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Irresponsible chocolate milk research at the University of Maryland

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Piecake

Member
Academic press offices are known to overhype their own research. But the University of Maryland recently took this to appalling new heights — trumpeting an incredibly shoddy study on chocolate milk and concussions that happened to benefit a corporate partner.

It's a cautionary tale of just how badly science can go awry as universities increasingly partner with corporations to conduct research.

The story started when the University of Maryland issued a press release about a new study on the effects of a single brand of chocolate milk on cognitive and motor skill tests in high school athletes.

The scientists had found that drinking the milk appeared to improve the kids' test scores and reduce concussion-related symptoms.

The first problem here is that the research itself is breathtakingly suspect. There was no comparison group or treatment in the study. The scientists didn't even test another brand of chocolate milk. They only looked at a Fifth Quarter Fresh, which its maker claims comes from "super, natural cows."

As it turns out, the maker of Fifth Quarter Fresh chocolate milk — which comes from a dairy cooperative in Hagerstown, Maryland — funded 10 percent of the study, and the university funded the rest.

So here we have a milk manufacturer working in partnership with the University of Maryland to fund a sloppy study, and the university then blasts the results, persuading schools and the press that this milk works wonders on students' brains.

It's everything wrong with modern-day science-by-press-release in one anecdote.

http://www.vox.com/2016/1/16/10777050/university-of-maryland-chocolate-milk

That is brazen. On another note, brazen does not look like a real word to me when type it out
 

shira

Member
Screen_Shot_2016-01-15_at_4.25.12_PM.0.png


ROFL
 

Wilsongt

Member
There's a reason why you have to declare conflict of interests when you publish as well as who funded your research so everyone knows if your research might be biased.
 

RDreamer

Member
I don't understand how funding only 10% of the study would get you this much sway. If we were talking 40% to 60%, maybe, but 10? the fuck?
 
happens all the time. That's why when you submit an article you have to say where funding came from or if there is any conflict of interest in the study. Makes it easier to find the bullshit ones like this one. Sometimes ppl won't submit findings b/c it doesnt show that the system theyre using or put money into works or is better than the competition.
 
What's in it for the University? The "research" was 90% funded by them and 10% by the company? I assume the Uni got kickbacks or somesuch to make up for their 90% involvement? Or am I missing something?
 

xxracerxx

Don't worry, I'll vouch for them.
I will never, ever drink pre-mixed chocolate milk. They use the milk that isn't white enough for on the shelf sales to make the chocolate milk.
 

akira28

Member
Ok Look. there are far more important issues at stake in the world today than a chocolate milk company giving some small support to a local university. I have no reason to believe that any dishonesty was intended here, and will wait until all evidence is available before I decide how I feel about this delicious chocolate milk.
 

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
Chocolate milk actually makes a good deal of sense as a post-workout drink. You get protein and sugar together.

Probably won't turn you into he-man overnight, though
 

akira28

Member
Hahaha, wow.

This is an amazing thing to have learned.

It doesn't really gross me out that bad. You eat plenty of cow blood in a good steak.

you know, when people want a juicy steak the juicy they imagine should be rendered fat and grease, not muscle juice and blood.
 
That is a very different thing than what is in chocolate milk.

I always assumed what you get from a rare steak to be cow's blood. We got a lot of beef cuts from a beef auction, my grandmother had bought a whole cow and had it "processed" or whatever you call it. A lot of the meat from that was much bloodier than what you get in the store.

How is it different then? I am pretty interested about all this.
 

akira28

Member
I tend to think the brown of the meat is the myoglobin, because some times when you cook and you pierce the flesh, blood will come out, congeal and turn brown. I know the meat is ready when I pierce the flesh and only fat comes out.
 

low-G

Member
I can totally see why this happens so much, and that so much "science" that comes out of universities these days is so tainted. Because there is an absolute demand to produce something (that is: do research and find something), the universities are eagerly pushing people towards nonsense results.

I struggle to even think of an adequate analogy. It's like asking a child to find a gemstone within 24 hours found in your house and they present you with a sock.
 
Looking for a link.



I said not white enough, not that it was bloody.

I don't think you can sell different milk because its sold with some chocolate mixed in.

The level of blood allowed in dairy milk sold in the US is none, for all types of dairy milk.

Dairy farms dont ship off good and less good batches of milk for processing either. It all gets sent over in a big tank or semi tanker.

Dairy milk is not necessarily a great thing to be drinking all the time but this seems like an anti-dairy fairy tale.
 
The part that gets me is apparently you only need to fund 10% of a study to get a ridiculously bogus study done.

I mean, I would have expected 100% plus a gratuity, they must be desperate.
 
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