If I Google my top three favorite food scientists and writers (Lustig, Wansink, Seneff), they aren't exactly positioned in top health and
alternative health websites, my team is not getting very much coverage
(relatively speaking).[1]
Results:
Name #
hits
Brian Wansink (Cornell) 268,000; 2,000 in Google
scholar
Stephanie Seneff (MIT) 46,800; 1000 in Google scholar
Ancel Keys 232,000
Gigi Berardi 959,000; 305 in Google scholar
T Colin
Campbell (China Study) 11,000,000; 78000 in Google scholar
Erminio
Monteleone
(Sens.TasteSci/U Florence)) 464,000;
102 in Google scholar (English)
Johannes Wirz
(Goetheanum)[3] 17,900;
45 in Google scholar
Walter Willett
(Harvard) 1,520,000
Deepak Chopra
(health celebrity) 14,000,000
Andrew Weil
(health celebrity) 3,460,000
Mehmet Oz (health celebrity) 5,970,000
Joseph Mercola
(health celebrity) 2,680,000
Marion Nestle
(NYU, writer) 437,000
Michael Pollan
(journalist) 3,090,000
Jamie Oliver
(food celebrity) 47,100,000
Mark Bittman
(writer) 840,000
Molly Kimball
(writer) 1,220,000
At
the top of the list (in terms of number of hits) are those selling good stories
as well as health aids of various sorts (Deepak Chopra (http://store.chopra.com/ and Mehmet Oz http://www.doctoroz.com/), exciting
writers or food personalities (Jamie Oliver) or masters of story-telling with
an academic base, in this case, Cornell (T Colin Campbell).
Aside from the popularity contest, what
do these health celebrities, academics, and others have in common, besides the
fact that many have ties with industry? No, seriously, there actually is one
common theme: No or reduced sugar, and mostly, no or reduced processed foods.
Many of these academics have little
experience with media. That’s a pity – because the media exposure advances
their names and work, a type of work that is systematic although encouched in
caveats, reluctant to make generalizations and recommendations – and even when
they do, are not very accessible.
[1] Although consider, too, many top academic
researchers/nutrition writers – many of which we may have never heard of http://academic.research.microsoft.com/RankList?entitytype=2&topDomainID=6&subDomainID=16&last=0&start=1&end=100, Google them
and see how little is their reach.
[3] Molecular genetics and
anthroposophical scholar profiled in an upcoming book.