June 15, 2025 — The previously unquestioned American leadership in science is evaporating. Groundbreaking medical research is stopping abruptly. Research institutes at NIH are disappearing. As this unfolds, the response of many people in supposed roles of scientific leadership has been to duck and take cover. Tell us when it’s over and we can get back to work. Yes, […]
May 5, 2025 — The first ever estimates of the economic impact of cuts to U.S. government-funded research are out from economists at American University in Washington. The current administration has already frozen billions of dollars in research funding. The president’s budget proposal last week called for cutting funding to the National Science Foundation by more than half. The […]
April 29, 2025 — Is this a grand finale? Or a requiem? In The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology yesterday, a new 21-year analysis of outcomes from the Diabetes Prevention Program memorialized an epic study. Even after 21 years, the Diabetes Prevention Program yielded a 24% reduction in the cumulative risk of developing type 2 diabetes, along with detailed outcomes […]
April 19, 2025 — This is an odd way of making America healthy. In fact, the recent, chaotic actions of the new administration seem destined to do precisely the opposite by slashing research and censoring scientists who labor long and hard to advance medical knowledge. A new letter in Lancet puts it bluntly: “In the setting of stalling life […]
March 25, 2025 — People who know describe the National Institutes of Health as the crown jewels of American biomedical research. It is the biggest public funder of medical research in the world. It appears that our government is in the process of burning down a great deal of medical science at NIH. This is becoming obvious, even though […]
March 21, 2025 — The new administration in Washington says it wants to Make America Healthy Again by bringing an intense focus on chronic disease. This is a concept we endorse without reservation. But talk is turning into balk when it comes down to following through on the scientific research essential for reducing the burden of chronic disease. A […]
July 31, 2023 — The subject of sweeteners stirs emotions almost constantly. The World Health organization has been on a tear lately, suggesting the the sweetener aspartame might be carcinogenic and that non-sugar sweeteners have “deadly long-term consequences.” Some experts will even suggest non-nutritive sweeteners can cause weight gain. So we welcome the appearance of a more balanced view, […]
March 20, 2022 — “Focusing on cancer, focusing on obesity, focusing on diabetes, a whole range of diseases … we’re going to make significant breakthroughs.” This in a nutshell is the aspiration for ARPA-H, as voiced by President Joe Biden. It is a new agency with a billion dollars of funding for the next three years, passed in a bipartisan […]
September 18, 2017 — “We need a safe space to rethink our assumptions.” This phrase came from a recent summary panel on food environments and obesity prevention. Later, the speaker explained. We need that safe space, she said, because a disproven assumption puts funding at risk. So people are reluctant to speak candidly. It was a stark reminder. The […]
September 8, 2017 — “Don’t trust research funded by industry.” Suspicion runs deep about commercial funding for research, especially in nutrition. So, we imagine many heads were nodding recently when Justin Rankin and colleagues reported a signal of funding bias in obesity studies. Consistent with prevailing beliefs, their report suggested that industry-funded studies were the most likely to selectively report […]
