Food research articles retracted by medical journal

A leading medical journal has retracted six food research articles by
a Cornell University marketing professor, saying the results can't be verified.

The papers under question include a 2005 study that said people eat more when served food in large bowls and a 2013 article that said hungry grocery shoppers buy foods with more calories, but not more food. They appeared in journals published by the JAMA Network, which include the Journal of the American Medical Association.

JAMA published the retractions online Wednesday for the six articles by Professor Brian Wansink. In May, the journal issued "expression of concern" notices and asked that Cornell conduct an independent evaluation of the articles.

"Cornell has notified JAMA that based on its investigation, they are unable to provide assurances regarding the scientific validity of the 6 studies," the retraction notice says. The university told JAMA it didn't have access to the original data to verify the results.

Wansink, head of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, said by email that he's "very proud of all of these papers, and I'm confident they will be replicated by other groups."

Wansink has had seven papers retracted (one twice) and at least 15 corrections, according to the Retraction Watch website.

Cornell spokesman John Carberry said the university had conducted a comprehensive review of "allegations of academic misconduct" and will issue a statement about its outcome on Friday.