When sugar beat science: The decades-old study that doomed our diets

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ALIX RIJCKAERT.A picture taken on November 18, 2011 shows sugar obtained from sugar beets in French firm Tereos' sugar refinery in the French northern town of Lilliers. Last rainy summer is synonymous with a record harvest for northern France beet greemers. AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

What happens when you combine Harvard researchers, money, and an unscrupulous trade group? Answer: a massive conflict of interest.

In the mid-1960s, Harvard researchers examined the relationship between the American diet and heart disease — a leading cause of death among men.

At the time, experts disagreed over what caused heart disease: some blamed sugar, others blamed fat and cholesterol. The widely-distributed review singled out fat and cholesterol, downplaying the effects of sucrose. The problem? The analysis was funded and controlled by a sugar industry trade group.

It's a discovery made by Cristin Kearns, a dentist researcher at UC San Francisco. Take Two spoke with Kearns to learn more.

Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.