Commercial funding of randomized controlled trials of weight-loss interventions using dietary supplements: A rapid review

Nutrition research funded by commercial entities may be subject to bias. To date, no study has examined the prevalence of commercial funding in clinical trials of dietary supplements for weight loss. To estimate the prevalence of commercial funding of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of dietary supplement interventions for weight loss. We conducted a rapid review of English-language RCTs published between 1 January 2023, testing dietary supplements for weight loss. Funding sources were extracted from full texts and categorized as industry, nonprofit, trade association, academic, government, or other. Commercial funders, trade associations, and nonprofits were further reviewed for ties to supplement sales. Of 74 articles reviewed, 59% (<i>n</i> = 44) reported commercial funding, involving 64 unique funders and 118 instances of commercial involvement. More than half of funders sold dietary supplements or had affiliated companies that did, though some affiliations could not be verified due to limited transparency. No nonprofit funders had ties to supplement sales. The majority of RCTs evaluating dietary supplements for weight loss reported commercial funding. Further research is needed to assess whether such funding influences study findings.

由商业实体资助的营养学研究可能存在偏倚。迄今为止，尚未有研究针对减重膳食补充剂（Dietary Supplements）临床试验中的商业资助占比进行调研。本研究旨在评估减重膳食补充剂干预随机对照试验（Randomized Controlled Trials, RCTs）的商业资助占比。我们对2023年1月1日起发表的、针对减重膳食补充剂干预的英文随机对照试验开展了快速综述。研究人员从文献全文中提取资助来源信息，并将其划分为企业、非营利组织、行业协会、学术机构、政府部门及其他类别。此外，本研究还针对商业资助方、行业协会及非营利组织与膳食补充剂销售的关联情况进行了核查。在纳入回顾的74篇文献中，59%（n=44）报告存在商业资助，涉及64家独立资助方及118次商业参与案例。超过半数的资助方自身销售膳食补充剂，或其关联企业从事该类业务，但受限于信息透明度不足，部分关联情况无法得到核实。未发现非营利资助方与膳食补充剂销售存在关联。绝大多数评估减重膳食补充剂的随机对照试验均报告存在商业资助。未来仍需开展进一步研究，以明确此类资助是否会对研究结果产生影响。