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by rossdavidh 2096 days ago
True that, but the incentives for government bureaucrats in the U.S. and the U.K. are somewhat different. Of the two, the former seem more likely to be swayed by industrial concerns/lobbying. Not saying that the U.K. is totally immune to this kind of thing, but I'd trust the NHS over the USDA.
1 comments

> I'd trust the NHS over the USDA

Yet, the UK essentially adopted the advice given by the USDA. Why? Expert consensus is formed by research, which is usually funded by interest groups, and a lot of it ultimately comes out of the pockets of US industry.

For instance, the lipid hypothesis (that cholesterol causes heart disease) has been popularized once (with US industry support), became expert consensus, despite lack of evidence to support it, despite lots of contradictory data.

Once something is expert consensus for a while, it becomes harder and harder to challenge. At that point, there is no need for industry to control the narrative anymore, the experts (who do not want to admit being wrong) will control it all by themselves.

The point I am making is that the authorities are the last ones to set things right, their advice is forever outdated and therefore likely wrong.