Foods and Nutrition: Articles, Databases, & News

Find Articles on Nutrition topics

Search these library databases to find articles on nutrition topics.

Conflicts of interest in nutrition research

In the context of research, conflicts of interest happen when the design or the conclusions of a study are influenced by an outside source. Outside sources can include governments, pressure resulting from work environments, and funding sources (corporations, grants, awards, etc).

Because of the competitive nature of the food and beverage industries, we must be careful to evaluate research on food and nutrition for industry bias. The labeling of food in the grocery store is a clear demonstration of how research is used to sell packaged food! Learn more about food labels and packaging in this OER nutrition textbook. 

As a general rule of thumb, if the study you're reading was funded by the food industry AND the conclusions endorse eating a specific food, you should be extra careful about possible conflicts of interest. 

Two great places to learn more about industry funding in nutrition research: 

Harvard's School of Public Health has a helpful website called The Nutrition Source, and they have a helpful guide to vetting nutrition studies for "funding bias." 

Retired professor Marion Nestle's blog Food Politics -- the link takes you to entries about conflicts of interest, but there is more to explore! 

Trade Publications -- the business side of food

Introduction to the Library Website and Library Services

This 5:25 video provides an overview of the library website and highlights some of the Library's most popular collections and services. 

Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed) Journals