American Diabetic Association Chokes on its Own Double-Talk

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http://www.mercola.com/2005/jul/5/ada_chief.htm

 

American Diabetic Association Chokes on its Own Double-Talk

 

t's no secret the drug companies have Congress in the palm of their

hand, spending more than $750 million on lobbying--more than any other

special-interest group. Yet these handouts from various groups in

corporate America, aimed at justifying a point of view that can

severely devastate the public's health, extend farther than Congress ...

 

For instance, the recent $1 million alliance between the American

Diabetic Association (ADA) and Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages to

support the association in its efforts to fight obesity and diabetes

in America is a prime example. Though, when push came to shove, the

ADA fumbled on its own words in a discussion between Dr. Richard Kahn,

the ADA's chief scientific and medical officer, and the Corporate

Crime Reporter (CCR).

 

Getting to the Bottom of It

 

While the exchange between Kahn and the CCR was certainly

intriguing--shedding light on why the ADA accepts money from big

corporate donors--one particular bout in the conversation was worth

addressing:

 

CCR: Would you take money from the sugar industry?

 

KAHN: No.

 

CCR: If there were no strings attached?

 

KAHN: If there were absolutely no strings attached and they

couldn't announce that they were doing it, and they are not putting

our name and logo on something, you would have to say yes. I'm giving

you all of the qualifications.

 

CCR: What about if they were allowed to put out a press release

saying -- we're giving $2 million to the American Diabetes

Association, but they can't use the logo?

 

KAHN: Let's not take hypotheticals. You could say -- would you

take $2 million from the gun lobby?

 

CCR: But guns don't have anything to do with diabetes. Sugar does

have something to do with diabetes.

 

KAHN: What?

 

What is the evidence that sugar itself has anything to do with

diabetes? There is no evidence.

 

CCR: There is no evidence that sugar has anything to do with diabetes?

 

KAHN: None. There is not a shred of evidence that sugar per se has

anything to do with getting diabetes.

 

Later in the interview, the CCR again addresses the sugar issue, saying:

 

CCR: Let's go over this again. If the sugar industry came to you

and said -- here is two million dollars, no strings attached, you

would take that money?

 

KAHN: Not the pure sugar industry. If they are selling bags of

sugar, that doesn't satisfy our food guidelines.

 

CCR: They are not going to put the ADA label on anything.

 

KAHN: They are going to promote the fact that they gave us money.

 

In the Cadbury case, we have only allowed them to associate their

name and ours with diet colas. We think it will be much easier to move

the country away from other foods into foods with reduced calories

than it will be to just simply to ban the stuff people want and won't

give up. They want it with a passion.

 

Finally, when the CCR hits a core point about diet drinks and

artificial sweeteners, the response is, to say the least, shocking:

 

CCR: You are pushing diet drinks. Some people say that some

artificial sweeteners are unsafe.

 

What's your take?

 

KAHN: I don't think that there is any artificial sweetener on the

market that has been shown to be unsafe.

 

It appears the sad reality, based on the interview, is that even some

of the most well-known health organizations in the world are clueless

about promoting good health when it comes to protecting their donors.

 

Corporate Crime Reporter May 16, 2005 (Free Full-Text Article)

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

I highlighted the statements by the chief scientific and medical

officer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and I could NOT

believe what I was reading.

 

The ADA chief medical officer simply does not believe that sugar OR

artificial sweeteners have anything to do with diabetes. This can only

mean one thing in my view--that this person has sacrificed his

integrity for some type of payment.

 

Nearly everyone reading this newsletter understands the relationship

between sugar and diabetes. In fact, my guess is that nearly anyone

who has finished fifth grade has this base understanding.

 

Most of you understand the role insulin and leptin play in sugar

metabolism.

 

If the ADA chief is not on the take, then his delusional ineptitude is

quite remarkable indeed. I am still stunned and find it incredibly

hard to believe that any physician would state this in public. These

types of grossly misleading statements by a supposed expert should be

grounds for civil and criminal penalties.

 

It is this type of moronic nonsense that is contributing to the

epidemics of diabetes and obesity that this country is facing. The ADA

is not doing one shred of good by promoting this type of misinformation.

 

If you ever see any request for donations for the ADA, please wake up

and inform your friends and family, as with these types of statements

and behavior they are actually worsening the plight of diabetics--not

improving it.

 

Related Articles:

 

The Diabetes Conundrum: What Physicians are Teaching You may be

Killing You

 

The ADA Now Says It is OK For Diabetics To Have Sugar

 

Counting the Many Ways Sugar Harms Your Health