You Only Get One

I was talking to a buddy the other day and he had a great line. It was:

"You only get one conspiracy theory. That's it. If you choose more than one people stop believing you are credible."

It made me think of a couple paragraphs I read in T. Colin Campbell's The China Study. The paragraphs were as follows:

"You might be inclined to think that industry pays scientists under the table to "cook the data," bribes government officials, or conducts illegal activities. Many people love a sensational story. But the powerful interests that maintain the status quo do not usually conduct illegal business. As far as we know, they do not pay scientists to cook the data. They do not bribe elected officials or make sordid underhanded deals.

The situation is much worse.

The entire system-government, science, medicine, industry, media, and academia promotes profits over health, technology over food, and confusion over clarity. Most, but not all, of the confusion about nutrition is created in legal, fully disclosed ways and is disseminated by unsuspecting, well-intentioned people, whether they are researchers, politicians, or journalists. The most damaging aspect of the system is not sensational, nor is it likely to create much of a stir upon its discovery. It is a silent enemy that few people see and understand."

-T. Collin Campbell, page 245, The China Study

Well there you go. Not much to add to that whopper of a quote. It is all about clear, legal, and obvious incentive structures. Now you can understand why there is confusion in nutrition AAAAAnd you get to keep hold of another conspiracy theory AAAAAAnd stay credible.

So save your conspiracy theory for something else. Be it aliens, big foot, the moon walk, the JFK assassination, take your pick, but now you don't have to burn the card on nutrition.

For a more thorough dig into this with nutrition check out Marion Nestle's Food Politics and if you want to look at the pharmaceutical industry check out John Abramson's book Sickening.

Cited:

Campbell, T. C., & Campbell, T. M. (2016). The China study: Revised and expanded edition: The most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling implications for diet, weight loss, and long-term health. BenBella Books, Inc..