Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD (2016)

Government Guidelines, Lobbies, and Propaganda

• Many see the old food pyramid and current USDA “MyPlate” as products of lobbying (grain, meat, dairy, eggs) rather than neutral nutrition science.
• Some argue MyPlate’s macronutrient split looks reasonable and less meat-centric than critics claim; others respond that conflicts of interest (including a court ruling about hidden conflicts) are enough to make the whole scheme untrustworthy.
• Several recall being taught the pyramid as unquestioned “fact” in school and note that federal programs (school lunch, SNAP) operationalize these guidelines, so distortions matter.

Dairy, Culture, and Lobby Power

• One thread argues dairy is nutritionally unnecessary and its prominent placement in US graphics is lobby-driven and culturally biased, given high rates of intolerance and its historically limited geographic use.
• Opponents say guidelines should reflect prevailing US food culture, where dairy is widely consumed, and excluding it would misleadingly imply it cannot be part of a balanced diet.

RFK/MAHA and the “Inverted” Pyramid

• Commenters link this old sugar-industry episode to current MAHA/RFK dietary moves that emphasize red meat, whole milk, and saturated fat while attacking “ultra-processed” and sugary foods.
• Some see RFK’s “eat real food” message as overdue pushback against captured institutions; others call his proposals unevidenced “quackery” and worry about politicized swings: low-fat → high-fat → another reversal with each administration.

Sugar vs. Fat in Cardiovascular Disease

• One camp stresses that both added sugar/refined carbs and saturated fat contribute to CVD; focusing on one to exonerate the other is seen as a common rhetorical trick.
• Another camp argues carbohydrates—especially sugar and processed carbs—are the main drivers of obesity, insulin resistance, and CVD, citing low-carb/keto success stories and cultures eating mostly meat and fat.
• Mechanistic discussions mention high blood sugar damaging vessels, inflammation, triglycerides from fructose, and multi-step plaque formation; others emphasize that overweight itself is a key mediator.

Processed Foods and Eating Patterns

• Broad agreement that ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, and “low-fat but high-sugar” products are harmful, regardless of macro ideology.
• Several advocate avoiding industrially processed foods and cooking from whole ingredients, while acknowledging cost, time, and access barriers.

Nutrition Science, Corruption, and Trust

• The UCSF “sugar papers” are used as evidence that industry money can bias literature reviews and messaging; some note the bribes were small yet still influential.
• Others caution against overgeneralizing from one documented case to “all nutrition science is fake,” but concede the field is noisy, full of confounders, and vulnerable to grifters and corporate spin.
• There is debate over whether fraudulent or biased research is meaningfully policed, feeding generalized skepticism toward “trust the science” in nutrition.