May 25, 2013 | by Kris Gunnars | 11,518 views | 30 Comments
Take Home Message
This was just a sample of two organizations, in one country. The food and drug companies exert their influence all over the world.
Here is a list of many more health organizations who receive money from food and drug companies that have a vested interest in keeping people dependent on bad food and drugs.
I think it’s a conservative estimate that the food and drug companies pay tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars per year to health authorities all over the world to influence their policy and guidelines.
I’m not the kind of guy who believes in “conspiracies” – but it’s hard to ignore things like these when the facts are staring you right in the face.
For the past 6.5 years, I have been pretty much obsessed with nutrition and health.
At first, I thought the government was mostly right and I blindly accepted conventional wisdom.
But as I dug into the literature, I realized that the mainstream authorities seem to have got it mostly wrong.
Their recommendations are based on outdated science that has been thoroughly debunked in the past few decades.
The diet they ALL seem to recommend… a low-fat, calorie restricted diet, has been proven to be useless.
In a massive study that included tens of thousands of people, women who follow such a diet for 7.5 years end up weighing only 0.4kg (1 lb) less than women eating the standard western diet. There is also no effect on heart disease (1, 2).
I asked myself… what is the reason they are still pushing a diet that is proven to be ineffective for the people it is supposed to be helping?
Well, I’ve realized that there are many good reasons for this. In fact, there are tens of millions of good reasons.
It turns out that the organizations that tell us what to eat and why are being sponsored by the food and drug companies, by millions of dollars every year.
The diet these organizations recommend keeps people dependent on the foods and drugs these companies sell. There is such a massive conflict of interest going on that these organizations can not be trusted.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) is “the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals” and formerly known as the American Dietetic Association.
Most health professionals associated with the AND are Registered Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians.
Registered dietitians in the U.S. receive their license from this organization. The AND also has a research journal and is a highly influential organization in shaping public nutrition policy.
The AND recommends that people eat a low-fat, calorie restricted diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, vegetable oils and low-fat dairy products.
They encourage the consumption of sugar as part of a “healthy, balanced diet.”
Who Sponsors The AND?
It is scary that this highly influential health organizations, which educates Registered Dietitians (RDs) and grants them their licenses, is heavily sponsored by companies that sell the unhealthy foods that are making people fat, sick and diabetic.The corporate sponsors of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
- The Coca Cola Company
- Pepsico
- Kellogg’s
- General Mills
- Hershey’s
- Truvia
- SoyJoy
- Abbott Nutrition
- National Dairy Council
- Unilever
Is it possible that this highly influential organization recommends that people eat a high-carb, grain-based diet that includes sugar… because it profits their corporate sponsors?
If you want to learn more about the massive conflicts of interests of the AND, read this damning report created by Michele Simon of Eat Drink Politics.
One of many things uncovered in this report is that companies like Coca Cola and Pepsico provide continuing education courses to RDs… where among other things, they’re “taught” that sugar isn’t harmful to children.
It gets even worse… the AND is actively trying to have laws put in place in the U.S., forbidding everyone who is not an AND-licensed registered dietitian to give dietary advice to others.
If they could have their way, you giving dietary advice to your loved ones (or blogging about it) could land you in jail.
My advice… don’t take dietary advice from anyone who has been sponsored or educated by the likes of The Coca Cola Company.
Of course, this does NOT apply to all registered dietitians.
Many of them seriously object to this conflict of interest and are actively fighting against these financial ties. You can support them on their Facebook page and help spread the word, Dietitians For Professional Integrity.
American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Associaton is a U.S.-based organization dedicated to the fight against diabetes… or so they say.
Their stated purpose is to fund research, deliver services and provide objective and credible information.
They also recommend that people eat a low-fat, high-carb diet. According to them, diabetics should eat 45-65 grams of carbohydrates per meal.
Anyone with a basic understanding of biochemistry knows that carbs get broken down into glucose, which spikes blood sugars. Diabetics can’t handle all that blood sugar and need to take drugs to bring it down, otherwise they’ll get sick and may die.
The people who stand to benefit the most from low-carbohydrate diets are diabetics. Such a diet has been proven to be much more effective against diabetes than a higher carb diet (3, 4, 5).
Anyone with half a brain who has an elementary of understanding of biochemistry will understand how a high-carb causes harm to diabetic patients… and keeps them dependent on drugs.
Why would the American Diabetes Association recommend such an awful diet that keeps people sick?
Maybe their corporate sponsors have something to do with it.
Let’s see which drug companies pay for this excellent advice:
- Abbott Laboratories – 675.741$
- Merck – 1.118.925$
- Amylin Pharmaceuticals – 502.235$
- Novo Nordisk – 3.606.495$
- Eli Lilly and Company – 2.436.840$
- BD Diabetes Care – 526.704$
- GlaxoSmithKline – 145.325$
- Pfizer – 185.073$
This information is right here on the ADA’s official website.
The ADA takes money from companies that sell drugs to treat symptoms of diabetes. Then they tell diabetic patients to eat a diet that keeps them sick and dependent on the drugs sold by these companies.
It’s important to keep in mind that these drugs are no actual solution to the problem. It’s not like people just take a few pills and a few shots of insulin and then live happily ever after.
No, diabetes is a progressive disease and the drugs only mask the symptoms. This disease gets worse over time, ending in early death or heart disease. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness and amputation.
Recommending a high-carb diet to diabetics is a crime against humanity in my opinion, especially when there’s another solution available that is FREE and scientifically proven to work MUCH better.
Take Home Message
This was just a sample of two organizations, in one country. The food and drug companies exert their influence all over the world.Here is a list of many more health organizations who receive money from food and drug companies that have a vested interest in keeping people dependent on bad food and drugs.
I think it’s a conservative estimate that the food and drug companies pay tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars per year to health authorities all over the world to influence their policy and guidelines.
I’m not the kind of guy who believes in “conspiracies” – but it’s hard to ignore things like these when the facts are staring you right in the face.
