Highly read on plosmedicine.org 13 Jan–12 Feb

Research exploring possible links between sugar-sweetened drinks and weight gain could be biased by financial conflicts of interest.

Maira Bes-Rastrollo of the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and her colleagues combed three databases for systematic reviews about the association between sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain. The team found 18 conclusions in 17 such reviews, and 6 of those papers contained disclosures of financial ties to the food industry.

Of the 12 conclusions that had no reported financial conflict of interest, 83.3% said that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages could be a risk factor for weight gain. But the same percentage of conclusions with a reported financial tie to industry said that there was insufficient evidence of a link.

PLoS Med. 10, e1001578 (2014)