Danilo Di Diodoro wrote:
> one of the Italian newspapers asked me to write a news report based on the
> review published in the last issue of Nutrition Bullettin about the
> evidence of efficacy of probiotics. The article seems to be substantially
> sensible, but it was supported by Danone. In the British Nutrition
> Foundation’s website (the Bullettin’s owner), I read that they have a
> Scientific Committee formed mostly of academics, but also an Industrial
> Scientists Committee with people from Pepsi, Danone and Nestlé etc. I am
> very uncertain about this review, because I don’t know the trustworthiness
> of the British Nutrition Foundation’s. Any suggestion, especially by people
> from UK? Thank you for your help. Regards,
Conflict of interest is a factor to consider in evaluating a journal
article, but presence of a conflict should not automatically be a
disqualifying factor.
I'd look for three things.
1. Was the protocol for the research defined carefully prior to data
collection?
2. Were there any contractual constraints on publication (e.g., veto
rights over publication of unfavorable data or limits to access to the
full data set)?
3. Did the article get full and independent peer review?
I'd watch out for journal supplements because they often do not undergo
as rigorous a review process and are sometimes sponsored entirely by
commercial interests. I'd also worry a lot about subjective reviews of
the literature, as these have been abused.
The CONSORT group has a very nice bibliography on conflict of interest at
http://www.consort-statement.org/database/evidence-underpinning-consort/funding/
and many of the papers on that list should be required reading for
anyone involved with EBM.
---
Steve Simon, Standard Disclaimer
"The first three steps in a descriptive
data analysis, with examples in PASW/SPSS"
Thursday, January 21, 2010, 11am-noon, CST.
Details at www.pmean.com/webinars
|