Beyond the Headlines

Sorting Out Nutrition Science

Interpreting Nutrition and Health-Related News

To keep from feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by the daily barrage of food, exercise and health news, put the following strategies into practice.

Strategy #1: Pay attention to the context.

The first question you should ask yourself is, "So what? Does this ‘news’ mean I ought to do something or not?" Your job is to find out how this latest information fits with what is already known on the subject. This means reserving judgment about the latest "miracle food" or promising supplement until you put it into context. Does it confirm previous findings or is it a radical departure from current thinking? Because it takes time and effort to understand research, remind yourself that results only directly apply if you share the same characteristics as the group being studied. For example, if a study focused on untrained runners and you’ve been running religiously for the past 10 years, the results won’t directly apply to you.

Check with reputable sources—those that provide a balanced perspective, not just one side of the story. In other words, choose sources (like websites, magazines and newscasts) and experts (like health care providers) that reveal pros and cons, benefits and risks, and clearly delineate between their beliefs/opinions and known facts. Scientists often reach different conclusions from the same or similar data, so it’s prudent to check with more than one expert. Finally, be wary of "expert" advice from those who serve to profit from the results, such as the sales clerk selling supplements at your local health food store, or a doctor on the payroll of the company that makes the product he or she is endorsing.

The bottom line: Do your homework. An educated consumer knows that the results of a single study rarely warrant a change in behavior.

Strategy #2: Learn to distinguish between different types of studies—observational research and controlled experiments.

It’s important to know a bit about how studies are designed, as this directly relates to what their results do—and don’t—mean. An observational study entails examining specific factors in a defined group of people. The purpose is to investigate relationships between these factors and aspects of health, illness or performance. For example, an observational study may focus on healthy male runners ages 30 to 45 who take Supplement X and its relationship to how they perform in a marathon.

From a scientific viewpoint, observational research can only suggest relationships or associations—it cannot determine cause and effect. In other words, researchers may find that taking Supplement X appears to be associated or correlated with faster performances in the marathon, but that does not prove that Supplement X causes better performances. (The fastest marathoners in the group may simply run more miles each week or do more interval workouts than their counterparts.)