"U.S. Diet Panel Under Scrutiny for Alcohol Industry Connections"
The National Academies, responsible for updating the federal government's dietary guidelines, has added a Harvard professor with financial ties to the alcohol industry to its committee assessing the evidence about drinking and health, following the removal of two experts with similar conflicts of interest. Critics are concerned about the influence of industry-funded researchers on the committee, especially as studies on moderate drinking's health effects have come under scrutiny in recent years. The committee's task is to review the relationship between drinking and various health issues, including obesity, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive health, amid growing doubts about the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.