Dipak K. Das Accused of Research Fraud
Let’s be honest—when a doctor is accused of fraud it’s pretty big news. Trouble is, the news has a tendency to blow things out of proportion for the sake of ratings. I’m talking about the resveratrol scandal. The University of Connecticut recently accused researcher Dr. Dipak K. Das of fraud regarding Das’ research on the benefits of resveratrol. But rather than focus solely on this doc’s fraud, the media took a much bigger leap and planted doubt about validity of resveratrol, and ultimately red wine itself. In fact, one news outlet chose to hype the story to the point of comparing red wine (from which resveratrol comes) to nothing more than a “Cinnabon.” That is to say, it has no benefits at all.
Wait a sec. One researcher gets caught altering a few reports and thousands of years of knowing that red wine has amazing health benefits goes down the tubes?
Ridiculous.
In case you don’t know about resveratrol, it is a phytochemical found in red-grape skins and red wine. The American Cancer Society defines phytochemicals as a “wide variety of compounds produced by plants” that are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, and other plants. Resveratrol is also a powerful antioxidant. And it has been scientifically proven to increase the lifespan of yeast, worms, fruit flies, fish and mice fed a high-calorie diet.
It does not take an experienced supplement researcher to know the difference between the benefits of phytochemicals and a donut. And yet, scientific fraud and Cinnabons are so much more newsworthy, aren’t they?
So, let’s talk about the facts. Here is what the American Cancer Society has to say about phytochemicals:
Phytochemicals are promoted for the prevention and treatment of many health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. There is some evidence that certain phytochemicals may help prevent the formation of potential carcinogens (substances that cause cancer), block the action of carcinogens on their target organs or tissue, or act on cells to suppress cancer development. Many experts suggest that people can reduce their risk of cancer significantly by eating more fruits, vegetables and other foods from plants that contain phytochemicals.FACT: Although Dr. Das is a resveratrol researcher who was accused of altering the pictures of the blot images for publication in journals, he was not, by any means, the sole researcher of all resvertarol studies. Presently, there are thousands of simultaneous studies (4,479 scientific studies or reports, to be exact) by major universities and research centers around the world that are studying the benefits of resveratrol.
FACT: Of these studies, Das reported on less than 1.7 percent of them. Most resveratrol research is published by researchers other than Das.
As published in Forbes, “It is unclear whether it has any impact at all on the larger body of scientific research involving resveratrol and related areas. (It’s also possible that Das is only the first of dozens of rotten eggs yet to be discovered in this embryonic field.)”
However, in defense of Das’s work, the article pointed out: “The alleged faulty tests in no way altered the outcome of his research studies. The western blot test was only one of many tests used to draw scientific conclusions in published studies. Furthermore, other independent labs, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) itself, validated Das’ work, as well as researchers in Europe and Japan.”
My point?
Don’t stop taking resveratrol supplements for several reasons.
First of all, fruits and vegetables (like grapes!) contain not only vitamins and minerals but lots of healthy nature-made beneficial phytochemicals: lycopene, lutein, resveratrol and ellagic acid, just to name a few. Even if we don’t fully understand all of the health benefits of phytochemicals, we do have common sense. Fruits and veggies are good for us!
Second, people feel better when they eat healthy foods and take supplements derived from them. If you need proof that vitamins work, don’t go to the library and read the 70 years’ worth of research backing this up, just take vitamins daily and see for yourself.
Third, and I hate to say it, don’t believe everything you read. If you’re anything like me (who tends to believe everything I read!), make sure you get your news from a reputable source that gives balanced—as opposed to sensationalized—news. Ironically, the media that transformed the news story about Dr. Das into “resveratrol is a scam” are the same media that took an anti-aging study and hyped it into “Resveratrol, the new miracle pill!” What we need from our information sources is a balanced overview of the scientific data on a subject and not a bunch of hype that is pre-molded to fit the news event of the day.
Last but not least, just ask the people who take resveratrol. Sometimes testimonials are your most powerful source of knowledge.
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References:
Gulp! Faking Red Wine Research, Jan. 18, 2012
Phytochemicals, American Cancer Society
Resveratrol and Fraud, Jan. 2012, Forbes
