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The CDC's bogus study
The Washington Times ^ | 2-28-05

Posted on 02/28/2005 3:54:23 AM PST by SheLion

About a year ago, the Centers for Disease Control issued a highly publicized report stating that obesity-related health problems kill 400,000 Americans every year -- an "epidemic" second only to smoking in causing preventable deaths. The story was big news. A host of outside skeptics, however, such as the Center for Consumer Freedom, questioned the findings, and their efforts eventually forced the CDC to admit that at least part of the study was flawed. Now, despite even more critical evidence, the CDC says its mistakes don't matter.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Government
KEYWORDS: bogus; cdc; consensusscience; flawedstudy; health; inflated; junkscience; lies; numbers; obesity; political; scientificcommunity; studies
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In November, the Wall Street Journal first reported that due to a calculation error, the CDC "may have inflated the study's death toll by about 80,000 fatalities." That wasn't all. Shortly after the study's publication in the March issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), an associate director on science at the CDC wrote an e-mail to his colleagues: "I would never have cleared this paper if I had been given the opportunity to provide a formal review."

    Indeed, the study's flaws went much deeper than mathematics, and the CDC knew it. A story in the May issue of Science magazine found that political considerations might have influenced the authors' work. "Some researchers, including a few at the CDC, ... argue that the paper's compatibility with a new anti-obesity theme in government public health pronouncements -- rather than sound analysis -- propelled it to print," Science reported. Tellingly, many researchers refused to be identified for the story. Said one, "I don't want to lose my job." Meanwhile, CDC researchers released two separate studies over the summer critical of the JAMA paper.

    The CDC finally took action months later by conducting its own internal investigation, which released its findings two weeks ago. "While there was at least one error in the calculations ... the fundamental scientific problem centers around the limitations in both the data and the methodology," the report found. By this point, there was enough evidence undermining the original paper for the CDC to retract it. Instead, it has run just a single correction in the January issue of JAMA that cited "an error in [the CDC's] computations," while saying nothing of the paper's flawed methodology.

    But apparently the CDC doesn't consider methodology to be of much importance. Last week, CCF Director Richard Berman wrote an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that was highly critical of the CDC's conduct regarding the flawed report. In response, CDC chief science officer Dixie E. Snider wrote, "[W]e cannot and should not let this discussion of scientific methodology detract from the real issue." This is dangerous reasoning indeed coming from a scientist.

    It's clear that over the concerns of its own researchers the CDC shamefully pushed a scientifically flawed study to reach some politically correct end. Since then, it has not given contrary evidence publicity equal to the original report. Nothing less than a full retraction of the original study and an apology to the American people can amend these egregious mistakes.

1 posted on 02/28/2005 3:54:24 AM PST by SheLion
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To: Just another Joe; Great Dane; Madame Dufarge; MeeknMing; steve50; KS Flyover; Cantiloper; ...

Ping for comments


2 posted on 02/28/2005 3:54:45 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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To: SheLion

Why does the taxpayers have to pay for a study that any person who has ever been overweight know for themselves?


3 posted on 02/28/2005 3:59:15 AM PST by Coldwater Creek ('We voted like we prayed")
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To: SheLion

Well, I expect they'll retract this when they retract all of the bogus second-hand smoke "studies". And that will be about the time hell freezes over.


4 posted on 02/28/2005 4:01:35 AM PST by walden
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To: SheLion
The politicization of CDC has been going on since David Sencer was fired in 1976, by the Ford Administration.

It's gotten much worse in the last five years, and it's becoming an embarassment.

I feel bad for the career scientists, but the politicians they work for are whores, and there's no future there for them if they don't toe, or avoid altogether, the party line.

5 posted on 02/28/2005 4:05:26 AM PST by Jim Noble
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To: SheLion
"[W]e cannot and should not let this discussion of scientific methodology detract from the real issue." This is dangerous reasoning indeed coming from a scientist.

Yes, but there are more scientists out there who think and work this way than not. It's just human nature to think you know the answer and just go out looking for the data to support it. It takes a lot of discipline to gather data objectively.

6 posted on 02/28/2005 4:05:55 AM PST by hopespringseternal
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To: mariabush; SheLion
There are people—such as my father, unfortunately—who will look at this and other studies as a means for arguing with his doctor as to why being 150 pounds overweight is perfectly fine. When my father's blood sugar finally topped out over 700, he finally acknowledged that he had type II diabetes

While this research may have been flawed, it does not mean that scientific research into the problem is not warranted

7 posted on 02/28/2005 4:06:12 AM PST by Military family member (Go Colts!)
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To: SheLion
Perfect example of the "junk" science that so permeates academia.Truth is now considered fungible and theories,such as global warming,are counted as fact based on consensus not unbiased observation and testing.
8 posted on 02/28/2005 4:13:34 AM PST by carlr
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To: mariabush
Why does the taxpayers have to pay for a study that any person who has ever been overweight know for themselves?

