I hold the opinion that an honest declaration of potential conflicts of interest is important to put research into context. The reason is twofold: First, there is no value-free science, because science is a human endeavor, and every human individual has certain values. Second, there is no theory-free interpretation of data. Thus, prior beliefs in certain theories that a scientist holds will influence the way that he/she analyzes and interprets the data.

Therefore, in order to place my research in context I formulate here some of my beliefs and values. This goes beyond the typical declaration of conflicts of interest that you will find in most scientific papers.

I am a realist, meaning that I believe that events happen and things exist in the world (in „reality“) even if we do not perceive them happening or existing. I strongly believe that science is one of the best routes for humans to attain knowledge about reality, if it is conducted free of ideologies and dogmas. However, I also believe that it is not the only route, as inner experience, contemplation or intuition can be similarly valuable, and complementary routes towards knowing reality.

That said, it should be clear that I am not a materialist. I place high value in trying to be bias-free and independent in my research, without having to rely on money from others who might hold certain interests in potential research outcomes. In the past, I have received some honorary fees for traveling to conferences, accomodation and/or giving talks. These came from Elekta (a radiation oncology venture), vitaflo (a sub-venture of Nestlé specialised in clincial nutrition), the Society for Evolutionary Medicine and Health or the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). In no case had any of these companies or societies an influence on my research.

Schließlich gebe ich an, da meine Forschung auch Ernährung betrifft und ich in der Ernährungsberatung tätig bin, dass ich mich selbst zu ~80-90% nach den Prinzipien einer „Paläoernährung“ mit viel Fleisch, aber auch Milchprodukten, ernähre und zeitweise versuche, in eine Ketose zu kommen. Der Grund ist einfach der, dass ich mich nach vielem Experimentieren mit solch einer Ernährung am besten fühle und sie nach dem, was wir über die menschliche Evolution und Physiologie wissen, am meisten Sinn macht. Obwohl ich überzeugt bin (und wie die Datenlage zunehmend zeigt), dass die meisten Menschen von einer Art „Paläoernährung“ profitieren würden, erkenne ich auch an, dass Ernährng immer auf das Individuum zugeschnitten sein muss und dass ethische, kulturelle und andere Aspekte ebenfalls berücksichtigt werden können und sollten.