http://www.grist.org/article/hfcs-study-authors-defend-work-against-attacks/Marion Nestle, along with other nutritionists have joined the Corn Refiners Association in criticizing the recent Princeton study on High Fructose Corn Syrup. Indeed the very title of Nestle's post on the subject -- "HFCS makes rats fat?" -- seems to question the well-established practice of using rats to test hypotheses regarding human nutrition.
While I personally found her objections unpersuasive, she raised several issues with the researchers work that have been echoed far and wide. She questioned the methodology of the study as well as whether there was indeed a direct comparison made between HFCS and sucrose. She also claimed the following:
>snip<
In sum, he basically declared Nestle incorrect. According to Hoebel, the researchers did compare rats which consumed HFCS with those which consumed sucrose directly and they did carefully record and present in the paper precise caloric intake for each rat, as well as the source. He also observed that they put anti-drip guards on the liquid dispensers and picked up any spilled chow to eliminate the risk of overestimating caloric consumption. As Hoebel put it a bit puckishly: "This is all explained in the article for anyone who wants to study it carefully."
It appears that Nestle didn't review the study rigorously. It's certainly true that she has long been skeptical of finger-pointing studies on particular ingredients. She feels strongly that all processed sweeteners are bad (which they are) but her reaction to this study 1) suggests that in this case her bias has gotten the better of her objective review of new research and 2) inadvertantly aids the very corporate behemoths that she has spent much of her career combating. The food industry is already touting Nestle's opposition to the study as an indication of its lack of merit.
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