The asterisk

The official title of the fruit and vegetable depletion study I've been discussing recently is this:

Green tea extract only affects markers of oxidative status postprandially: lasting antioxidant effect of flavonoid-free diet*

Did you notice the asterisk? It got dropped from pubmed but is there in the full text pdf.

Why is it there in the paper title? It's there because a major funder for the research wishes to distance itself from the results! That's the EU for you. Fund the research and "IN NO WAY" (direct quote) use the results, as they do not fit your pre concieved ideas, to influence policy!!!!! This is the text associated with the asterisk:

* The study has been carried out with financial support in part from a Danish Food Technology grant (FØTEK2, ‘Antioxidants from plants’) and in part from the Commission of the European Communities, Agriculture and Fisheries (FAIR) specific RTD programme, CT 95-0158 ‘Natural Antioxidants from Foods’. It does not necessarily reflect its views and in no way anticipates the Commission’s future policy in this area.

Hats off to the Danish veterinarians who published this important piece of work and who probably have had their last ever grant from the EU coffers.

I don't think I have ever seen a comment like this ever before on a technical paper.

Wow!

Peter