Mela David J
Valkenswaard, The Netherlands.
Curr Dev Nutr. 2024 Jul 17;8(8):104413. doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104413. eCollection 2024 Aug.
There is a high level of concern about the possible influence of commercial organizations on food-related research and professional bodies, including regulatory and advisory panels. This has contributed to an increased emphasis on the declaration and management of conflicts of interest (CoI) in the reporting, evaluation, and application of research in nutrition science. However, common perceptions of CoI in nutrition, and procedures for declaring and managing these, often lack intellectual rigor and consistency. This commentary highlights 3 main issues related to CoI in nutrition, particularly the emphasis on industry-related CoI relative to other sources of conflict and bias. ) Considerations of CoI in nutrition are largely limited to financial or collaborative links to the food industry, disregarding other important sources of influence such as intellectual allegiances or nonindustry financial and professional incentives. ) Associations with industry incur , often punitive stigmatization of individuals and their research, and inappropriate downgrading or exclusion of evidence. This disproportionately affects expertise in the food and agricultural sciences, in which commercial collaborations are widely encouraged. ) These practices and related approaches to managing CoI are applied without due consideration of the nature of the conflicts and activities involved, the qualifications of individuals, or the availability of other, objective methods and guidance for assessing research quality and risks of bias. Overall, recognition of the nature and range of CoI in nutrition and approaches to their identification and management lack consistency and balance. A singular and strict focus specifically on industry-related CoI may paradoxically exacerbate rather than mitigate imbalance and bias in the field. This commentary outlines the underlying issues and the need for more comprehensive and nuanced approaches to the assessment, reporting, and management of CoI in nutrition.
人们高度关注商业组织对与食品相关的研究及专业机构（包括监管和咨询小组）可能产生的影响。这使得在营养科学研究的报告、评估和应用中，对利益冲突（CoI）的声明和管理愈发受到重视。然而，对营养领域利益冲突的普遍认知以及声明和管理这些冲突的程序，往往缺乏严谨性和一致性。本评论重点强调了与营养领域利益冲突相关的三个主要问题，特别是相对于其他冲突和偏见来源，对与行业相关的利益冲突的过度强调。）营养领域对利益冲突的考量在很大程度上局限于与食品行业的财务或合作关系，而忽视了其他重要的影响来源，如学术忠诚或非行业财务及专业激励。）与行业的关联往往会给个人及其研究带来惩罚性的污名化，以及对证据的不当贬低或排除。这对食品和农业科学领域的专业知识产生了不成比例的影响，而在这些领域，商业合作是被广泛鼓励的。）这些做法以及相关的利益冲突管理方法在应用时，没有充分考虑所涉及冲突和活动的性质、个人资质，也没有考虑是否有其他客观方法和指南来评估研究质量和偏见风险。总体而言，对营养领域利益冲突的性质和范围以及识别和管理这些冲突的方法的认识缺乏一致性和平衡性。仅仅单一且严格地关注与行业相关的利益冲突，可能反而会加剧而非减轻该领域的失衡和偏见。本评论概述了潜在问题，以及在营养领域对利益冲突进行评估、报告和管理时采用更全面、细致入微的方法的必要性。
