We’ve got good news and bad news. The pasta-is-good-for-you study that grabbed headlines this week had several flaws:
- It was partially funded by Barilla. They claim there was no conflict of interest, but it begs the question: Why else would a pasta company pay to research the nutritional value of pasta?
- The study looked at Italians who ate pasta as part of the Mediterranean diet. Researchers concluded pasta was associated with lower BMI, but the health benefits could be coming from any part of the diet.
- People in the study ate three-ounce portions of pasta—less than half the amount of spaghetti the average American puts on their plate.
- The data had to be manipulated to correct for misreporting, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it means the researchers admit the study was flawed.
The good news? There are plenty of other studies funded without help from pasta manufacturers that show eating carbs can be healthy. We even have a whole story on it, which you can check out by clicking below.
