NIH Will Examine Ethical Problems of One of Their Studies

The National Institutes of Health will examine one of their studies to see if there were some ethical problems. This study was related to the health effects of a daily glass of wine. The director of the NIH’s mentioned that he has already assigned advisers to see if one of the researchers made a mistake or modified the data.

Researchers Could Be in Cahoots with the Liquor Industry

This research was funded by the liquor industry and that is why some are suspicious about the results. An article from the New York Times was the one that lead to the investigation. In the article, it’s said that some scientists asked the liquor industry to pay for the research in order for the study to shows that there are health benefits from drinking every day.

This story also showed that the researchers presented their ideas in different meetings where the beverage-industry directors were participants. It is believed that this happened between 2013 and 2014. One of the scientists mentioned that the research couldn’t be done without funds from the beverage industry.

The director of the NIH, Francis Collins, mentioned that the study is important because it shows the effects of moderate drinking. Despite this fact, the study might have some ethical problems. The director also mentioned that the only problem with the study is the funding, not the results.

This research is still at the beginning. At this phase of the study, researchers are enrolling approximately 7,000 people and dividing them into 2 groups. One group needs to refrain from drinking and the other group can only drink one glass of wine. They want to show the cardiovascular consequences of moderate drinking.

The director of NIH mentioned that they are going to investigate more about who funded the study and if there are any ethical problems. Some believe that the allegations are made to discredit the study. Now, we’ll have to wait and see the results of the investigation.