Arrogance Does Not A Good Researcher Make

Adding on to the thread regarding studies I can't overlook something that struck me as exemplifying mediocrity while reading an abstract about the anti-inflammatory benefits of chocolate.

One star-struck doctor seems to take the prize for responding unprofessionally to an inquiry or two regarding some of his studies.

I always seemed to find that orthopaedic surgeons seemed to be the most arrogant when I was working in ICU or as a college level nursing educator.

Seems as if things have changed.

Here's a guy who might have been raised to be arrogant or seemingly entitled. Maybe there is extra emphasis on his traits because he's on Oprah or ABC News. Perhaps its because he's a newbie to natural health and wants to be in the 'expert' spotlight all the time.

Well he made my spotlight today, something akin to Keith Olbermann's 'Worst Person of the World': Move over Bill O'Reilly.

Yes, it's David Katz.

He couldn't, or maybe wouldn't, answer my query about what brand of sugar free cocoa mix he used in his study on the anti-inflammatory benefit of cocoa.

I asked if he used a product with aspartame or sucralose because I was interested in the use of toxic products in a study to show the benefit he reported.

His retort was, "But this was a research paper, not a page from my diary!"

Earlier on, in 2006, a colleague of mine wrote the same man about his ABC News response to a very artificial sweeteners. His response to his inaccurate comments were based on vital peer-reviewed research that proves aspartame causes cancer.

Katz's retort was dismissive and referred to something about the fact he didn't "have time" to get the facts before he was interviewed on ABC. He said he was busy and put some of the blame on his children.

And he wasn't the first to report on this - just my point about how many times you have to study the same thing. Here's a meaningful report from 2003. Perhaps Katz was hoping no one reads journals that are more than 6 months old.

Seems to me that you'd want more reliable researchers reporting on health for the media. I know I do, and I'll skip this guy by a mile.

In the mean time, yes cocoa can be very beneficial for your health because of the high level of anti-oxidant flavonoids and phenolic compounds.

Make sure yours is organic, contains no aspartame, sucralose, HFCS or plain fructose, cane sugar or other inflammation promoting sweeteners.

If you need a sweet taste in your cocoa, try adding pure vanilla extract, maple sugar or Just Like Sugar (an all natural and safe for people with diabetes sweetener).

If you'd like to order cocoa nibs or organic cocoa powder, we can supply your needs and we'll include a tasty recipe or two with your products.

Remember, sugar defeats health benefits.