Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a federal agency and public health institute that is under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While the agency is in charge of a lot of important, much-needed research on public health, it has also received a fair share of criticism for promoting research that furthers its agenda.

Obesity

Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States. Accordingly, the CDC has dedicated millions of dollars in research to the study of obesity. But the CDC doesn’t just spend money researching obesity–it has also given out grants to states specifically to educate residents about the health effects of consuming soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages. The trouble is, the scientific community hasn’t concluded that soda is a unique contributor to obesity.

Alcohol

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds a number of studies to examine the health effects of alcohol. Its funding for this research doesn’t just come from Congress–it’s also partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to research alcohol. Interestingly, the CDC was the first federal agency to advocate for the lowering of the federal blood alcohol limit for driving from .08 to .05. Only the National Transportation Safety Board has since concurred.