What ever happened to personal responsibility?  Why is the government all of a sudden in everyone's face?  It's turning a LOT of us off, and that's a fact. 

9 posted on 02/28/2005 4:26:16 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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To: SheLion
Policy should drive research, not the other way around. Shame on any "scientist" (Jay Silverman, Harvard University) who will corrupt his research in order to present a false finding that supports his own political agenda.

The scientific community should wake up and condemn and shun these slimeballs.
10 posted on 02/28/2005 4:27:13 AM PST by Fido969
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To: walden
Well, I expect they'll retract this when they retract all of the bogus second-hand smoke "studies". And that will be about the time hell freezes over

Or when their well runs dry for their money load.

11 posted on 02/28/2005 4:27:44 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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To: carlr

who the hell is in charge over at the CDC, jocelyn elders ???


12 posted on 02/28/2005 4:28:01 AM PST by kingattax
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To: Jim Noble
I feel bad for the career scientists, but the politicians they work for are whores, and there's no future there for them if they don't toe, or avoid altogether, the party line.

Others say 'if we don't like it, change it.'  How the heck are we change anything?  The lawmakers promise up the moon to get our votes, then once in office, they could care LESS about their constituents.  We write letters to them, only to hear them say "We are working hard on this one, or we are outnumbered on the floor, ' blah blah blah.  Anything to keep putting us off.

I was brought up to believe there are no honest politicians.  I am beginning to see this come true.  Very sad.

13 posted on 02/28/2005 4:30:45 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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To: carlr
Perfect example of the "junk" science that so permeates academia.Truth is now considered fungible and theories,such as global warming,are counted as fact based on consensus not unbiased observation and testing.

So many of the general public believe what the CDC, and the FDA report on, and when these corporations are caught in big huge lies "for political gain," where does it stop?  Who are we to believe?  I am very skeptical now of believing anything they put in print.


14 posted on 02/28/2005 4:33:40 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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To: Fido969
The scientific community should wake up and condemn and shun these slimeballs.

Don't we wish they would!

Just like the EPA went into Ground Zero the day after the attack and deemed the air to cause no long term problems.

Well, we see what has happened THERE! 

15 posted on 02/28/2005 4:35:25 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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To: kingattax
who the hell is in charge over at the CDC, jocelyn elders ???

Sounds about right. heh!  Someone needs to pull their head out.  If they think they can keep this stuff away from us, they have another thought coming.  And they are being paid some cushy salaries to lie to us????  This is ridiculous.

16 posted on 02/28/2005 4:37:06 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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To: Military family member
While this research may have been flawed, it does not mean that scientific research into the problem is not warranted

I would agree however it is very important that the CDC, the FDA and the NIH stand for something. It is becoming more and more apparent that all three organizations have dropped the ball in their task of representing good science and protecting the public. They are failing to present sound health advice based on solid study. There is no question obesity is a health risk. There are dozens of real studies that confirm that. What the CDC wanted was something that would make a good sound bite. By doing things like this they call all their studies into doubt. The CDC may justify this by saying they did it for the public's own good. It is not in the public's best interest to lie to them. It is certainly not in the CDC's best interest to tarnish their own reputation by seeking political ends.

17 posted on 02/28/2005 4:39:50 AM PST by foolscap
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To: SheLion
It will be interesting to see where this goes, specially due to the identical strategy used to push the second hand smoke scare, which continues to steamroller common sense and property rights.
18 posted on 02/28/2005 4:42:00 AM PST by Publius6961 (The most abundant things in the universe are ignorance, stupidity and hydrogen)
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To: foolscap
By doing things like this they call all their studies into doubt. The CDC may justify this by saying they did it for the public's own good. It is not in the public's best interest to lie to them. It is certainly not in the CDC's best interest to tarnish their own reputation by seeking political ends.

Yes, and not only that, but they are being paid those cushy salaries to lie to us for their own political agenda. 

It's coming down to the fact that no one will believe them for anything in the future. These corporations are caught in one lie, and that one lie can bring them down in a heart beat. I'd love to see that, believe me!

19 posted on 02/28/2005 4:43:58 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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To: Publius6961
It will be interesting to see where this goes, specially due to the identical strategy used to push the second hand smoke scare, which continues to steamroller common sense and property rights.

Sooner or later the general public WILL wake up to what is going on behind closed doors.


20 posted on 02/28/2005 4:45:03 AM PST by SheLion (The America we once knew and loved ........................is gone.)
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