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by Marion Nestle
Oct
7
2019
Industry-funded study of the week: cheese this time
The study: Controlled Feeding of an 8-d, High-Dairy Cheese Diet Prevents Sodium-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction in the Cutaneous Microcirculation of Healthy, Older Adults through Reductions in Superoxide. Billie K Alba, Anna E Stanhewicz, Priyankar Dey, Richard S Bruno, W Larry Kenney, Lacy M Alexander. The Journal of Nutrition, nxz205, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz205
The conclusions: “These results demonstrate that incorporating dairy cheese into a high-sodium diet preserves EDD by decreasing the concentration of superoxide radicals. Consuming sodium in cheese, rather than in nondairy sources of sodium, may be an effective strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in salt-insensitive, older adults.”
The funder: “This research was supported by the National Dairy Council.”
The press headline: “Gouda news for cheese lovers: study finds blood health benefit.” The headline is clever but screamed industry-funded. I immediately looked up the actual study to see who had paid for it. The story in NutraIngredients.com reads like a press release. It did not mention the funder. It should have.
My correspondence with the editor of NutraIngredients.com over funding disclosure is the subject of tomorrow’s post. Stay tuned.