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"Keep an open mind, but not so open that
your brain falls out.."
—Unknown
One of the favorite parts of my job at the Co-op
is to talk to members about their concerns regarding confusing and
conflicting nutrition messages. Some customers wonder why they should
bother to follow certain nutrition advice, since it will just change
if they wait long enough!
There are plenty of reliable information sources
available to us. There are many others that can needlessly scare
or confuse. I would like to share the strategies I use to focus
in on potentially useful new information, and give you some tools
for sorting out and evaluating the nutrition news and information
you come across every day.
The Big Picture
Researchers understand that each new study result adds to the "totality
of evidence" available to answer a nutrition question. One
study or result cannot be taken alone; it must be put into perspective
with how it relates to the rest of what we know. Each piece of evidence
is a stepping stone to a more complete picture of the problem and
of the solution.
Good research results in a more complete and complex
understanding of a problem. For example, early research into the
role of fat in the diet led to our understanding that too much fat
was related to heart disease. Looking deeper into this relationship,
researchers found that the type of fat was as important as the amount
of fat: trans fats were as harmful as saturated fats and monounsaturated
fats in the diet had a positive effect on blood cholesterol.
Credible organizations base their recommendations
on this kind of "totality" of grounded evidence.
Commercial Interests and Your Health
Manufacturers can supply useful information, but don’t look
to them for the complete story. For example, a product manufacturer
will be very interested in showing the product in the best light,
quoting studies that support its consumption. It may, however, neglect
to explain that the studies were only done on rats and not on humans,
or that they were poorly designed, resulting in conclusions that
would not stand up to professional scientific scrutiny.
Is it Too Good (or Bad) to be True?
Claims of a revolutionary product, miracle cure, new discovery,
or magical remedy are highly suspect. If a product were a cure for
a serious disease, it would be widely reported in medical journals
and the national news media and regularly prescribed by health professionals.
It would not be debuted in a popular magazine or newspaper ad, late-night
television infomercial, or on a dubious web site where the marketers
are of unknown, questionable, or nonscientific backgrounds.
Does the message sound like an exaggeration? Is
it startling and scary? For example, "Canola oil is poison!"
"Aspartame causes brain cancer!" Let this kind of message
be a red flag. Widely used foods or ingredients with dramatic debilitating
side effects would have wide-ranging effects which would be reported
by medical professionals treating the patients. (This is how HIV
was discovered.) Credible researchers and writers do not present
nutrition information in a way that enthusiastically promotes fear
and panic. Their goal is to foster improved understanding based
on factual knowledge.
Conspiracy Sells
Warnings about what "they" don’t want you to know
are used to convince unsuspecting consumers to use or not use certain
products or foods. This strategy catches your attention, but as
Carl Sagan once said, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary
evidence." Would the vast number of people in the health-care
field block treatments that could help millions of sick, suffering
patients, many of who could be family and friends? It doesn’t
make sense. Conspiracy statements like these should not be accepted
at face value from any source. They must be accompanied by strong,
supportive, impartial documentation and dismissed if the person
or group making the accusation does not make this documentation
available.
I Should Believe You Because…?
Celebrity or athlete endorsements and anecdotes from friends or
in advertisements may be persuasive but should not be the bottom
line when it comes to making decisions about your health or diet.
Paid spokespeople may not even use the product they
are promoting. Testimonials and endorsements may not actually be
related to the use of the product. It could be that something else
actually worked, the problem cleared up on its own, or any number
of variables. Because of all of the circumstances that can interfere,
this kind of proof that a product works is actually not proof at
all.
Jargon
Legitimate information intended for non-scientists is presented
in plain language. Complex scientific terms and explanations may
sound impressive and may have an element of truth to them, but in
materials intended for the general public (who are not scientists
and for whom technical scientific jargon would not be clear), this
should be a red flag.
So Whom Do You Believe?
You are not alone when it comes to finding out what is reliable
about the latest nutrition information. Use these resources and
the links they provide to learn "the rest of the story"
and become a fully informed information consumer.
These sites contain high quality nutrition and health
resources and offer many links on where to search for even more
information.
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Health Insight, a Project of the Center for Risk Analysis,
Harvard School of Public Health. Learn questions to ask about
the research studies you may read or hear about www.health-insight.harvard.edu |
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Nutrition News Focus, a website and daily email newsletter
by Dr. David Klurfeld, Professor and Chairman of the Department
of Nutrition and Food Science at Wayne State University in Detroit,
Michigan and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American
College of Nutrition. This site puts the news into perspective
with the "totality of evidence." www.nutritionnewsfocus.com/ |
| Non-profit health organizations
such as these have their credibility at stake, so they are not
likely to risk it by publishing false or far-fetched information.
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The American Heart Association: www.americanheart.org
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The American Institute for Cancer Research: www.aicr.org
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The American Diabetes Association: www.diabetes.org
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| For newer strategies
and medicines such as herbal remedies, look to organizations
dedicated to reporting on the latest research such as: |
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Herb Research Foundation: www.herbs.org
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Herbmed: www.herbmed.org
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Healthnotes (at the kiosks in the Health and Beauty Departments
at both Co-op food stores) |
| To double-check outrageous
website or email claims, try looking them up at this urban legends
and folklore "de-bunking" site: |
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http://urbanlegends.about.com/ |
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