More Drug Company Ads In Medical Journals Equals More Negative Vitamin Studies

This study showed that journals that had the most drug company ads published 16 times (67 divided by 4) more negative studies about dietary supplements than journals with the fewest drug company ads.

This is an interesting smoking gun that points at drug company money promoting the publication of negative vitamin studies because the drug companies know that dietary supplements compete with drugs by making people healthier so they don't take as many drugs.

Michael Mooney
www.michaelmooney.net
www.medibolics.com
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Kathi J Kemper and Kaylene L Hood. Does pharmaceutical advertising affect journal publication about dietary supplements? BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2008, 8:11

In a review of 11 major medical journals, pharmaceutical advertisements (pharmads) accounted for 1.5% to 76% of ad pages.

The percentage of major articles concluding that dietary supplements were unsafe was 4% in journals with fewest and 67% among those with the most pharmads. The percentage of articles concluding that dietary supplements were ineffective was 50% higher among journals with more ads than among those with fewer pharmads (P = 0.4).

Conclusion
These data are consistent with the hypothesis that increased pharmaceutical advertising is associated with publishing more articles with conclusions that dietary supplements are unsafe.

To read the full study, go to: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/8/11