This article discusses a very important issue that both the scientific community and the general public face nowadays. The political and economic models that underlie research activities need a serious revision.
Regarding the confusion with which medical and nutrition research is met by the public, I'd like to make 3 points:
Humans are complex biological systems with lots of intricate subsystems constantly interacting among each other. Besides the most general aspects or the fundamental biochemical mechanisms which we all share, people should realize that there is no universal detailed prescription of what is or is not healthy. People should try to be conscious of how their habits and behaviors impact them, and change them accordingly.
I don't think it makes much sense to speak about healthy or unhealthy foods. Instead, we should speak about healthy and unhealthy diets. It is the continued pattern of what you eat that will have a cumulative impact on your health, not a single food. Except for those people who have been diagnosed with specific illnesses or conditions which respond very badly to certain foods (food allergies, diabetes, gastric reflux, etc...), all foods and ingredients may be part of a balanced and healthy diet, as long as they are consumed in reasonable proportions. The Food Balance Wheel is a good example of a general guideline of what may constitute a balanced diet.
People should be ware that a single study means very little from a scientific perspective. Until the study is replicated by independent groups using their own methods and similar conclusions are drawn, you cannot regard the results as scientifically demonstrated. Regarding this, the general media usually prefer to make dramatic pieces (and maybe promote something for which they have been sponsored) instead of providing a sober information about what is going on.
This is a systemic problem. From the very ethics of research to the lack of scientific literacy of the general public, everyone is at fault here. Of course that, in the end, the political and economic model is clearly one of the main culprits. Private funding will always invest on research which advances their interests, but public funding can (in theory) be impartial. I believe that the public budget for education and research funding should be higher and more intelligently distributed.
YES! You nailed it.