Transparency (John 8:46)

A disturbing new article was recently published investigating the claims of a landmark medical article published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in 1967. This article was a review of earlier studies and was the first major article to link heart disease to saturated fats. This revelation became the basis for many of our current dietary recommendations seeking to reduce heart disease by minimizing the intake of saturated fats.

This new article, written by Dr. Cristin E. Kearns and her colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco, investigated the sources of the funding for the original study. To the authors surprise and dismay, they discovered the sugar industry funded the studies and did not include articles that linked sugar intake and heart disease.  Thus, for many years, only saturated fats, not sugar, was cited as a dietary risk factor. Dr. James J DiNicolantonio of Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute stated that the findings were "appalling...If you actually look at the studies that restrict sugar, so they limit sugar to only 5% of calories, then you'll see a reduction in prediabetes and diabetes by 50%. We've known this since the early 1980s, but the dietary guidelines during that time specifically said sugar does not cause diabetes, despite evidence to the contrary...Basically, the dietary guidelines were lying to us."

The original authors should have revealed their potential bias as paid investigators for the sugar industry. The result was years of misguided dietary guidelines for the prevention and treatment of heart disease.

Transparency is important. In medicine, in business, or life-a full disclosure of any potential biases is necessary if the truth is to be declared and any hidden agendas revealed.

Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?

John 8:46 (ESV)

Jesus Christ always spoke the truth. From the beginning, He declared His mission-to obey God the Father and be the sacrifice for mankind’s sins. His detractors could not understand this and thought He had a different agenda. They even accused Him of being in league with Satan. But Jesus asked his accusers, “Which of you convicts me of sin?”

Although many charges were leveled against Jesus, not one of his accusers or enemies could ever find an example that He sinned. He declared that the Scriptures, John the Baptist, God the Father, and the mighty works and miracles He performed all testified that He was the Christ, the Messiah. His agenda and motives were always clear. Jesus was transparent.

I pray that my life will be as transparent to others. I pray that all who see me will see Jesus Christ living within me.

O Lord, let me be transparent so that You would be visible.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.