The essential purpose of the thesis is to examine the influence of food corporations on public perception of sports nutrition and dietary supplements aimed at improving one's health or performance.
The thesis is a monographic character. In the first part of the thesis the description method was used; we investigated dietary supplements market, defined its segments and described prevalence of using such supplements, both worldwide and national.
We found that 44 % of Slovenian population uses such supplements, while the number is higher in the USA (53 %), and it increases in Asian countries such as Singapore or South Korea with prevalence of 71 % and 73 %, respectively. We looked at supplement safety and the prevalence of reporting about its use to a personal doctor.
In the main part, we profoundly examined various different methods by which food corporations influence science, shape public perceptions regarding the use of their products, and curb the effectiveness of independent regulatory agencies.
To reach their goals they use methods such as lobbying and intimidating scientists, manipulation of study designs and research protocols, ghostwriting scientific articles, publication bias, downplaying evidence and playing up false uncertainty, promoting experts who undermine the scientific consensus, influencing the media, hindering the regulatory process, censoring scientists or rewriting their research.
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