Dear all:

I fear that the standards in medical science must have descended considerably if the BMJ "Opinion piece" is considered a review.  That was not a review, it was spin, pure and simple.  Let me repeat.  It was NOT a study, it was NOT a review, it WAS spin.  A review requires advance thinking about your conceptual framework.  It involves setting criteria for evaluating your conceptual framework.  It involves ensuring that your collection of information is not biased.  I did not see any of those basic principals in what I considered to be a very poor oped piece and I do not believe the disclaimers of some of the authors that the conflicts of interest made no difference in their conclusions, especially when it is now being reported in the news media as NEW RESEARCH. How would the news media be aware of a poorly written opinion piece if press releases were not sent to them?  I RARELY see good investigative journalism in the health sections of even major newspapers.  Even Jane Brody used to dish out slightly microwaved versions of press releases from the food industry.  I stopped reading her column when she suggested that babies could get a little extra DHA from formula rather than using a few of her gray cells to put together that mothers might actually be able to eat foods rich in DHA.

Peer reviewed journals do allow opinion pieces, but that does NOT qualify these as "reviews".

Sincerely, 

Susan E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

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