Science matters: Using evidence to influence health policy decisions

In April 2005, a non-profit organization petitioned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review the unapproved health claims that dairy product consumption facilitates weight loss, demonstrating that these claims are unsubstantiated and therefore are false and misleading. The FTC was requested to permanently prohibit the use of these claims and related marketing efforts, such as the “Milk your diet. Lose weight!” campaign and to require corrective advertising. At the time of the petition, none of the 9 published observational studies showed weight loss over time in any population group although some observed inverse associations between body weight and dairy product intake. In the 51 clinical trials investigating a relationship between dairy products or calcium on body weight conducted to date, 47 showed no effect (45) or an increase (2) in weight, while only 4 demonstrated weight loss. In May 2007, the FTC responded that, after consultation between FTC and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) the USDA had decided to “discontinue all advertising and marketing activities involving weight loss claims until further research provides stronger, more conclusive evidence of an association between dairy and weight loss.” However, neither the FTC nor the USDA is requiring corrective advertising. While this case demonstrates that scientific evidence can be used to hold industry accountable to health policy, an urgent need remains to provide consumers with access to correct information about the role of foods in health. This and the important role scientists have in policy decisions and information dissemination will be discussed.