their original research found 922 studies, but

> after applying exclusion criteria there were only

> 9 studies left, which included 2749 individuals;

> 5 studies were of Asians, populations where

> osteoporosis-related fractures are much lower

> because of their healthier diet and greater

> physical activity, than Westerners.

>

> This analysis found no correlation between

> dietary calcium intake or protein intake and BMD.

> The results comparing diets of vegetarians and

> omnivores with BMD were considered clinically

> insignificant by the authors. Furthermore,

> <http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/2004nl/041000puosteo.htm>BMD

> is a poor predictor of future fracture risk. The

> criticisms could go on, making this one of the

> worst studies ever published in a respected

> journal. So why did this article condemning

> eating a vegan diet get so much attention?

>

> This flawed research telling people worldwide

> that vegan diets are bad for the bones was funded

> by the AMBeR alliance incorporated in Malaysia,

> which owns Amber F & B Nutrition Sdn Bhd, a dairy

> products producer and wholesaler. This company's

>

<http://www.alacrastore.com/deal-snapshot/Amber_Alliance_Sdn_Bhd_acquires_F_B_Nu\

trition_Sdn_Bhd-462633>business

> is the " manufacturing of sweetened condensed

> milk, evaporated milk and dairy products. " Once a

> study is published then the public relations

> department of the industry takes over and sends

> " Press Releases " to the media worldwide. Because

> people love to hear " good news about their bad

> habits (eating beefsteaks, fried chicken, cheese,

> and ice cream), " the press and the public revel

> in this good news, even when the conclusions are

> untrue as in this case. You might think there

> would be at least one curious reporter who would

> read the research before spreading the lie.

>

> You can write the authors at:

> <tuan.nguyentuan.nguyen

> and ask your questions about the two studies and

> why the one funded by a dairy industry showing no

> relevance to a person's choice of a vegan diet

> and the risk of fracture received so much

> worldwide attention.

>

> © 2009 John McDougall

> McDougall Wellness Center P.O. Box 14039, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

> <http://www.drmcdougall.com/> http://www.drmcdougall.com

>