Sound Science to Benefit Public Health

As public funding for food and nutrition research has declined, the industry has provided funding to continue to further nutrition science exploration and research on the health benefits of foods and eating patterns. However, some media and stakeholders have raised concerns about perceived bias and conflict of interest in industry-funded studies, alleging results are skewed and communicated to reflect favorably on the funder.

In 2017, the American Heart Association’s Industry Nutrition Advisory Panel convened two multi-stakeholder expert panels including representatives from academia, communications, marketing and the media to discuss ways to strengthen the rigor and integrity of industry-funded nutrition research. These presentations fostered open dialogue and debate on the issue from a variety of perspectives and experts.

The resulting white paper, Sound Science to Benefit the Public’s Health, presents a summary of the panel discussions and best practices for research collaboration, recognizing potential risk for bias, preserving the integrity of scientific conduct, and communication of results.

The presentations and information in the paper do not necessarily represent the opinions, support or endorsement of the American Heart Association or the members of the American Heart Association Industry Nutrition Advisory Panel.