Beyond the Headlines

Sorting Out Nutrition Science

The Role of the Media in Reporting Food and Health-Related Scientific Studies

The media functions as one of the prime gatekeepers of food and health information. Unfortunately, the media thrives on delivering "breaking news" such as the latest research or the results of a single new study. This information makes for great headlines that attract our attention, such as "Atkins’ Diet Catapults Body into a State of Fat Meltdown." Coupled with the fact that most adults haven’t had a basic physiology or nutrition class since ninth grade (if at all) it’s not surprising that health and performance-conscious runners are often tripped up by scientific jargon or outsmarted by complicated pseudoscience masquerading as real research.

The biggest problem is that the media often reports nutrition and health-related news as factual and definitive—as the "final word." (If you don’t see the problem with this, re-read the above section.) Reporters, however, often fail to provide the proper context for the information or they rely on news releases and study abstracts, which are not credible substitutes for original research. Abstracts and news releases don’t provide enough information to make judgments about the merits of the study, or for accurately reporting the results. This means it’s often up to you to figure out what the results mean, or if they even mean anything at all.

As for the Atkins Diet, the scientific community remains unconvinced (so far) of many of it’s purported health benefits. Despite Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution being firmly ensconced on the New York Times best-seller’s list for four-plus years, it lacks solid scientific support. Atkins relies heavily on rhetoric, speculation and personal testimonials of his patients—none of which can prove that his is the healthier diet. Well-designed clinical trials are now underway. (See "Measuring the Merits.")