This needed a study????

Once again I first heard something on NPR and then read about it the SF Chronicle that made me wonder, "and this is big news because........"

Grant money was spent for a study that concluded that when studies dealing with the health effects of beverages are funded by a particular beverage industry group, the results are positively skewed towards that particular beverage. Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist who led the work, said, "We found evidence that's strongly suggestive of bias." Of course, the beverage industry representatives don't let this go without a fight. "This is yet another attack on industry by activists who demonstrate their own biases in their review by looking only at the funding source and not judging the research on its merits" says Susan Neely, president of the American Beverage Association.

I don't know why money was wasted to a study to find out about the bias of other studies. First of all, it's pretty much a given and secondly--who really cares. There's also a bit of the pot calling the kettle black in this instance. The grant money came from the Charles H. Hood Foundation, "which finances research on children's issues at Ludwig's hospital." So Dr. Ludwig gets a study that basically acts as an advertisement himself and his work while beating on the beverage industries for studies they use for their advertising.

In my opinion, all of this is a waste of money that could be put to much better and more pressing use in the area of children's health. They should all be ashamed.......