The Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Harvard Scientists To Make Fat Look Bad, 50 Years Ago

Sit back and listen to his sweet piece of sugar news. NPR reports that in the 1960s, the sugar industry funded research that played down how dangerous sugar was and shifted the blame of heart disease to fat.

A recent article published by JAMA Internal Medicine, sheds some light on what transpired 50 years ago. Through internal documents, the article shows that an industry group called the Sugar Research Foundation was trying to disprove the role of sugar in heart disease.

Around that time, there had been concerns about sugar being a possible contributor to the coronary illness. In an effort to quell the issue, the SRF took action.

In 1965, the SRF sponsored a report from Harvard nutrition professors that essentially said there wasn’t much of a link between sugar and heart disease. Instead, that report shifted the blame to fat and heart disease. There was not even any mention at all that the sugar industry had sponsored it.

We know today that too much sugar essentially leads to weight gain and diabetes, significantly contributing to the risk of heart disease.

Now we can’t help but wonder what else is low-key bad for us. Fortunately, it’s almost time for lunch and we’re grabbing some BBQ. Nothing healthier than some good all-American red meat.