{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,24]],"date-time":"2026-03-24T03:15:49Z","timestamp":1774322149652,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,9]],"date-time":"2025-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752019200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Addiction"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background and Aims<\/jats:title><jats:p>The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research (ISFAR), many of whose members are linked to the alcohol industry, has published over 280 critiques on alcohol and health research. This study investigated whether ISFAR critiques favour studies reporting alcohol's health benefits while being more critical of those identifying harms. We also examined whether industry\u2010funded studies are more likely to report benefits, and whether ISFAR's critiques reflect the methodological rigor of the studies they assess.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We analysed 268 ISFAR critiques published between April 2010 and January 2024, manually coding each underlying study for its content (whether the original study reported alcohol\u2010related health benefits or harms) and each critique for its tone (positive or negative). Sentiment analysis (SA) algorithms were applied to critique summaries to assess tone using automated methods. Study authors were examined for prior receipt of alcohol industry funding. AMSTAR\u20102 and ROBIS tools evaluated risk of bias in 36 systematic reviews and meta\u2010analyses favoured (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u200924) or criticised (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u200912) by ISFAR.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Studies reporting health benefits had higher odds of receiving positive reviews from ISFAR [odds ratio (OR)\u2009=\u20096.50, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = (3.62\u201312.00)], as did studies minimising alcohol harms [OR\u2009=\u20092.47, 95% CI = (1.40\u20134.45)]. Studies reporting health harms had higher odds of receiving negative critiques [OR\u2009=\u20090.29, 95% CI = (0.15\u20130.14)], as did studies minimising health benefits [OR\u2009=\u20090.21, 95% CI = (0.10\u20130.41)]. Algorithmic SA replicated these patterns, though the correlation with manual coding was modest [<jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.20, 95% CI = (0.08\u20130.32)]. Studies with industry ties had higher odds of minimising alcohol\u2010related harms [OR\u2009=\u20091.90, 95% CI = (1.04\u20133.50)], and those co\u2010authored by ISFAR members had higher odds of reporting a J\u2010shaped relationship between alcohol use and health [OR\u2009=\u20092.52, 95% CI = (1.00\u20136.48)]. No association was found between ISFAR sentiment and study quality as independently assessed by AMSTAR\u20102 and ROBIS (BF<jats:sub>01<\/jats:sub>\u2009=\u20096.13\u20136.21).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Critiques from The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research (ISFAR) consistently promote alcohol's purported health benefits while minimising evidence of harm, regardless of study quality. These patterns provide a valuable resource for industry actors to shape public perception, downplay risk and influence policy\u2014using strategies that closely resemble those historically employed by the tobacco industry.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/add.70132","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,9]],"date-time":"2025-07-09T15:00:21Z","timestamp":1752073221000},"page":"2319-2328","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research (ISFAR) critiques of alcohol research: Promoting health benefits and downplaying harms"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"120","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3392-5099","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"James M.","family":"Clay","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), University of Victoria  Victoria Canada"},{"name":"Department of Community Health and Epidemiology Dalhousie University  Halifax Canada"},{"name":"Department of Psychology University of Victoria  Victoria Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5696-6803","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tim","family":"Stockwell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), University of Victoria  Victoria Canada"},{"name":"Department of Psychology University of Victoria  Victoria Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Su","family":"Golder","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences University of York  York UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Keegan","family":"Lawrence","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), University of Victoria  Victoria Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jim","family":"McCambridge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UCL School of Pharmacy University College London  London UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicole","family":"Vishnevsky","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), University of Victoria  Victoria Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alexandra","family":"Zuckermann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research Public Health Agency of Canada  Ottawa Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9849-4413","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Timothy","family":"Naimi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), University of Victoria  Victoria Canada"},{"name":"School of Public Health and Social Policy University of Victoria  Victoria Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(19)30231-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(18)32744-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj-2023-077550"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2011.300292"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15288\/jsad.2021.82.595"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/eurpub\/ckaa172"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/dar.12826"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15288\/jsad.2022.83.260"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/16066359.2021.1952190"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_11_1","unstructured":"SiegelM.Isfar criticizes new alcohol guidance issued by Canadian Centre on substance use and addiction but fails to reveal its conflicts of interest with big alcohol. 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