Food scientists study the nutrients in food
to figure out what effect they have on health. It is very difficult to
determine whether a particular nutrient is good or bad. They are not isolated
from other nutrients in the foods, the other foods in the diet or how the food
is processed. Food manufacturers, needing results that support purchasing their
product, fund studies by scientists willing to focus on the nutrients in their
product. This has led to reductionist science supporting industry instead of consumers.
The first food scientists focused on
macronutrients- protein, carbohydrate and fat. Soon they realized that
micronutrients- minerals and vitamins- were important too. Then they began the
process of demonizing some individual nutrients and idolizing others. Whether
it was Kellogg's cereal or margarine, real food was transfigured into an
imitation that scientists claimed would make us healthier.
Since many food scientists still believe
that food can be reduced to its components,they continue to search for the
magic nutrient. Today we take vitamins, fiber pills and antioxidants hoping to
live longer. People may be living longer but they are not healthier. Studying mortality obscures the fact that measures
of health have been declining. Lifestyle diseases like diabetes and
hypertension cost hundreds of billions of dollars a year in treatment. Improvements in medicine cover for the
abysmal state of food.
One of the earliest failures of food science
was baby formula. Scientists wanted to invent a replacement for human milk.
They have not succeeded. While formulas have improved, infants are still
healthier when fed human milk. The
formula may include 29 nutrients, but it has no antibodies from the
mother. Formula maybe nutrition but it
is not food.
Margarine was another food science failure.
In an effort to create a healthier substitute for butter, they made trans fats.
Both of my parents grew up with margarine instead of butter. Their moms were
protecting their health by listening to the experts. Unfortunately the experts
were wrong. Trans fats are now banned in
New York City.
What is causing food scientists' repeated
failures?If we set aside the
politicians, lobbyists and industry funding, the research is tainted anyway. It
is impossible to do a randomized, double blind study on the effects of
particular foods on health. There is no way to randomly choose people who eat
broccoli. Instead food science is reduced to what we can study, without making
note of methodology flaws.
Food is more than the sum of its
nutrients. It is a mother's antibodies, a grandma's recipe, Bareburger's
ambiance and Sunday dinner. Scientists who hope to make us healthier must
acknowledge their limits. The rest of us should
" eat food, not too much, mostly plants. " 1
1 Pollan, Michael. In Defence of Food: An
Eater's Manifesto. Penguin Books, 2009. Print.
