WASHINGTON- Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom cautioned consumers to seek a second opinion before they radically alter their diets to conform to recommendations issued by the American Institute for Cancer Research.
“Sometimes it seem like the leading cause of cancer is life itself,” said Center for Consumer Freedom Senior Research Analyst J. Justin Wilson. “If it’s not red wine or chocolate, it’s coffee, fish and just about every other food we eat. Reports like this don’t offer any meaningful answers. Just more confusion.”
Wilson continued: “Cancer death rates are at an all-time low and Americans’ life expectancy is at an all-time high. Before nutrition activists run with AICR’s conclusions and force-feed us another round of hyperbole, they ought to look at these important statistics.”
Considering the report’s doomsday forecast, it comes as no surprise that Dr. Philip James is presenting the bad news. As the Center for Consumer Freedom detailed in its report, An Epidemic of Obesity Myths, James has a long history of stirring up fears about obesity for the weight loss industry.
In 2005, London’s Daily Mail newspaper reported that James “was at the centre of a sleaze row … after it was revealed he has been paid undisclosed consultancy fees by makers of weight-loss drugs.” According to The Daily Mail, James’ International Obesity Task Force received 75 percent of its 2005 annual budget from pharmaceutical companies, many of which are currently marketing or developing anti-obesity drugs.
Consumers have all the tools they need to eat a healthy diet, but unfortunately, many government regulators have forgotten the old adage about the consumer being king. Instead, they suggest that the government — armed with “the latest study” — knows what is best for us to eat and drink.
